“You'd prefer it was the other way around? “
My preference is neither super power, past or present, engage in large scale warfare in order to spread their reach.
“China has now become the master of chequebook diplomacy, by taking overseas national strategic assets and bringing them under state control.”
Yes, they have, I am not denying that at all.
My comment was in reply to rodney rude suggesting that China should not be permitted to build its bases some 500 miles from its front door, I was simply pointing out the hypocrisy.
I totally agree, China is extending its reach more and more every day and I am not suggesting that this will be problem free.
However, unlike America and its lackeys such as Australia who have gained the spoils of globalization through the barrel of a gun, the Chinese appear at this stage to be doing it with “cheque book diplomacy” and so far the body count appears to be zero.
Perhaps thats not important to you as (white) Australia has never suffered at the hands of aggressive empire, it has always been the little kid egging the bully on from a position of safety.
But ask someone from Iraq or Syria or Yemen or Honduras or Vietnam or Laos or Cambodia how they feel about American “capitalism” and I guarantee you they would choose “cheque book diplomacy” every time.
“Do you believe that China adopts first world labour laws?”
No, of course they don’t, its one of the reasons why western companies move their manufacturing facilities there.
They are fully aware of poor labor standards and health and safety levels and only ever change things when the press occasionally penetrate the system and embarrass them. Even then they return to their old ways as soon as the spotlight goes away. Our entire system of consumption is predicated on exploiting workers in the third world.
“Tell me, who are the lesser racists? China or the West?”
Neither. The west has a pretense of not being racist however racism is a fact of life in the west from casual racism in the street to deeply embedded in Government policy.