JAV lemiamas klausimas: Kinija

 

“Buvusio JAV prezidento Bideno šuolis su visomis keturiomis ir pažangiomis raketomis į Ukrainą pažadino Kinijos įtarimus. Atrodė, kad Bidenas yra pasirengęs panaudoti mažą, nereikšmingą, galią, Ukrainą, kad amerikiečių pažangiomis raketomis erzintų didelę galią Rusiją. Tai paskatino Kiniją labiau galvoti apie separatistus Taivane. Tai paskatino Kiniją formuoti antiamerikietišką koaliciją. Šios dantų pastos lengvai nepavyks suspausti atgal į tūbelę. Trumpas gali lengvai išspręsti šią problemą: tiesiog teisingai apkaltinti Bideną. Ne visi tai supras. Trumpas turi daug politinių priešų, kurie skleidžia propagandą, bando jį dėl visko kaltinti.

 

JAV pozicija ir dalyvavimas Ukrainos konflikte buvo sudėtingas klausimas, kurio poveikis kitiems geopolitiniams santykiams, pavyzdžiui, Kinijos ir Taivano santykiams, interpretuojamas įvairiai.

 

Kinijos požiūris ir santykiai su Jungtinėmis Valstijomis

 

Kinija dažnai kritikavo JAV už tai, ką ji laiko „piktnaudžiavimu hegemonija“ pasauliniuose reikaluose, ir apkaltino JAV kurstant įvykius Ukrainoje. Kinija sustiprino Rusijos kritiką JAV ir NATO.

 

Tarp Kinijos ir Rusijos stiprėja vienybė, kurią lemia bendras JAV, kaip pagrindinio priešininko, suvokimas ir noras mesti iššūkį, JAV vadovaujamai, pasaulio tvarkai. Šie santykiai, kadaise apibūdinti, kaip „draugystė be ribų“, apima didesnį saugumo koordinavimą ir karinį bendradarbiavimą.

 

Šis vieningumas išryškėjo po neseniai įvykusių įvykių, tokių, kaip Kinijos prezidento Xi Jinpingo susitikimas su Rusijos prezidentu Vladimiru Putinu Pekine, praneša „Yahoo News Canada“.

 

Kinija taip pat naudojasi savo „Juostos ir kelio“ iniciatyva, kad išplėstų savo ekonominę įtaką, ypač Afrikoje, potencialiai sukurdama priklausomybę ir dar labiau apsunkindama pasaulinę galios dinamiką.

 

Implikacija Taivanui

 

Taivanas atidžiai stebėjo konfliktą Ukrainoje, daugelis nerimavo dėl panašių įvykių su Kinijos Liaudies Respublika (KLR) galimybės.

 

Konfliktas paskatino Taivaną iš naujo įvertinti savo gynybos strategijas, įskaitant privalomosios karinės tarnybos pratęsimą ir dėmesį kariuomenės modernizavimui. Kinijos pozicija dėl „Taivano nepriklausomybės“ gerokai išsiplėtė ir dabar apima platesnį veiklų spektrą, kurias Pekinas laiko separatistinėmis, įskaitant veiksmus, susijusius su Taivano demokratija ir tarptautiniu dalyvavimu.

 

Kinija taip pat paskelbė naujas gaires, leidžiančias griežtai bausti, įskaitant mirties bausmę, tuos, kurie laikomi „Taivano nepriklausomybės“ aktyvistais.

 

JAV toliau teikia karinę paramą Taivanui ir pabrėžė savo nepritarimą bet kokiems vienašaliams status quo pakeitimams Taivano sąsiauryje.

 

„Antiamerikietiškos koalicijos“ koncepcija

 

Sustiprėjęs Kinijos ir Rusijos, taip pat kitų šalių, tokių kaip Indija, Iranas ir Šiaurės Korėja, bendradarbiavimas dažnai laikomas iššūkiu JAV vadovaujamai pasaulio tvarkai ir bandymu skatinti daugiapolį pasaulį.

