Yup that's the idea. It's not going to run away from that police liability very soon. Probably in 5-10 years I think. Actually already happening right now in Myanmar.

Meh.

Let's all be honest here. At the end of the day, what China wants is for everyone to shut the F up and buy a big screen TV.

Preferably on credit.

Anything that moves the world towards that goal will receive China's tacit support. Trump's moves are seen to move the world away from that goal, so we're seeing some signs of discomfort coming from China.

But believe me, it ain't because they're concerned about Ukraine or freedom or "ideals". Or even because they do or do not want to be world police.

We can't think about their goals in Western terms because the fundamentals of the thinking are just completely different.

For many Europeans that's a far easier thing to comprehend and support than what the US has done in the last few months.

Yup I do believe most of the Chinese elites just want that. The thing is, most of the Chinese elites don't really have a deep belief in anything, so getting the current status going is the best, most convenient thing for them.