🌍China and Russia fear the existence and power of the U.S. and its open societies.
🤝Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin desire a restoration of greatness for their countries.
🚢China's geographical limitations impact its ability to play the modern power game.
🌐China's strategy involves rolling back American power and expanding its influence in East Asia.
🌏China's actions may seem irrational, but they are rooted in a cynical understanding of its role in the world.
Why does Xi Jinping treat the history of the cultural revolution and Mao's era the way he does?
—Xi Jinping lionizes Mao and refrains from criticizing that era because it fulfills his agenda of a restoration of greatness.
Why does China suppress political alternatives and promote censorship?
—China views the Chinese Communist Party as its saving grace and believes that without it, chaos and anarchy would ensue.
Why does China try to loosen American alliances?
—China wants to roll back American power and expand its own influence in order to achieve its goal of a restoration of greatness.
Why does China engage in aggressive actions, such as the South China Sea dispute?
—China sees American power as an existential threat and uses aggressive actions to assert its dominance.
What are the limitations on China's ability to play the modern power game?
—China's geographical limitations, such as a lack of a Western ocean opening and a closed eastern coast, impact its ability to fully project power.
00:00China and Russia's leaders, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, share a desire for a restoration of greatness and a fear of Western influence.
08:40China's geographical limitations and its lack of Western ocean opening impact its ability to play the modern power game.
13:09China's actions, although seemingly irrational, are driven by a cynical understanding of its role in the world.
28:39Xi Jinping refrains from criticizing the history of the cultural revolution and Mao's era because it fulfills his agenda of a restoration of greatness.
30:41China suppresses political alternatives and promotes censorship to maintain stability and prevent chaos.
37:47China tries to loosen American alliances to roll back American power and expand its own influence.
39:41China engages in aggressive actions, such as the South China Sea dispute, due to its perception of American power as an existential threat.
50:40China's geographical limitations, including the lack of a Western ocean opening and a closed eastern coast, limit its ability to project power.