 

„The Economist“ teigia, kad Kinijos užsienio politika, vadovaujant Xi Jinpingui, siekia sukurti pasaulio tvarką, kurioje didžiosios valstybės dominuoja įtakos sferose, galbūt, mažesnių tautų sąskaita.

 

Iš esmės JAV įsitraukimas į Rusijos teritorijos puolimą iš Ukrainos Bideno valdymo laikotarpiu galima sakyti, prisidėjo prie gilėjančio Kinijos ir Rusijos suartėjimo ir sustiprino Kinijos retoriką bei veiksmus Taivano atžvilgiu. Šie įvykiai rodo sudėtingą pasaulinės galios dinamikos ir tarptautinių santykių pokytį.

 

„Kinijos prezidentas Xi Jinpingas šią savaitę daro kažką neįprasto. Jis išstumia Donaldą Trumpą iš pirmojo puslapio. Istorija, kurią stebi pasaulis, nėra sena, vykstanti Vašingtone.

 

Vietoj to, Tiandzinas, Kinija, buvo dėmesio centre, kai Xi Jinpingas surengė didžiausią iki šiol, Kinijos remiamos, Šanchajaus bendradarbiavimo organizacijos viršūnių susitikimą. Be Vladimiro Putino ir įprastos Centrinės Azijos prezidentų minios, tarp dalyvių buvo Indijos ministras pirmininkas Narendra Modi, Turkijos prezidentas Recepas Tayyipas Erdoganas ir Irano, Pakistano, Egipto, Armėnijos bei Azerbaidžano lyderiai.

 

Tai buvo didelis įvykis. Putino dalyvavimas parodė, kad nepaisant Trumpo administracijos bandymų įvaryti pleištą tarp Kinijos ir jos sąjungininkų, šios dvi Eurazijos supergigantės vis dar yra susivienijusios viena su kita.

 

Irano prezidento dalyvavimas tuo metu, kai Vokietija, Didžioji Britanija ir Prancūzija siekia sugriežtinti Jungtinių Tautų sankcijas kovojančiai Islamo Respublikai, pabrėžė Teherano nuolatinį įsipareigojimą pasipriešinimo bylai.

 

O Modi, kurio kadaise ypatingi santykiai su Trumpu tapo įtempti, dalyvavimas buvo užuomina Vašingtonui nelaikyti Indijos palankumo savaime suprantamu.

 

Tianjino viršūnių susitikimas nebus prisimenamas dėl jo pasiekimų. Tačiau susitikimas buvo reikšmingas žingsnis. Kinija ir Amerika ruošiasi tam, ką Xi Jinpingas ir Trumpas laiko pagrindiniu antrosios pono Trumpo kadencijos įvykiu: deryboms dėl prekybos santykių tarp geopolitiškai priešiškų šalių, kurios yra  ekonomiškai susipynusios XXI amžiaus supervalstybės.

 

Tianjino viršūnių susitikimas primena Haka – maorių ritualą, pažįstamą Naujosios Zelandijos regbio gerbėjams. Haka metu Naujosios Zelandijos regbio komandos nariai trypčioja ir šaukia, kad parodytų savo jėgą, prieš prasidedant tikroms varžyboms. Kai Haka baigiasi, žaidimas prasideda. Pono Trumpo Haka taip pat buvo dramatiška, nes jis demonstruoja dominavimą prieš sąjungininkus ir priešininkus, ruošdamasis akistatai su Kinija. Naudodamas prekybos morkas ir lazdas, jis įtvirtino Amerikos lyderystę prieš paniurusią ir skurstančią Europą.

 

Panaši strategija buvo mažiau sėkminga su Amerikos Azijos partneriais. Japonija, nepaisant pono Trumpo tarifų nepopuliarumo ir dabartinės Japonijos vyriausybės silpnumo (praradusi daugumą abiejuose Dietos rūmuose), stengiasi kuo geriau bendradarbiauti su Vašingtonu. Kitus sąjungininkus sunkiau pritraukti.

