“China buys the tainted sea floor, and develops tech to harvest it”
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Doubtful that they could!
China has fumbled and bumbled in the tech arena, and has stolen every speck of technology that they have used.
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Then the latter prediction may be more likely: They will buy it, Or get it for free (A transaction from the US to China is going to be free, based on our debts to them) and they will continue to pump oil out of it, ignoring ANY leaks or environmental damages that occur. The media and government will be completely silent about it.
When Capitalism chases a capitalist business away, Capitalism replaces that business with another capitalist business. When Communism chases a capitalist business away, it is replaced with communism.
They haven’t even figured out the fork yet!