So? The west is not a friend of China as well. And US has downright militant rethoric agains China.
How was it not reciprocated? Whole western world benefited from the cheap Chinese labor for more than a decade.
I'd say we helped them economically and they helped us economically. When it comes to politics we don't see eye to eye. As for Hong-Kong they are introducing their politics there. Nothing we can do about it. And we are doing exactly nothing about it.
US openly calls China an enemy in their politics. US sees China like North Korea sees US. China just wants to have their own politics without western interference. It's nasty and bad politics but it's theirs.
The reason China got picked was because we wanted to reduce the power of the Soviet Union. The US policy during that time was all about stopping Soviet/Communist expansion and the thought was that we could bring China into the western world through monetary means. It was never about cheap labor. The US actively traded away it's own monetary assets for national security in that era. It wasn't about making money.
And to America's credit, it mostly worked. Japan, South Korea, and Germany are now friends of the US and the west and are irreplacable economical powerhouses. SEA didn't get quite as advanced, but they at least aren't hostile to western ideals.
China, on the other hand, saw the game being played and outplayed us. They took all the resources we "invested" in them to further their own ambitions, and cared not for cooperation or mutual friendships. They saw free real estate and fucking took the entire bank and stole the rest.
It's long past due we, the west, reassessed our approach because China is not going to become our friend no matter how much we invest in their prosperity (and consequently due to their nature our demise).
You listed countries that were dominated by US military what in at least two cases led to destruction of pre-existing setup there.
If anyone thought they'll be able to repeat it in China without invading it first was silly. So noone thought that.
US "helped" China to get access to their cheap labor. While maintaining a fasade of being hopeful it will bring in democratic peaceful transformation. I think Germany was more honestly hopeful that trading with Russia will democratize it than US was with China. US needs an enemy to excuse its military spending. Smart people in US knew that US basically grooms China so it becomes one. After all "terrorists" can only be made into a boogymen for a very limited time given their inaptitude.
The US launches rockets primarily from Kennedy Space Center and Vandenberg AFB so they spend minimal time flying overland as they fly out to sea. This is so failures or aborts pose as little risk as possible to people on the ground.
China launches rockets from inland and have dropped failed and aborted rockets on its citizens on the ground numerous times.
So yes, it is "really that hard" to shoot something down without causing collateral harm on the ground. And yes, China gives less fucks about human life than the US does.
Fixed that for you.
Sure. Taiwan, anyone in NATO, South Korea, etc.
The effect thus far has been that none of these nations have been invaded.
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Scotty79, I'm already checked out of this conversation; it's unlikely to be productive for anyone.