 

Pono Xi Jinpingo Tiandzino viršūnių susitikimas pabrėžia tai, ką Kinija laiko pono Trumpo galios ribotumu. Amerikos prezidento pastangos įvaryti pleištą tarp Rusijos ir Kinijos iki šiol žlugo. V. Putinas priešinasi D. Trumpo tarpininkavimui dėl Ukrainos, o Rusijos lyderio dalyvavimas viršūnių susitikime dar kartą patvirtina jo strateginį pasirinkimą bendradarbiauti su Rytais kovoje su Vakarais.

 

D. Trumpas nepasidavė, tačiau kol kas Kinija, regis, lenkia Vašingtoną Rusijos aukcione, o Xi Jinpingas į tai įsitraukia. Didelis Putino vaidmuo Tiandzine (ir numatomas dalyvavimas trečiadienį Pekine vyksiančiame kariniame parade, skirtame paminėti 80-ąsias Japonijos pralaimėjimo Antrajame pasauliniame kare metines) yra skirti pasauliui pademonstruoti D. Trumpo diplomatinę nesėkmę santykiuose su Maskva.

 

O Šiaurės Korėja, šalis, kurią D. Trumpas garsiai bandė, ir nesėkmingai, „įvesti“ į naujus santykius su Vašingtonu, atrodo dar labiau nepasiekiama. Stipriausia D. Trumpo korta su Pchenjanu buvo Šiaurės Korėjos baimė tapti pernelyg priklausoma nuo Kinijos. Tačiau užmegzdama santykius su Rusija dėl Ukrainos, Šiaurės Korėja diversifikavo savo portfelį be Vašingtono pagalbos. Kim Jong Uno numatomas dalyvavimas, trečiadienį vyksiančiame, Xi Jinpingo kariniame parade signalizuoja Trumpui, kad Šiaurės Korėjos lyderį bus sunkiau pasiekti, nei bet kada anksčiau.

 

Pusė, kuri atliks įspūdingiausią Haka, ne visada laimi tolesnes varžybas, o Kinija ir JAV turi asimetriškų stipriųjų ir silpnųjų pusių, todėl sunku nuspėti kovos tarp dviejų valstybių baigtį. Trumpas mano, kad Kinijos poreikis dalyvauti Amerikos vartotojų rinkoje, galiausiai, privers Pekiną daryti dideles nuolaidas. Atrodo, kad Kinija mano, jog pasaulinis poreikis jos gaminamiems produktams ir strateginėms prekėms, kurias ji kontroliuoja, privers Vašingtoną eiti kompromiso link.

 

Trumpas daugiausia bendravo su daug silpnesnėmis už JAV jėgomis ir laimėjo virtinę pergalių. Kitame etape jis susidurs su, Kinijos vadovaujama, stipresnių šalių koalicija, kuri nori, kad JAV ir jos prezidentas žlugtų. Tai, kokį sandorį su Kinija sudarys Trumpas, greičiausiai, labiau nulems jo vietą Amerikos ir pasaulio istorijoje, nei bet kas, ką jis iki šiol padarė ar nepadarė per jo prezidentavimą.” [1]

 

O gal, ir ne.

 

 

1. Trump's Defining Issue: China. Walter Russell Mead.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 02 Sep 2025: A15. 

U.S. Defining Issue: China

 

Former U.S. president Biden jumping with all four with advanced missiles into Ukraine, waked up China’s suspicions. It looked like Biden is ready to use a small, insignificant, power, Ukraine, to harass with American advanced missiles a big power, Russia. This started China thinking about separatists in Taiwan more. This started China forming an anti-U.S. coalition. This toothpaste will not go back into a tube easily. Trump can deal with this problem easily: Just correctly blame Biden. Not everybody will understand it. Trump has many political enemies, spreading propaganda, trying to blame him for everything.

