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2065: America Fifty Years After Obama
Chen-li Chu Aboard the Beijing
Chapter 8 of Mr. Tucker’s new novel 2065, which we are serializing, on China’s invasion of Pearl Harbor.
(Page 2 of 5)
“The people of China can no longer tolerate a situation where their currency is not honored with the same respect as that of a country that owes us 32 trillion Yuan in debt. This is not only dangerous to us, it threatens the world economy. The Yuan is the world’s most sound currency, it should be respected.” And on it went.
It was all too familiar and Chen-li’s mind began to wander. He had been making the same points for the past ten years. The truth is, though, he liked the Americans and didn’t want to see them humiliated. Chen-li had spent much of his life studying Americans. In a sense, his whole career had been a preparation for this moment. His main subject of interest had been the decline of empires and their replacement by new powers. Sometimes the transition had gone smoothly, other times it had been steeped in violence. The Battle of Pydna had ended Greek dominance in the Mediterranean. The defeat of the Spanish Armada had marked Britain’s ascendency in early Europe. The Battle of Yaman had sealed the Mongol conquest of the Song Dynasty, while the Japanese rebuff of Kublai Kahn’s invasion in 1281 had assured that island did not become a part of the Mongol Empire, a situation that had persisted until China had finally persuaded them to join its co-prosperity sphere in 2035.
What fascinated Chen-li was the way the military conquest of an aging empire was often followed by the cultural conquest of the victor by the vanquished. Greece had become the literary and artistic standard of the Roman Empire. America had embraced English culture after breaking away from the British Empire in the 18th century. Perhaps the most spectacular example had been Russia’s adoption of capitalism after the defeat of the Soviet Empire in the Cold War. Far from falling into decline, the Russians had developed their resources to the point where they practically dominated Europe when the European Union finally collapsed in 2025. Unfortunately, the implosion of the welfare economy had dragged Russia down with it. Otherwise, the Russians might be standing where China stood today, astride the entire world economy.
This was the kind of transition Chen-li wanted to effect between the United States and China as the North American colossus approached its point of decrepitude. He wanted to orchestrate a smooth changing of the guard so that the torch of civilization could pass across the Pacific without dropping or without anyone getting scorched in the transfer. Because in truth there were many things he admired about America. He admired Americans’ free spirit, their willingness to take chances, their free-thinking. For all the advances in his countrymen had achieved in commerce and technology, he still had the misgiving that they were too subservient to authority, too willing to follow orders, too fearful of straying from the crowd. China still considered itself one big family and centuries of living in patriarchal hierarchies beneath the judgment of a mandarin elite had instilled a deference that made him wonder if China couldn’t easily slide back into the stagnation that had marked so many centuries of its history. China had something to learn from America, he knew that. Despite all the efforts his government had made in encouraging people not to stand around waiting for directives, its officials had never really succeeded in generating a free and adventurous people. That, he had to admit, was a Western invention.
The Prime Minister had now finished his presentation and started asking questions. Chen-li was surprised. He had assumed the hologram was prerecorded, but now there seemed to have a live aspect — although you could never tell with these things. It might just be a committee back in Beijing manipulating the image.
“Have the Americans indicated they are willing to enter negotiations?” the Prime Minister asked.
“The American ambassador just arrived from Beijing,” said the commanding officer. “We believe he will be the chief negotiator. We expect to hear shortly.”
“Has there been any public pronouncement from the Independence Movement?”
“Our agents inside the movement say the leaders have become reluctant to make public comments in our support. We are attempting to effect a change of leadership. That may occur within a few days.”
“Is everything aboard the ships satisfactory?”
“Everything aboard the ships is satisfactory,” replied more than one officer.
“Are the troops well fed and satisfied?” asked the Premier.
“The troops are well fed and satisfied,” responded an even greater number in a pattern all too familiar to Chen-li.
“Are they confident of their mission?”
“They are confident of their mission,” came the chorus.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (9) | Leave a comment
More Articles by William Tucker
More Articles From 2065: America Fifty Years After Obama
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nathan| 10.16.12 @ 1:26PM
In 50 years most all of us will be dead so who knows? What we know today is that China is facing a potential real estate melt down that may dwarf our own. They also face growing unrest in the provinces with whatever problems that may bring.
As for military spending, today they spend a fraction of what we do and will probably for the foreseeable future continue to do so. What is of bigger concern here is the Russian/Chinese border. We are seeing the Russian population decline in absolute terms. If those border areas depopulate, then China may very well look westward rather than eastward.
