A FALSE DICHOTOMY: CHINA VS THE UNITED STATES?
A false dichotomy is a division between two things represented erroneously as being entirely opposite, and limits what options are available.
Geopolitics is often framed as a dichotomous Punch and Judy show, the good guy versus the bad guy.
China and the US are being presented as mutually exclusive alternatives for global leadership. Seemingly they are the only models of world orders on offer.
China’s Belt and Road investment program has spread to 150 countries. It is thought likely it will overtake the US economy sometime this century[i]. China has stepped on the US’ shoes in the Middle East, by brokering renewed diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Laurence Summers, US Secretary of the Treasury under Clinton, posted this on Twitter in April: ‘There are just a large number of countries that are not aligned with us or that are only weakly aligned with us. I heard a comment from somebody in a developing country who said, “Look, I like your values better than I like China’s. But the truth is, when we’re engaged with the Chinese, we get an airport. And when we’re engaged with you guys, we get a lecture.”’
Overhanging the rivalry is the threat of war over Taiwan and the South China Sea islands.
Is one superpower a better prospect for humanity than the other?
Developing countries note how China has done a remarkable job lifting its population out of poverty in only 40 years.[ii]
According to the latest data supplied by the World Bank, only 0.6 percent of the Chinese population live below the country's official poverty line of having less than $2.30 at their disposal per day.
The Index Mundi says 15.1% of the US population and 3.3% of the Chinese population live under the official poverty line of their respective countries. [iii]
Since World War 2, the US has engaged in 19 major foreign wars all without Congressional debate or approval.
China has fought no major foreign wars since World War 2.
Capitalist Frenemies - More alike than different?
Whether creating toxic viruses together, trading goods or sharing sensitive defence research, they are collaborators as well as competitors.
China and the US’ modes of production - which Marxists call the Base - are nearly identical: centralized capital accumulation (both privately or via the state), mass production and consumption, exploitation of labour and resource extraction.
Power is maintained by both countries through what Marxists call the Superstructure. This includes governance, debt, militarization ( weapon sales, police and security services, control over sea routes,) propaganda, censorship and the use of technology, science, and ownership of data to maintain authority.
Oppressive tactics are used to suppress protests and unionism by both countries.
I shall be exploring the differences and similarities between China and the US in future articles.
And I will be asking whether a non-aligned world is a viable third option.
[i] China to overtake US as world’s largest economy by 2035 (thenationalnews.com)
[ii] Lifting 800 Million People Out of Poverty – New Report Looks at Lessons from China’s Experience (worldbank.org)
[iii] Chart: Is China Tackling Poverty? | Statista
I look forward to reading more about this. Thank you for sharing