 

The U.S. stance and involvement in the Ukraine conflict has been a complex issue, with varying interpretations of its effects on other geopolitical relationships, such as the one between China and Taiwan

.

China's perspective and relationship with the United States

 

    China has frequently criticized the U.S. for what it perceives as an "abuse of hegemony" in global affairs and has accused the U.S. of instigating the events in Ukraine.

    China has amplified Russian criticisms of the U.S. and NATO.

    There's a growing alignment between China and Russia driven by a shared perception of the US as their key adversary and a desire to challenge the U.S.-led world order. This relationship, once described as a "friendship with no limits," involves increasing security coordination and military cooperation.

    This alignment was highlighted by recent events like Chinese President Xi Jinping hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, according to Yahoo News Canada.

    China also uses its Belt and Road Initiative to expand its economic influence, especially in Africa, potentially creating dependencies and further complicating global power dynamics.

 

Implications for Taiwan

 

    Taiwan has closely watched the conflict in Ukraine, with many concerned about the possibility of a similar events with the People's Republic of China (PRC).

    The conflict has prompted Taiwan to reassess its defense strategies, including lengthening mandatory military service and focusing on modernizing its military.

    China's stance on "Taiwan independence" has broadened significantly, now encompassing a wider range of activities that Beijing deems as separatist, including actions related to Taiwan's democracy and international participation.

    China has also issued new guidelines allowing for severe punishment, including the death penalty, for those perceived as "Taiwan independence" activists.

    The U.S. has continued its military support for Taiwan and has emphasized its opposition to any unilateral changes to the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.

 

The concept of "anti-U.S. coalition"

 

    The increased cooperation between China and Russia, along with other countries like India, Iran and North Korea, is often viewed as a challenge to the U.S.-led world order and an attempt to foster a multipolar world.

    China's foreign policy under Xi Jinping aims to establish a world order where major powers dominate spheres of influence, potentially at the expense of smaller nations, says The Economist.

 

In essence, the U.S. involvement in attacking Russian territory from Ukraine during Biden’s time in power has arguably contributed to a deepening alignment between China and Russia and has intensified China's rhetoric and actions regarding Taiwan. These developments suggest a challenging and complex shift in global power dynamics and international relations.

“Chinese President Xi Jinping is doing something unusual this week. He is driving Donald Trump off the front page. The story the world is watching isn't datelined Washington.

 

Instead Tianjin, China, was front and center as Mr. Xi held the largest summit to date of the China-backed Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Besides Vladimir Putin and the usual crowd of Central Asian presidents, attendees include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and leaders representing Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

 

It was a big event. Mr. Putin's presence showed that despite Trump administration attempts to drive wedges between China and its allies, the two Eurasian supergiants are still presenting a united front.

 

The presence of Iran's president, at a time when Germany, Britain and France are pushing for tightened United Nations sanctions on the embattled Islamic Republic, underscored Tehran's continued commitment to the cause of resistance.

 

And the presence of Mr. Modi, whose once-special relationship with Mr. Trump has become strained, was a hint to Washington not to take India for granted.

 

The Tianjin summit won't be remembered for its achievements. But the meeting was a significant move. China and America are positioning themselves for what Messrs. Xi and Trump both consider the main event of Mr. Trump's second term: negotiations over the trade relationship between the geopolitically hostile but economically entangled superpowers of the 21st century.

 

The Tianjin summit is akin to a Haka, a Maori ritual familiar to fans of New Zealand rugby. In a Haka, the members of New Zealand rugby teams stomp and shout to show their strength before the real contest begins. Once the Haka is over, it's game on. Mr. Trump's Haka has also been dramatic as he asserts dominance over allies and adversaries alike to prepare for the showdown with China. Using trade carrots and sticks, he has consolidated American leadership over a sullen Europe.

