On the global stage, the United States, as a young nation, rose with astonishing speed, quickly becoming a recognized superpower.
However, with the solidification of its status, the U.S. began to exhibit a worrisome behavior pattern—relentlessly suppressing any nation that might threaten its hegemony.
They firmly believe that emerging powers are bound to challenge existing powers, so they must act preemptively to nip potential rivals in the bud.
This mindset led the U.S. to always be wary of the "second in the world" after becoming the world leader, and within a few hundred years, it suppressed four countries.
However, when China's economic volume firmly ranked second in the world, the U.S. encountered an unusual opponent.
They found that their tactics did not work on China.
Suppressing the Soviet Union
The smoke of World War II had just cleared when the world fell into a new confrontation—the Cold War.
The U.S. and the Soviet Union, once allies, had now become fierce enemies.
The Cold War's shadow loomed over the globe, seemingly pushing humanity to the brink of nuclear war again.
In this war without gunpowder, the U.S. demonstrated astonishing strategic wisdom and ruthless methods.
They knew well that to collapse this massive socialist camp, it required not just military confrontation but comprehensive suppression and disintegration.
First, the U.S. led the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
This military alliance acted like a sharp blade aimed directly at the Soviet Union's throat.
NATO's existence not only exerted enormous military pressure on the Soviet Union but also dealt a heavy psychological blow.
The Soviet Union had to divert substantial resources into the arms race, undoubtedly increasing its economic burden.
Next, the U.S. launched three major moves, beginning a comprehensive siege on the Soviet Union.
The first move was to instigate regional conflicts, dragging the Soviet Union into neighboring quagmires.
The Afghan War is a typical example, where the U.S. secretly supported Afghan anti-government forces, dragging the Soviet Union into a protracted conflict.
This war, known as the "Soviet Union's Vietnam War," greatly drained the Soviet Union's national strength and international reputation.
The second move was to woo Eastern European countries, dismantling the Soviet Union's peripheral defense line.
Through economic aid, cultural infiltration, and other soft power means, the U.S. gradually eroded these countries' loyalty to the Soviet Union.
When Eastern European countries began to leave the Soviet camp one after another, the Soviet Union's strategic buffer zone instantly collapsed.
The third move was to launch an arms race, forcing the Soviet Union to overextend its national power.
This was probably the most lethal move.
The U.S. continuously developed new weapons, forcing the Soviet Union to follow suit, leading the Soviet Union to divert massive resources into the military, severely depleting the civilian sector, and eventually accelerating the Soviet Union's collapse.
Suppressing the United Kingdom
Once, the British Empire's renown resounded globally, ruling a quarter of the world's land, with colonies across five continents and the pound sterling dominating international trade.
However, post-World War II, Britain was severely weakened, with economic decline weighing heavily on the nation.
The U.S. keenly saw this rare opportunity and began a series of carefully orchestrated actions aimed directly at Britain's global dominance.
First, the U.S. launched the "Marshall Plan" for economic aid.
This plan cleverly expanded the U.S.'s economic influence while weakening the pound sterling's international status.
Next, the U.S. secretly supported independence movements in British colonies, directly shaking the foundations of the British Empire.
As colonies declared independence one by one, Britain's global influence rapidly waned, and the U.S. seized the opportunity to fill the power vacuum.
Even more astounding, the U.S. skillfully wielded the "oil weapon," controlling Middle Eastern oil to bury the pound sterling's international monetary hegemony.
When the dollar replaced the pound sterling as the currency for international oil transactions, Britain's dominance in international finance was completely lost.
Thus, under the U.S.'s relentless pressure, Britain's global dominance crumbled like a sandcastle washed away by waves.
After the war, the U.S. naturally replaced Britain as the new global hegemon.
Suppressing the European Union
When European countries joined forces to form the European Union (EU), the world order seemed poised for a new shift.
The EU's economic power grew steadily, once even having the potential to surpass the U.S. and become the world's largest economy.
This potential threat naturally aroused the U.S.'s high vigilance.
Facing the EU's rise, the U.S. did not choose direct confrontation but adopted a series of clever strategies to undermine this powerful alliance from within.
First, the U.S. secretly promoted Brexit.
As an important member state, Britain's exit undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the EU.
This not only weakened the EU's overall strength but also sowed seeds of doubt among other member states.
Next, the U.S. skillfully sowed discord within the EU.
Exploiting the interest differences and historical grievances among EU countries, they constantly stirred up strife, causing cracks within the alliance.
More surprisingly, the U.S. launched the "Inflation Reduction Act."
Through providing substantial subsidies, this act attracted European companies to transfer investments and production to the U.S.
This not only weakened the EU's industrial competitiveness but also exacerbated internal conflicts within the EU.
The U.S.'s actions weakened the EU's economic power, damaged its internal unity, and restricted its influence on the international stage.
Suppressing Japan
Post-World War II Japan, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, achieved astonishing economic growth.
By the 1980s, this island nation had become the world's second-largest economy, with its products sweeping global markets and even threatening the U.S.'s economic hegemony.
At that time, the U.S. was mired in economic difficulties, with a growing trade deficit and high unemployment.
In 1985, the U.S. facilitated the signing of the "Plaza Accord" at the Plaza Hotel in New York.
This agreement ostensibly aimed to adjust major countries' exchange rates but was actually a carefully designed trap by the U.S.
After the accord's signing, the Japanese yen began to appreciate rapidly, causing Japanese companies' international competitiveness to plummet, export difficulties, and slowed economic growth.
However, the U.S. did not stop there.
They launched two fatal moves that completely crushed Japan's economy.
The first move was manipulating exchange rates to burst Japan's economic bubble. Through various means, the U.S. influenced the yen's exchange rate, ultimately leading to the bubble's collapse.
In 1989, Japan's stock market plummeted, real estate prices plunged, and the entire economy fell into a prolonged recession.
The second move was initiating a trade war to destroy Japan's semiconductor industry.
Through high tariffs and market access restrictions, the U.S. stifled the development of Japan's semiconductor industry.
Japan's economy then entered the "lost three decades," never again threatening the U.S.'s economic hegemony.
Conflict with China
China, with its 5,000 years of civilization, achieved astonishing economic growth within just a few decades, becoming the world's second-largest economy.
This feat not only transformed China itself but also deeply influenced the global landscape.
As the dominant power of the current world order, the U.S. showed clear discomfort and vigilance towards China's rapid rise, taking a series of measures to curb China's development momentum.
First was the U.S.-China trade war.
Citing "unfair trade," the U.S. imposed high tariffs on Chinese exports to the U.S., aiming to hit China's export industry.
Next were sanctions on Chinese high-tech companies. Citing national security, the U.S. imposed severe sanctions on Chinese tech giants like Huawei and ZTE, attempting to hinder China's advancement in cutting-edge technologies such as 5G.
Additionally, the U.S. exerted geopolitical pressure on China, challenging China's core interests from the South China Sea issue to the Taiwan issue.
In the face of these challenges, China demonstrated remarkable resilience and coping abilities, stemming from its unique advantages and wise strategies.
First, China has a vast domestic market, providing strong internal economic momentum.
Second, China adheres to the policy of reform and opening up, continuously expanding openness and injecting new vitality into the economy.
Third, China enjoys political stability and institutional confidence, providing strong guarantees for economic and social development.
Fourth, China's technological level is continuously advancing, leading the world in frontier fields like artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
Lastly, China adheres to a foreign policy of peaceful development, gaining international respect through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative.
Today, China-U.S. relations are at a historic low. The struggle between China and the U.S. is not just about economic interests but also about the future direction of the world order.
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