this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2026
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Those 2 things are not mutually exclusive. In fact, genuinely helping poor countries develop is a pretty good way to gain soft power.
No one here, and I do mean no one, is saying that China isn't gaining anything from doing that. But that doesn't mean it's bad for the other party or hides some nefarious secret purpose either. Diplomacy isn't a zero sum gain where if China gain from a deal therefore the other party has to lose to compensate, that's not how international relations work.