Comments by "" (@craigkdillon) on "Tibet is China's ticket to hegemony" video.

Not sure that would really work in actual practice. First, affected nations may not respond with meek submission. They may defy. Second, much of the water in these rivers come from local monsoon rains, not from melting glaciers. So, big question for each river is, "how much of the water comes locally, and how much from China?" Third, the world may not approve, and China could be hit with sanctions, and boycotting of Chinese products. I don't think China can play the water card without suffering severe consequences.
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North America has about 70% of the world's fresh water. 21% of world's fresh water is next to me in Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes. So, we are quite blessed.
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What are the biggest obstacles to China's growth in power. There are several. 1. Leadership. Xi is destroying China's reputation. The CCP disavowal of treaties, laws, and agreements, make it very difficult for other nations and companies to trust agreements. 2. Geography. China is hemmed in by the inner ring of islands - Taiwan & Philippines. Of course, this is only a problem if China goes to war. In peacetime, they are no barrier to trade, commerce, and finance. 3. Economy - once a strength, now a weakness. China's export led economy is now vulnerable to other nations reducing their imports. China is already suffering. It's foreign currency reserves are tumbling. Its banks are already collapsing. This will get worse. Much worse. 4. Institutions - China has turned its back on international institutions - the UN, the World Court. By defying UNCLOS, China has set itself apart from the world community. By invading EEZ's around the world in its insatiable appetite for fish, China is creating ill will globally. Now, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and others have to spend more on their Coast Guards to protect their own EEZ. This violation of international law puts China outside of the world club of nations. 5. Poor regional relations. One of the long term strengths of the US has been the good relations it has had with its neighbors - Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Caribbean. As China's relations with its neighbors decline, its influence, and thus its power declines. This happens even though China's military grows in strength. Soon, the Quad will grow into an anti-China military alliance. Its power will decline further. In the end, the ability of China to control the waters of the rivers of Asia will be a minor plus, not a decisive factor at all.
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I understand your assertion. However, power poorly used, can backfire. Of late, China has shown to be diplomatically very clumsy. China has created a backlash of resentment, fear, and even hate. The bullying and threats has stimulated the creation of an anti-China coalition called the Quad. Soon, an anti-China alliance, similar to NATO, will likely be created. India and the ASEAN nations that are downstream of China's rivers, are not powerless. They, too, have the collective ability to make or break China. If China uses the rivers to directly extort concessions, then those countries will see even more the need for collective action. Seeing China as the main regional threat will compel them to put aside minor differences and squabbles, so they can unite against China. This is what I fell will happen. I feel so strongly, that I see it as a very certain inevitability. It WILL happen.
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China is already hated and opposed by everyone. If China does this (which it might already be doing on the Mekong.) I think it will pay a big price. Seeing this, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia who rely on the Mekong will institute their won water management programs. They will build their own reservoirs, to hold water for use when China holds back water. Also, China cannot hold water forever. Its reservoirs fill up, and then they have to release it, whether they like it or not. Countries downstream can have water management facilities to ease either China holding water, or releasing it in flood quantities. And then, those countries will hate China forever. Not good, if China wants to have productive trade relationships.
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I asserted that the downstream countries have the ability to make or break China, too. What I mean is that those countries, if acting collectively, can profoundly hurt China, by shutting their markets to China's goods.
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@sweetdreamer3352 Not realistic. China needs its agricultural imports. Look at how China hurt itself by not buying Australian coal. Australia found other buyers, and China has blackouts. China is not run by the brightest bulbs.
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@sweetdreamer3352 China is still building coal fired power plants. China had blackouts all across China due to lack of coal.
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@sweetdreamer3352 Here are two reports of impact of coal shortage in China. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1GHK9Ei3qA&ab_channel=SwarajyaSwarajya https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fStoo7Qv8HI&ab_channel=InsideNewsInsideNews Of course, since you are China bot, you deny them.
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@sweetdreamer3352 BTW..do you want a serious discussion?? Or, do you prefer just hurling insults?? Let me know.
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The problem with power is that it is complicated. Many things contribute to power, and take it away. Money, institutions, reputation, alliances, geography, culture, admiration, etc contribute to power. The rivers is only one aspect of geography that is in China's favor. Other aspects are not.
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The headwaters of those rivers are in the Himalayas, BUT doesn't most of the water come from Monsoons and rains that drop their water on lower side of the mountains and on the land south of the mountains? The Ganges, Mekong, etc are small in China, I think. They get bigger when they enter India, Burma, and Indochina from the rains. So, is this problem overstated?
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