[j. earl carter]

What really surprises me is that the Chicoms seem to be negotiating in good faith. If I were calling the shots for China, I'd agree to the most draconian enviro-wacko CO2 cuts possible.

The Chinese can just lie about meeting the greenhouse gas targets and laugh while the westerners run their countries into bankruptcy.

[piytar]

The only reason they didn’t IMHO is because they hold so many US treauries (ie debt). A bankrupt US means a bankrupt China.

Now, if they (and India for thay matter) succeed in moving to a hard gold-backed currency - which they are clearly trying to do - then they’ll do exactly what you suggest. Our only hope is that sanity prevails in the US first...

[TigersEye]

I don't know if I'd accuse the ChiComs of bargaining in good faith but they are playing a softer game than they used to. One problem for them is the ability to monitor them from space now. No need to set foot on their territory.

They also have a lot to lose if 0bozo crashes our economy with hyper-inflation and they end up getting back twenty cents on the dollar in buying power on the T-bills they bought. I think they're treading carefully in some ways so they can apply pressure when and where it counts for them.

Also, evil and brutal or not, the Chinese are not comfortable with standing on an absurd and neurotic premise like Glowbull Whining Theory^TM. They see the pragmatic problem with that. It could all fall apart* at any time and anyone holding the bag when it does is SOL.

*Manatees might start freezing to death in Alabama

[usurper]

The Chinese can just lie about meeting the greenhouse gas targets and laugh while the westerners run their countries into bankruptcy.

They have a vested interest in stopping the U.S. from committing fanatical suicide or they will never get their loans repaid.