 

A similar strategy has been less successful with America's Asian partners. Japan, despite the unpopularity of Mr. Trump's tariffs and the weakness of the current Japanese government (having lost majorities in both houses of the Diet), is doing its best to work with Washington. Other allies are harder to corral.

 

Mr. Xi's Tianjin summit highlights what China sees as the limits of Mr. Trump's power. The American president's efforts to drive wedges between Russia and China have so far failed. Mr. Putin is resisting Mr. Trump's mediation over Ukraine, and the Russian leader's presence at the summit reaffirms his strategic choice to align with the East to fight the West.

 

Mr. Trump hasn't given up, but China for now seems to be outbidding Washington in the Russia auction, and Mr. Xi is rubbing it in. Mr. Putin's high-profile role in Tianjin (and his expected attendance at the military parade Wednesday in Beijing to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II) are calculated to demonstrate Mr. Trump's diplomatic failure with Moscow to the world.

 

And North Korea, a country Mr. Trump famously tried and failed to "flip" into a new relationship with Washington, looks even more out of reach. Mr. Trump's strongest card with Pyongyang was North Korea's fear of becoming too dependent on China. But by building a relationship with Russia over Ukraine, North Korea has diversified its portfolio without Washington's help. Kim Jong Un's expected presence at Mr. Xi's Wednesday military parade signals to Mr. Trump that the North Korean leader will be harder than ever to reach.

 

The side that performs the most impressive Haka doesn't always win the ensuing contest, and China and the U.S. have a mix of asymmetric strengths and weaknesses that make the outcome of a struggle between the two powers hard to predict. Mr. Trump believes that China's need for America's consumer market will ultimately force Beijing to make large concessions. China appears to believe that the world's need for the products it makes and the strategic commodities it controls will force Washington to compromise.

 

Mr. Trump has dealt mostly with powers much weaker than the U.S. and won a string of victories. In the next phase, he will be facing a Chinese-led coalition of stronger countries that want the U.S. and its president to fail. What kind of bargain Mr. Trump drives with China will likely define his place in American and world history more than anything he has done or left undone in his presidency to date.” [1]

 

Or maybe not. 

 

1. Trump's Defining Issue: China. Walter Russell Mead.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 02 Sep 2025: A15. 

Taking Care of Adults Growing Old Alone --- Organization steps in to help older Americans live independently

“Big Stone Gap, Va. -- Duane Johnson starts his route about 8 am, driving through mountain roads, some gravel and single lane, bringing frozen meals to aging farmers, coal miners, veterans and teachers who are homebound.

 

Most live alone. One woman in her 80s told him he was the first human she had seen in two weeks. "I become friends with most of them," he says.

 

Johnson works for Mountain Empire Older Citizens, a nonprofit organization that began 51 years ago with three people who organized a meal-delivery program in the Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia. Its mission then, as now, was to help older adults live independently.

 

Doing so has become increasingly difficult as people live longer, often with chronic conditions, and don't have family members around to help.

 

More than 16 million people aged 65 and older in the U.S. live alone. That represents 28% of that age group, almost triple the share in 1950. Among the reasons: increased longevity, higher divorce rates among older adults and children more scattered than previous generations.

 

"It's very likely most of us will live alone in old age," says Elena Portacolone, professor at the Institute for Health & Aging at the University of California, San Francisco. Older adults with more financial resources have more care options, but even those with resources may find themselves hunting for in-home help.

 

Most people are unprepared to age alone. Only one-fourth of those living alone have someone who helps or would help with cooking, cleaning and getting groceries and more than 80% haven't planned for ongoing living assistance, according to an AARP 2023 report. At least one-fourth of older adults with dementia live alone.

 

Who will take care of them? "That is the million dollar question," says Susan Brown, co-director of the National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. "It's a huge issue and one we are not paying enough attention to."

 

In some places like Norton, a city in the Mountain Empire region, 54% of those 65 and older live alone, according to the National Center.