And the issue in the Pacific, while unsettled is not unsolvable. The Chinese believe they are being fenced in. They are looking for access to the Pacific that they control. Reasonable.
Of bigger concern for us is how WE are viewed in most of the world today. Today with our let's go impose democracy on people whether they like it or not jihad, people do not think of us as the good guys. The neocon imperialist change the world model is not making us safer, it's creating more enemies we don't need.
Occam's Tool| 10.16.12 @ 6:26PM
What they think of us is immaterial; in 1938 the majority of Western Europe was cheerfully dealing with, or overtly allied to, Hitler.
What matters, nathan is that we bash vermin who shoot little girls in the head. In short, what matters is Jihadi Delenda Est. What they think of it is immaterial.
China will grow old before it grows rich. Russian men are in short supply; so are Chinese women. The answer is fairly obvious.
PolishKnight| 10.16.12 @ 3:09PM
As I pointed out in previous chapters, I find it strange that the Chinese would consider it an ADVANTAGE that the USA owes them vast sums of money. The very first thing a country could do when hostilities are declared is default on their debt obligations. If my business partner locks me out of the building, I'm not going to pay the bills anymore!
The first thing the ambassador should do when meeting with the Chinese in the above scenario would be to say, great, you just bought yourself on island in exchange for all the money we owe you. In addition, we'll be slapping on a 20% tariff on all the stuff you want to sell us (assuming that there is an economy in the USA by this time for us to be able to buy imported stuff).
In addition, I find it strange that the nuclear option is off the table. It was commonly referenced during the cold war and made it unthinkable for the Soviet Union, China, or the USA to encroach upon each others direct territories which is why the cold war was fought via proxy such as Vietnam, South America, etc. Conventional wars always have the chance to go nuclear since if the one side loses and their back is to the wall, they have nothing to lose by pushing the button.
Consequently, military forces are now largely "mine canaries" where they don't really stop enemy forces but rather an attack upon them would trigger hostilities between nuclear powers.
William Tucker| 10.17.12 @ 4:00PM
As is stated in the text and as Greece and Spain are finding out, the moment of truth for a country that is deep in debt does not arrive when it comes time to pay back your creditors. It arrives when you have to go back again for still more. If you are running, say, a $1.2 trillion dollar annual deficit, then you must borrow $100 billion a month. If no one wants to lend it to you, then you are not in trouble with your creditors, you are in trouble with your own people.
Bill8472| 10.16.12 @ 3:20PM
Is this story going to go anywhere any time soon?
Bob K| 10.16.12 @ 8:18PM
This muslim "Golden Horde" could only have originated in China's western provinces and progressed eastward to the areas of China's historical power. And it seems to have done it by evangelism rather than the traditional Islamic method of spreading their faith by the sword!
It looks like rather than brutally stamping it out as one would have expected the Chinese leadership to do, the Chinese government decided to accommodate them by allowing them into the military much like the minority Alawi were allowed into the Sunni run Syrian army years ago. We know that eventually the Alawi took over the government of Syria.
The "Golden Horde" now appears to have enough power to conspire against the traditional leadership of China and even possibly the where-with-all to spread the message of the Prophet in the traditional manner of Islam: Which is to say, "by the sword!"
This appears to be China's Achilles heel in this confrontation.
Curiously, no mention has been made so far by the author, William Tucker, about any rise of Islam in the United States during this period where it seems it should have been welcomed. Rather, it has gained much power in China. An odd turn of affairs, I'd say. But Mr. Tucker can always add another chapter to this serialization.
Bob S| 10.17.12 @ 3:15AM
Hmm, now that it's not focusing on "herm" and liberals, it's getting interesting.
superuser| 10.18.12 @ 11:00AM
test
Mnestheus| 11.23.12 @ 6:17PM
This is promising work- a little more on the scene research on hog pen cleaning as politburo Bildung and Bill's policy analysis may displace such short listed works as :
The Yips by Nicola Barker
The Adventuress by Nicholas Coleridge
Infrared by Nancy Huston
Rare Earth by Paul Mason
Noughties by Ben Masters
The Quiddity of Will Self by Sam Mills
The Divine Comedy by Craig Raine
Back to Blood by Tom Wolfe
in the running for one of the great litereary prizes of the English speaking world.:
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2.....z2D5gJucal