Jiang Chen didn’t spend too much on the negotiation of “UA mbership” since the two already agreed on the island. They were now just putting what they discussed onto paper.
As a businessman, Trump respected the contract; he did not renege after he beca president. After he confird that the treaty was the sa as they had originally agreed, he quickly signed his na on the docunt.
Based on the agreent, the UA would fulfill the commitnt within two months, without any conditions, and submit an application to join the Earth Defense Alliance and leave the North Atlantic Treaty.
In fact, NATO only existed nominally the mont UA was defeated. An alliance that relied on Britain and France (Germany had already withdrawn) could not compete with the Earth Defense Alliance, especially after Celestial Trade mastered nuclear defense thods, the strategic balance between the two parties had long been out of balance.
Now that the UA was “withdrawing from the group”, it only confird the expectations of the international community for the disintegration of NATO.
“Now you are satisfied?” With the two agreents, Trump put away one of them and looked at Jiang Chen, “I have a suspicion now that you expected this to happen.”
“I just considered the possibility,” Jiang Chen sipped the coffee in his cup and said slowly, “You should know that B City Consortium and I have always wanted to push Democratic Party’s Joseph Kennedy to the presidency. You are the additional bargaining chip for Morgan and Rockefeller. They think you will fight with and start a new round of the Pacific Rim arms race, and this is in their best interest. I thought so at the ti. However, if I pay a certain price to reach an unexpected consensus in the diplomatic eting that no one expected to go well, I might be able to solve this problem once and for all.”
“And now it seems that I am right,” Jiang Chen smiled lightly when he said this. “The only thing I didn’t expect was that they would take action so quickly, right when you were on your way back. This made Vargas in North Colombia misjudge the situation and provoked the war that shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”
After Trump heard Jiang Chen’s version of the causes and effects, he opened his mouth, but not a word could co out for a long ti. Although he had suspected that his crash was involved with Wall Street, he did not expect that he would be used on both sides.
After a long silence, he slowly sighed.
“Sure enough...Politics is really not for . My daughter also advised not to get into this ss, but I thought I could do it...”
“In fact, politics is very similar to running a business. The only difference is that politicians do not have the slightest contract spirit, and they must not.” Jiang Chen smiled, “You should be thankful that I am sitting in front of you, and not a politician.”
“May I ask one last question?” Trump sighed softly.
“Of course.” Jiang Chen nodded.
“How were you so certain that they would do sothing to because of those sugar cubes?” Trump continued, “If they didn’t do anything to , would you fulfill the Sugar Cube Diplomacy agreent?”
“These are two questions. I will answer your first question first. As I said, I just considered this possibility, and there is no absolute, both possibilities exist.” Jiang Chen smiled, “As for your second question, my answer is yes, I would have fulfilled the spirit of our agreent.”
“Even if it is unprofitable for you?” Tromp also smiled, but there was a bit of helplessness in his smile.
“It’s not necessarily about profitability, but the profit you ntioned is not the sa as what I agree with.” After he put aside the coffee cup in his hand, Jiang Chen also sighed softly. “The more we reach for the sky, the more we can feel our own insignificance. A century ago, we were still imagining what the people on the moon would look like, and today, a century later, our flags are already on the moon. In your eyes, I might have made ‘difficult concessions’ that day, but why don’t you look forward and imagine, what can we get from this universe if we work together?”
“And if you really did that,” Jiang Chen paused for a mont before he continued, “Then it should not be difficult for you to realize that, compared to what we are going to get, the part I conceded is minuscule.”
There was a long silence in the room.
After a long ti, Trump laughed out loud, got up from the sofa, and adjusted his collar. He extended his right hand to Jiang Chen, who also stood up.
“In any case, you are a respectable opponent.”
“Allow to make a correction, we used to be opponents,” Jiang Chen said with a smile while he shook Trump’s hand, “Now we are allies.”
Although the answer he got was not what he wanted, after Trump left the Hilton Hotel, he was a little relieved
If the man’s sight was no longer limited to this planet, then those worries in his mind seed to be unnecessary. At least the people living in this land would not be impacted because of this defeat; the soldiers of Celestial Trade would not always prevail over them. After all, in the eyes of that man, this territory was too small, and a bigger world awaited him to conquer...
Although Trump couldn’t see from his perspective, where the world was.
...
Even if it had been anticipated, the international community still expressed a considerable degree of shock and regret about UA’s withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty.
As the UA joined the Earth Defense alliance and beca the fifth major mber of the alliance, everyone clearly realized that the old era had co to an end, and another new and great era slowly unfolded.
According to the treaty signed by the Earth Defense Alliance, the major mber states would contribute 5-7% of GDP based on their territorial area and population weight (non-major mber states would contribute 3-4% of GDP) for the developnt of the aerospace industry.
From the number alone, the GDP ratio of 7% seed to be high, and NATO’s requirents for the military expenditures of mber states was only 2% of GDP. But crucially, a difference existed. The military expenditure itself was a burden, and the money spent would generate no return except for benefiting arms dealers and the creation of a small number of jobs. Military expenditure neither improved people’s lives nor obtained a return on investnt.
But investnt in the aerospace field was different. Since the space elevator was built, the aerospace industry had been endowed with economic value in addition to a sense of national honor. Whether it was space mining or space industry, companies from all over the world actually saw tangible benefits.
It was precisely because of this that, instead of resisting the GDP contribution quota stipulated in the treaty, many countries consciously decided to exceed the target.
And now, the UA was also brought onto the Earth Defense Alliance’s ship. The original 50% tax (compulsory for non-mber countries’ space industry) was abolished, and the cost of operation for North Arican aerospace companies also dropped significantly.
Although the country still grieved over the defeat, CA State, M State and other areas with more developed aerospace industries seed to beco the biggest beneficiaries.
Even in UA’s current economic downturn, the aerospace science and technology parks in San Fran, B City, and other places were full of energy. Companies of all sizes had sprung up like bamboo shoots after the rain, and all kinds of hiring notices were spread to universities across the country like snowflakes. With the introduction of the five-year tax reduction and exemption policy for the aerospace industry by the governnt, the aerospace industry in North Arica exploded with vitality. It seed to be on the trajectory to beco a pillar industry for the economic recovery of North Arica after the war...
As for the longer-term effects in the future, only the future would know.
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