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China has a permanent veto at the United Nations Security Council for obvious reasons.
1. China is the world's second-largest country in land area (source: World Bank).
2. China consumes the most energy per year (source: BP).
3. China is the world's largest exporter and trading nation.
4. China is the world's largest manufacturer and consumer of machine tools. (source: Gardner)
5. China adds the most industrial robots per year and will have the world's largest installed base of industrial robots at the end of this year (source: IFR).
6. China has the world's largest foreign exchange reserves.
7. China ranks second in the world each year in producing Nature science articles. (source: Nature Index)
8. And so on...
Anyway, China's exceptionalism has earned it a permanent veto at the UNSC. The permanent veto grants tremendous power and privileges.
However, the permanent veto also constrains China's ability to exercise its military power.
By accepting the privilege of the permanent veto, China has implicitly agreed not to use its military power without the approval of the United Nations Security Council.
Here's how it works. The US wants to bomb Syria's Assad into oblivion. It can't. China uses its veto to deny UNSC authorization for an attack on Syria's Assad.
Now, let's look at the double-edged sword. China pays the price for the UNSC veto power.
China is tempted to annex Vietnam. It removes an annoying thorn. Treat the Vietnamese like Palestinians and take over 2,000 miles of Vietnamese beaches. It would be nice to have a Chinese Florida.
However, China cannot annex Vietnam. It has to follow the same rules as the United States.
Since the United States' military power is constrained by China's permanent veto, China's military power is equally constrained by the US permanent veto. This maintains world stability and avoids direct military confrontation between the two great powers.
Thus, China will always have a permanent veto at the United Nations Security Council. The US intends to constrain Chinese military expansionism by using the American veto at the United Nations Security Council.
China does not want the US overthrowing African countries, like Zimbabwe's Mugabe.
The US doesn't want China annexing one Southeast Asian country after another.
Hence, both sides have compromised with a UNSC permanent veto. You don't move and I don't move. Thus, we have the current status quo in the world. It's pretty dull and not much happens.
1. China is the world's second-largest country in land area (source: World Bank).
2. China consumes the most energy per year (source: BP).
3. China is the world's largest exporter and trading nation.
4. China is the world's largest manufacturer and consumer of machine tools. (source: Gardner)
5. China adds the most industrial robots per year and will have the world's largest installed base of industrial robots at the end of this year (source: IFR).
6. China has the world's largest foreign exchange reserves.
7. China ranks second in the world each year in producing Nature science articles. (source: Nature Index)
8. And so on...
Anyway, China's exceptionalism has earned it a permanent veto at the UNSC. The permanent veto grants tremendous power and privileges.
However, the permanent veto also constrains China's ability to exercise its military power.
By accepting the privilege of the permanent veto, China has implicitly agreed not to use its military power without the approval of the United Nations Security Council.
Here's how it works. The US wants to bomb Syria's Assad into oblivion. It can't. China uses its veto to deny UNSC authorization for an attack on Syria's Assad.
Now, let's look at the double-edged sword. China pays the price for the UNSC veto power.
China is tempted to annex Vietnam. It removes an annoying thorn. Treat the Vietnamese like Palestinians and take over 2,000 miles of Vietnamese beaches. It would be nice to have a Chinese Florida.
However, China cannot annex Vietnam. It has to follow the same rules as the United States.
Since the United States' military power is constrained by China's permanent veto, China's military power is equally constrained by the US permanent veto. This maintains world stability and avoids direct military confrontation between the two great powers.
Thus, China will always have a permanent veto at the United Nations Security Council. The US intends to constrain Chinese military expansionism by using the American veto at the United Nations Security Council.
China does not want the US overthrowing African countries, like Zimbabwe's Mugabe.
The US doesn't want China annexing one Southeast Asian country after another.
Hence, both sides have compromised with a UNSC permanent veto. You don't move and I don't move. Thus, we have the current status quo in the world. It's pretty dull and not much happens.
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