The moon race between the tortoise (China) and the hare (USA).

The world watched earlier this month as Nasa sent four astronauts around the moon – but to actually land on the surface the US is once again in a space race, this time with China.

It doesn’t matter who gets to the moon next. It matters who gets to the moon the next 10 times. The nation that keeps going is going to be the one that actually starts to win; starts to actually claim lunar territory. And that's critical.

With space being an area with opaque legal consensus, the first country to establish a presence on the resource-rich lunar surface will probably have a head start in defining the rules.

When you do have a competition, you do not want to lose. A China win will prevent the US hegemon from weaponizing the moon with nuclear weaponry.

The US space agency is vulnerable to changes in government every four years, making it hard to stick to decade-long plans – something Chinese rocket engineers working in a one-party state are not affected by.

Which horse are you backing in this race - the USA or China?

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whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, MVIP

By your terms, China. America may be first. But China will keep going and make it work.. This isnt just politics. Asia is the economic future..😷

sree251 · 41-45, M

@whowasthatmaskedman

Asia is the economic future..😷

Economic future for who? The entire world? The Chinese are a smart people with a proven robust civilization. Six hundred years ago, China was the world's lone superpower unto itself with no desire to connect with the west. There was a sudden shift in the balance of power brought about by decline in China and an explosive advancement of technology in the west. Western cultural dominance will not be eclipsed by the Chinese anytime soon. The modernization of China is distinctly western. Our way of life is globalized, worldwide.

whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, MVIP

@sree251 Nothing you have said is wrong. But its not the whole picture. Post WW2 Asia began a slow development as it left the colonial links pre war behind. The English Germans and french all gave up colonies and India gained Independence. Japan and Korea where remade in the progressive US image, and in time leapfrogged over American industry, followed by China as it reopened. And along with it came 60% of the world population that dodged the industrial revolution and moved straight into the technological one. China had more than a billion people that can move from peasants to workers in a generation with now lag of established old trades, training and culture. They have already surpassed America and can continue to grow on the domestic market alone, with a far more efficient managed economy. Like every other empire, China will burn out and be replaced.. But right now and for the foreseable futuire, its on the way up..😷

sree251 · 41-45, M

@whowasthatmaskedman

Japan and Korea where remade in the progressive US image, and in time leapfrogged over American industry, followed by China as it reopened.

What do you think is our problem? To a large extent, world economic growth is enabled by American innovations. Why is it possible for those Asian nations to overtake American industry?

whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, MVIP

@sree251 I do have theories. But its part cultural, with a stronger work ethic from top to bottom, and part American innovation, translated as Demings Total Quality Managment, with Japan in particular really took to heart . Then there is discontinuous change. Korea had no significant Industry and Japan was flattened, leaving both as green fields to establish the latest of everything, without any old pre war bad infrastructure. Now add lower wage structures. And personal loyalty to the company FORD and GM would die for. And thats all starting point stuff. From there The Japanese Learned fast and the Koreans learned from them and the Chinese learned from both and had a centralized government that could cherry pick success stories and promote them..
There are another thousand words of detail, connecting Chinese industry to Chinese international foreign aid and more..😷

sree251 · 41-45, M

@whowasthatmaskedman

There are another thousand words of detail, connecting Chinese industry to Chinese international foreign aid and more..😷

You are spot on but your focus is on why the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese succeeded in surging forward. You have not explained the whole picture. To a large part, American industry was left standing on account of our lack of national leadership. The US Government was distracted. It was not a social unifier but a divider: liberals and conservatives, left and right. It permitted the thrashing of a shared heritage and allowed it to be viewed as white supremacy. Instead of nation building, politicians were feeding off the people. America was opened for gutting from within and without. Our President is now mobilizing our military and resources to fight for Israel.

whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, MVIP

@sree251 I absolutely agree . The story of Asias progress is part of the story. The other side is Americas failure to continue. Its almost as if they reached the Moon, then sat down and said ""Game over.. We won" and focused on reaping the rewards. Not looking for the next challenge. The fall of the Soviet Union left America with no direction. So they became a self satisfied hedonistic society.. And others picked up the slack and moved in..😷

sree251 · 41-45, M

@whowasthatmaskedman

The fall of the Soviet Union left America with no direction. So they became a self satisfied hedonistic society..

Hitler did say that America was a nation of playboys. Perhaps, it is in our DNA, this hedonistic bent. Yet, we are prudes compared to the Europeans. We have a law against prostitution but not so in Europe. Infidelity is rife in France.

whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, MVIP

@sree251 I think there is a whole theseis in there on the differing attititudes. My personal view is that the regilious bent in America sees all this as "Sin"but still cant help themselves. Where more secular nations accept it as human behaviour, to be done discretely..Religion is certainly a big factor in America that isnt seen in other developed countries..(Naturally Americans see this as "normal")😷