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KP's avatar

Another major factor is populations. Vietnam has a large proportionally Catholic population and was economically decimated by a war. The Vietnamese government needed the church and it’s social infrastructure to rebuild. The government cracking down too effectively would have reduced the legitimacy of the government and triggered more resistance from its population especially one used to and adept at asymmetric warfare.

China has no such problems. Its Catholic population is tiny and it’s got the economic ability to not care about what it’s people think of the government but is just unstable enough to need to have ready scapegoats to ‘bolster’ the legitimacy of the CCP by getting rid of ‘foreign’ things like Christianity and Islam. Dishonesty and subterfuge are standard CCP operating procedures with foreign entities as China and the CCP come first before honour or integrity.

Parolin should have asked some of China’s neighbours and trading partners what dealing with them was like before they signed that deal. If they’re willing to be jerks to trading partners supplying them

with essential material, what makes you think they’d be any better on less materially essential matters.

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Clare K's avatar

This is an insightful analysis, Ed! Thanks for continuing to shed light on the complicated international stuff.

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