China vs. the USA

Der Spiegel Online wrote on January 19:

“When US President Barack Obama took office two years ago, among the many hopes riding on him was an improvement in US relations with China… But instead of a new era of harmony between the major powers, the opposite has happened. US-Chinese relations are currently tenser than they have been in years. Chief among the many bones of contention is bilateral trade. American politicians accuse China of keeping its currency undervalued against the dollar to make its exports artificially cheap.


“Meanwhile Beijing, which has huge foreign currency reserves, has been flexing its burgeoning economic might by buying up European sovereign debt, ostensibly to help the euro zone overcome its current woes. Observers believe that China is keen to diversify its investments as a result of economic trouble in the US; it already owns massive amounts of American debt. Washington is also eyeing China's ongoing military expansion with concern. Beijing's recent unveiling of a new stealth plane was just the latest sign that China's armed forces are becoming increasingly powerful. America's ally Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province, also remains a contentious issue between the two countries…


“The countries are also divided over issues of democracy and human rights. Obama's support for the winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, is unlikely to have won him many friends in Beijing. The US is also concerned about China's growing influence in Africa, where Beijing has been trying to secure access to raw materials, and is frustrated that the Chinese leadership has not done more to reign in its unruly ally North Korea.


“Hence the four-day visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to Washington is being closely watched… The lavish reception that the US is laying on for Hu shows how important the trip is to Obama. Progress on the fundamental issues that divide the rival powers seems unlikely, however, and the main aim of the meeting appears to be a thawing in the frosty atmosphere… German commentators ponder the future of the US-China relationship and wonder how the new world order will function once Washington has to share power with Beijing.


“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: ‘The two nuclear powers must find a way in which they can build trust and avoid misunderstandings… Weakened by the financial crisis, America is seen -- at least partially -- as a superpower in decline. In contrast, China, whose economy is now the world's second largest, is regarded as the savior of the global economy.’


“The conservative Die Welt writes: ‘… They know that they need each other, but at the same time they are also rivals competing for the riches and loyalties of the Pacific Rim. They are separated by the question of who will inherit the Earth. For today, the answer is the US. But how long will that last? And how will America share the role of the world's leading power, moderate the ensuing conflicts and achieve the transformation from hegemony to a new balance of powers? And what will this mean for the Europeans, including Russia, in terms of equilibrium and their influence?’


“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘… Obama… cannot afford a rift with China; he needs Beijing's vote on the Security Council to impose further sanctions against Iran, just as he needs its influence in North Korea… Even if Europe does not want a new world order based on the G-2, no one wants a power struggle between the US and China whose consequences cannot be predicted.’"


As the old saying goes, man thinks, and God directs. The Bible has prophesied that an altogether different picture will emerge. The influence of the United States will continue to decline, while China, Russia, India, Japan and other Far Eastern countries will build a strong confederacy. At the same time, Europe will emerge as the most powerful entity in the world, and a military conflict between these two new power blocs (Far Eastern countries and Europe) will become a certainty. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.” 


Culled from the weeklys of Church of the Eternal God


Olufemi