 

The growth of home-alone seniors needing assistance is stretching organizations like Mountain Empire. It serves about 3,000 people, who are 60 and older, providing meals, transportation and personal care. It has a waiting list for homemaker help, but doesn't have enough workers.

 

"There are older people in the area that no one is able to serve at the moment," says Michael Wampler, the organization's executive director.

 

Federal and state funding hasn't decreased, Wampler says. But it hasn't kept pace with rising costs and demand. The future is uncertain given proposed federal-budget cuts and reductions in state funding.

 

Wampler and his staff have been resourceful, applying for grants, coming up with innovative Uber-like transportation and telehealth services and forming partnerships with local churches to help build wheelchair ramps. But needs keep growing.

 

Days begin early at Mountain Empire. Workers fan out to help people out of bed; drivers transport older adults to dialysis. Calls come into the office. Rebecca Gilly, director of in-home care, places personal care aides and homemakers to homes across the three-county territory, but some people are on a waiting list.

 

Johnny Mumpower has kidney disease, gets meals delivered and is on the waiting list for homemaker help. "It's hard to push a vacuum with a walker," she says. Mumpower's only immediate family, a brother, lives four hours away.

 

"My staff is great. I just don't have enough," says Gilly, an RN.

 

Personal-care aides, who help with bathing and dressing, start at $12.75 an hour and can earn $15.22 after 10 years. Homemakers, who do light housekeeping, prepare meals and shop for groceries, start at $12.50 and earn $14.93 after a decade.

 

The jobs aren't easy. Robin Marshall drives to remote parts of Mountain Empire's territory to care for two bed-bound clients. The personal-care aide gets them out of bed, bathed and dressed, takes their temperature and blood pressure, makes breakfast and cleans dishes. One man, a double amputee, is divorced, and has no children around.

 

Many of those aging alone here, as elsewhere, are women who outlived their spouses. Verna Gilbert, 84, nursed her mother, her mother-in-law and her husband, who died almost 20 years ago. She has been in her home for 60 years and wants to stay there.

 

They often rely on neighbors. Kelly Hill, 87, lost her husband 19 years ago. A 74-year-old neighbor, who also lives alone, checks on her daily. Hill receives home delivered meals and is on the waiting list for homemaker help.

 

Often people need more help than expected, especially as they age, which can strain resources.

 

Tiffany Jacobs, care-coordination director, received a request for meals to be delivered to a man recently released from a nursing home where he was receiving rehabilitation after falling. She asked one of her workers Kayla Mullins, 34, to assess his needs.

 

Mullins found the man, a 69-year-old retired factory worker, wearing several layers of clothes and a hat inside his mobile home. Wet insulation dangled from the ceiling. The roof had holes. He had a $2,000 utility-bill balance and wasn't eligible for Medicaid.

 

Mullins learned that his wife died three years earlier and his life had unraveled since. He had diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

 

Mountain Empire provided $300 to keep his power on while Mullins found him an apartment. "I cried a few times, just in private, to see him in the situation he was in," she says, adding that he is now thriving.

 

More than one third of the organization's 258 workers, most of whom are paid hourly, are over 60. They are reliable. The drivers know the back roads.

 

They also have their own health concerns. Kristen Rutherford, director of nutrition, learns that an assistant meal site manager, who is in her 80s, needs days off for a heart-stent procedure. Only one of Rutherford's staff of 15 is under 60.

 

Johnson, who delivers the frozen meals to homebound older adults, is 73. He started three years ago because he needed money to pay $40,000 in medical bills related to his colon cancer and his wife's ovarian cancer. He works four days a week, earning $13 an hour.

 

"I could be working somewhere else and making a whole lot more, but I wanted to give back to the community," he says. His pastor told him to take time to talk with people because he might be the only person they see.

 

"Everyone has a story," he says.” [1]

 

1. Turning Points: Taking Care of Adults Growing Old Alone --- Organization steps in to help older Americans live independently. Ansberry, Clare.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 02 Sep 2025: A11.