Driven by interests is always the most tempting. Although the Chinese government expects investment from both the United States and Germany, it is not without consideration and prevention in the future.

Relatively speaking, China is more welcome to Germany's capital and has more relaxed conditions, but these are written in secret terms.

Chen Wenqiang believes that in China's industrial construction, the three sides of China, the United States and Germany should be dominated by the three sides, and neither side can exceed half, which is quite a bit like a three-legged tripod. However, this is only a temporary phenomenon. When a war broke out, whether China adopts neutrality or joins the Allies, Germany's investment will inevitably be confiscated by the Chinese government, and the final result is that China's dominance is the only one.

Although this is a bit unkind, it is like this between countries. We cannot maintain morality and credibility like between people. Everything will be based on national interests.

Just like the United States is quite independent among the great powers, it firmly opposed the great powers' demand for high compensation from China during the negotiations of the Xin Chou Treaty, not for China's interests, but for the belief that it would force China to disaster and affect the "sustainability" plunder (or development) of the great powers; and the excess of the Boxer Indemnity was returned and used entirely for school management, which included both idealistic pursuits full of the American spirit and realistic considerations that focused on the national interests of the United States.

At that time, in the 1905 boycott of US goods, the rising anti-American sentiment of Chinese youth aroused the vigilance of the United States. Diplomats (such as Wilson, the US agent in Japan) and scholars (such as Jing Qi, professor at Cornell University) warned the president that the United States received too few Chinese students, even far less than Belgium, a small European country, and the United States would lose its influence on a whole generation of Chinese in the spiritual field.

James, president of the University of Illinois, even reminded President Roosevelt: "Which country can successfully educate this generation of Chinese youth, which country will gain the greatest reward in both spiritual and business. If the United States could successfully attract Chinese study abroad streams and strengthen them 35 years ago, then we can control China's development in the most satisfactory and clever way, which is the way to dominate Chinese leaders with knowledge and spirit." The university president firmly believes that paying the cost and price to win Chinese youth is worth it even from the perspective of material interests. "Compared with the military flag, morality and spirit will dominate business more effectively."

From then on, the United States' influence in China has risen rapidly. Compared with Japan, students studying in Japan and students studying in the United States have been constantly becoming the protagonists on the Chinese historical stage. What is strange is that when most students studying in Japan say they are not fluent in Japanese, most students studying in the United States can learn Chinese and Western cultures, and many masters have emerged. When most students studying in Japan are keen on "ism" and "revolution", and "beheading" for "truth of ideology" (whether chopping other people's heads or their own heads), students studying in the United States pay more attention to "problems", caring about culture and education, and science.

In Chen Wenqiang's view, Japan and the United States are like long-term and short-term customers in the stock market. The United States, which is doing long-term and short-term Japan, which is doing short-term, reflects a sharp contrast in China: various fast-food "isms" imported from Japan, "thoughts" are ebbs and flowing, while "Mr. De" who is "imported" from the United States, "Mr. Sai" becomes an ideal beacon for a long time in the future, although its light is too weak in many cases.

There is no free lunch in the world, so no one should regard himself as noble. Although the US policy has benefited China, it does not mean that the US is really so selfless. In the end, national interests are still guiding all this.

Of course, China-US and China-Germany relations are now in a honeymoon period. Everything looks so beautiful, so open and selfless, and there are brotherly friendships everywhere. China cleverly shows to the United States and Germany that it will unshirk its responsibility to reject Russia and oppose Japan in the Far East, and serve the interests of the United States and Germany without complaints. This expression is so true and credible, and proved by practical actions.

It is the relationship of interests that destined that the U.S.-German alliance is impossible to achieve. This will enable China to maintain a relatively independent position, without having to be interfered and threatened by the Allies because of joining the Allies, and also allow both sides to take a prudent attitude towards China, so as not to be forced to make one-sided choices.

Chen Wenqiang has always had a calm judgment on the United States' participation in the war and joining the Allied Party in World War I. Although it seems that this is a coincidence that only occurs as the war develops to a certain stage, in essence, from the perspective of the status of the imperialist power that has emerged later, it is inevitable that the United States will be involved in this imperialist war that re-divides the world.

Whether the United States is "neutral", or joins the war, when to join the war, and in what form it will all depend on its own interests. "Neutrality" is, on the one hand, the isolationism of the United States, the pacifism is strong, and the people are anti-war; on the other hand, the real purpose is to wait for the opportunity to make real profits. As the US Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Peppa, foresaw, after the war, "almost all European countries are about to go bankrupt. There will be no Germany at the sea. Ten years later... the future of the world will fall into our hands, which is a very rare opportunity."

But when the British Navy took control of the sea and the United States became a unilateral military supply country for the Allies, "turned into the warehouse and arsenal of the Allies", most American merchants turned to the Allies.

President Wilson had no choice but to accept Britain's maritime policy and let the United States gradually become the arsenal of the Allied. Because, "most American industrialists naturally have the same attitude as bankers. Because Britain controlled the ocean, our sales were mainly in the Allied countries, and we were willing to see the Allied countries continue this war and win the war."

It is precisely for this reason that when Germany resumed unlimited submarine warfare, the threat continued to expand, and the Allies could not come up with effective means of countermeasures, and the situation on the battlefield took a sharp turn. The Americans began to worry that if the Allies were defeated, the United States would not only not be able to continue to carry out "neutral trade", but even the war payments for the Allies would not be recovered.

"As the security of the Allied countries begins to be threatened, a financial crisis has begun to rise. From the perspective of protecting the debtor countries, the United States should also join the war as soon as possible. Due to interests, the United States can no longer abide by the German submarine blockade without damaging the friendly relations between the United States and the Allied countries, and this default may make Germany win. In other words, the United States cannot be absolutely fair under these new situations; no matter what, it will be beneficial to one side and not to the other side."
Chapter completed!