• nukeM
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    6 months ago

    Why does China, the larger of the two, not simply eat the Russia?

    • frezik@midwest.social
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      6 months ago

      They might be angling to do exactly that over a long period of time. It’s abundantly clear that Russia isn’t a real world power anymore. They need China more than China needs them. But there’s no reason to start a land war when you can slowly chew on them diplomatically over time.

      • nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de
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        6 months ago

        They also don’t have much of anything China needs. Penalty the biggest value is in keeping other powers busy dealing with Russia. After that maybe oil and gas? Birch wood a distant 3rd?

        • nukeM
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          6 months ago

          If we’re going to be credible: freshwater, energy, and people. Those are the 3 things China will take from Russia.

          • nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de
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            6 months ago

            Ahhh, I always forget about water. Even though that’s supposed to be the next east trigger (like Syria).

        • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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          5 months ago

          Any number of other mines and deposits, and land that will get increasingly not terrible. It’s just a big area, there’s bound to be good stuff. Also they’re still butthurt about the lost Qing territory.

    • mojofrododojo@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      it’s a fascinating prospect - they have the population to exploit the resources russia has only scratched at. they still want Vladivostok back - since the Treaty of Aigun of 1858. The area’s demographics are much more asian than anything else.