WHY THE TRUMPET WATCHES Russia Allying With China

https://www.thetrumpet.com/16528-russia-allying-with-china

One Man Saw It Coming

Part of what makes the modern Russia-China partnership so significant is that it contrasts starkly with their recent history of conflict. Back in the 1950s, China and what was then the Soviet Union began disputing their shared border and bickering about “which shade of red” was the correct one for communism. In 1969, these disputes erupted into bloody war. The conflict became so serious it threatened to spark a nuclear altercation.

The nuclear button was never pressed. But more than two decades of mutual bitterness followed.

Yet even during that time of conflict and distrust between Russia and China, one analyst repeatedly forecast that the two would form a partnership.

Even during those early Cold War years, when the only interactions between the Russian bear and the Chinese dragon were arguments about how to correctly implement Communist policies, this lone pundit said Moscow and Beijing would lay aside their differences and enter an era of close cooperation.

Even after those tensions had exploded into the 1969 border war, prompting Russia and China to sever relations for decades, this maverick forecaster held tenaciously to his prediction.

The analyst was Herbert W. Armstrong, editor in chief of the Plain Truth newsmagazine.

Mr. Armstrong first wrote about the Russia-China axis as far back as the June-July 1934 issue of the Plain Truth, one of its earliest editions: “[T]wo great military powers [will] arise in the last days—one the revival of the Roman Empire by a federation of 10 nations in the territory of the ancient Roman Empire; the other … Russia, with her allies … possibly China or Japan,” he wrote.

“China’s … constant dream for centuries has been ultimate world conquest! … China knows, however, that in this highly industrialized age she can accomplish this dream only as an ally of Russia.”

HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG (PLAIN TRUTH, DECEMBER 1959)

In December 1959, when tensions between Russia and China were high, Mr. Armstrong’s magazine forecast that the two would form a coalition:

“Russia’s program … calls first for the seizure of Asia,” the Plain Truth wrote. It said that China would voluntarily submit to Russian leadership in an Asian bloc as a step toward achieving Beijing’s long-term goals: “China’s … constant dream for centuries has been ultimate world conquest! … China knows, however, that in this highly industrialized age she can accomplish this dream only as an ally of Russia. … China is now ready to begin devouring the rest of Asia with Russia’s secret military backing.”

These are just a few of the dozens of statements that Mr. Armstrong and his newsmagazine made from 1934 until his death in 1986, predicting that Russia and China would go from contenders to comrades.

At the time of Mr. Armstrong’s death, the relationship between Moscow and Beijing remained frosty. But events since then—especially in the last decade—have proved that Mr. Armstrong’s unpopular and seemingly far-fetched forecast was actually spot on.

How could he have predicted the reality we now see with such accuracy?