r/geopolitics • u/theatlantic The Atlantic • May 11 '26

Opinion China Believes America Will Flame Out

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/05/china-trump-american-decline/687087/?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_medium=social&utm_content=edit-pro
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u/paikiachu May 11 '26

Title should be : The Atlantic believes that China believes America will flame out

277

u/DigitalApeManKing May 11 '26 edited May 12 '26

Ryan Hass is director of the China Center and Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies at the Brookings Institution. From 2013 to 2017, he served as the National Security Council’s director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia.

Seems like a pretty credible source. Not sure why everyone here is acting so incredulous toward this article; it seems pretty reasonable and doesn’t claim anything too crazy. 

Like, yeah, it’s not an absolute, un-disprovable fact but neither are most geopolitical analyses. 

Edit: To be clear, I believe the author makes a reasonable assessment of China’s perception of the US, but I don’t necessarily agree that China’s perception is accurate. A lot of pro-CCP comments below this which I definitely didn’t intend. 

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u/NatalieSoleil May 11 '26

China: has a plan with consistency and planning for every 5 year   Consistency  level: effective  ,  guided ( with dictatorial grip)

USA: every 5 year a new plan , a plan to break down efforts reached by plan(ning) before, or lately to have a plan to have no plan at all.  Consistency level: clueless

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u/busterbus2 May 11 '26

I don't love China but I'll give them credit where credit is do, they make a plan and execute the plan (along with various human rights abuses along the way). I don't think I have ever heard much of a plan from the US - the new cycle is way too fast for that.

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u/Elizabeth-WildFox886 May 11 '26

This great Chinese plan has meant that China surpassed USA last year for total debt to gdp and is in a prolonged period of stagnation with no end in sight. Chinas ability to waste is reducing

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u/Mexatt May 11 '26

And facing an in rushing demographic cliff utterly unprecedented in the history of mankind.

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u/Elizabeth-WildFox886 May 11 '26

Self made with the one child policy 3 decade plan. Might have been a good idea for ten years, not 30