OPINION:
The 22nd FIFA World Cup has a total of 16 official sponsors and partners — and six of them are Chinese companies.
This maybe isn’t so much a World Cup as it is a China Cup.
China’s branded itself in deep to this year’s event — and that means Chinese communism is continuing to advance its cultural Marxism around the world. This is strategic; this is the purposeful plan of the CCP and President Xi Jinping.
“Xi’s Vow of World Dominance by 2049 Sends Chill Through Markets,” Bloomberg wrote in one October headline about China President Xi Jinping’s stated goal and its subsequent effect on world economies.
“President has vowed to boost China’s international influence,” Bloomberg continued.
And from Newsweek, in July 2021: “Xi Jinping Says China to Become Dominant World Power Within 30 Years.”
How exactly?
By a One Belt, One Road, OBOR, also called Belt and Road Initiative, BRI, strategy that sets China as an economic helper to ailing nations. And once these nations take the Chinese money, it’s not long after they’ll be enticed, compelled, forced to take the Chinese communism.
Of course, it’s not called Chinese communism any more. The politically correct term in China, to China’s Xi, anyway, is socialism.
“Only socialism could save China,” he said, during delivery of public remarks aimed to recognizing the CCP’s first 100 years.
“We now march in confident strides toward the second 100-year goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects,” he also said then.
Socialism, communism — progressivism — Democrat Party — what’s the diff, right?
One leads to the other; in the end, all amount to collectivism.
And that’s fine — for China.
That’s fine — so long as China keeps its socialism-slash-communism-slash-whatever-you-wanna-call-it inside its own borders. But China wants to spread its cancerous communist tentacles elsewhere.
“The long game,” Brookings wrote in August 2021. “China’s grand strategy to displace American order.”
Brookings went on to write, “China has sought to displace America from regional and global order through three sequential ‘strategies of displacement’ pursued at the military, political and economic levels. The first of these strategies sought to blunt American order regionally, the second sought to build Chinese order regionally, and the third — a strategy of expansion — now seeks to do both globally.”
Enter World Cup 2022.
“The World Cup is a perfect stage for ‘China-made’ products,” said Li Jiang, managing director of Yutang Sports, in Yicai Global.
The six China companies with blaring presence at the World Cup are Wanda Group, Hisense Group, China Mengniu Dairy, Vivo Communication Technology, Yada and Boss Zhipin.
America’s still got a top presence.
Coca-Cola’s at the Qatar games. Visa’s at the event. Calm’s at the Cup. So, too, Budweiser, McDonald’s and Frito-Lay.
But China’s coming on strong on the marketing and promotional levels. That means communism is slipping its snaky snares into more spheres of power, influence and prestige. It’s all just fun and games — until it isn’t. And with communists, with the CCP in particular, it’s never just fun and games.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “Lockdown: The Socialist Plan To Take Away Your Freedom,” is available by clicking HERE or clicking HERE or CLICKING HERE.
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