Gunboat Diplomacy

A kiss in a shadow
Trying to catch the wind
The person who tied the bell must untie it

Gunboats on the Pearl River
Treasures loaded onto their wagons
Silver was drained from our veins

Torches in the Summer Palace
Countless lives lost under the lie of "Fair Trade"
Today, those same powers that pushed opium
Now threaten with trade wars and blockades

We're going to live together very happily
So face up to the rational voices
The shackles you cast will clasp your own wrists


After Presidents Xi Jinping, Donald Trump and Ministry of Commerce spokesman, He Yadong (April 23, 2025)

Diplomacy, a playlist

A soundtrack for this note (spotify version)

• Diplomacy by BB Seaton
• English diplomacy by Mighty Sparrow
• Diplomacy by Lucky Clover
• A different kind of diplomacy by Michael McEvoy

Bonus beats: Learn Chinese by Jin

See previously: A Very Beautiful Thing and Facilitate

File under: humour, satire, language, politics, power, culture, observation, perception, USA, China, history, Great Game, Observers are worried, poetry, toli

Writing log: April 24, 2025