Compare the two countries (I’m not a fan of either, by the way). China has transformed from a terribly backward agrarian country under Mao to the second-biggest economy in the world and is jockeying for influence in traditional American arenas. Russia finally got rid of what they called Communism, a totalitarian central control of everything that failed to meet anyone’s needs, only to allow a handful of guys to buy all the resources and control everything. China exports all kinds of goods to the world; all that Russia has that anyone wants is oil and other minerals and to some extent grain. Chinese people have been distracted from what their government is doing to them by shiny new toys. The Russian people have been fooled into thinking things are good there because that’s all they’re allowed to be told even though their economy is shaky at best even before the Ukraine adventure.
No wonder Putin is bowing to Xi; I don’t think it will end well for him…. or anyone else.
Compare the two countries (I’m not a fan of either, by the way). China has transformed from a terribly backward agrarian country under Mao to the second-biggest economy in the world and is jockeying for influence in traditional American arenas. Russia finally got rid of what they called Communism, a totalitarian central control of everything that failed to meet anyone’s needs, only to allow a handful of guys to buy all the resources and control everything. China exports all kinds of goods to the world; all that Russia has that anyone wants is oil and other minerals and to some extent grain. Chinese people have been distracted from what their government is doing to them by shiny new toys. The Russian people have been fooled into thinking things are good there because that’s all they’re allowed to be told even though their economy is shaky at best even before the Ukraine adventure.
No wonder Putin is bowing to Xi; I don’t think it will end well for him…. or anyone else.