Chapter 1,492 The Prelude to a New Era

Jiang Chen didn't waste much words on the negotiation of "U.S. accession to the EU". The two had already discussed it when they were on the island, and now they were just implementing the negotiated content into specific documents.

As a businessman, Trump still has a strong sense of contract. He did not turn his back on the agreement after taking the position of president. After confirming that the contents of the treaty were the same as originally agreed, he quickly signed the agreement himself. name.

According to the content of the agreement, the United States will fulfill its commitment within two months, submit an application to join the Earth Defense Alliance without any conditions, and withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty.

In fact, from the moment the United States was defeated, NATO existed in name only. Relying on Britain and France (Germany has withdrawn), it is impossible to compete with the Earth Defense Alliance. Especially after the Star Ring Trade mastered nuclear defense methods, the strategic balance between the two parties has long been imbalanced.

The United States' current "withdrawal" is just fulfilling the international community's expectations for the disintegration of NATO during this period.

"Are you satisfied now?" Trump put away one of the two agreements and looked at Jiang Chen, "I even suspect that you have expected this day."

"I just considered this possibility," Jiang Chen took a sip of the coffee in his cup and said slowly, "You should know that the Boston Consortium and I have always wanted to push John F. Kennedy of the Democratic Party to the presidency. position, and you are an additional bargaining chip for Morgan and Rockefeller. They think that you will have sex with me and set off a new round of Pacific Rim arms race, which is in their best interest. That’s what I thought at the time However, if I pay a certain price and reach an unexpected consensus in a diplomatic meeting that was originally not optimistic, I may be able to solve this problem once and for all.”

"And now it seems that I was right," Jiang Chen said with a faint smile, "The only thing I didn't expect was that they would attack so quickly, that they would attack you in a hurry on your way back, and the result was that Vargas of Northern Colombia misjudged the situation and started a war in advance that should never have happened."

After listening to Jiang Chen's dictation of the cause and effect, Trump opened his mouth but said nothing for a while. Although he had guessed that his plane crash was closely related to the people on Wall Street, he did not expect that he would be plotted by both parties.

After a long time, he sighed slowly.

"Sure enough... politics is really not suitable for me. My daughter also advised me not to get involved in this muddy water, but I thought I could do it..."

"Actually, politics is very similar to running a business. The only difference is that politicians don't have any contract spirit, and they must not." Jiang Chen smiled slightly, "You should be lucky that I am not the one sitting in front of you. politician."

"Can I ask one last question?" Trump sighed softly.

"Of course." Jiang Chen nodded.

"Are you so sure that they will attack me because of those sugar cubes?" Trump continued, "If they had not attacked me, would you have fulfilled the agreement reached in the sugar cube diplomacy?"

"These are two questions. Then let me answer your first question first. I said that I have only considered this possibility, and there are no absolutes in this world. Both possibilities exist. ." Jiang Chen smiled slightly, "As for your second question, my answer is yes. I still have this spirit of contract."

"Even if this makes you unprofitable?" Trump also smiled, but there was a bit of helplessness in his smile.

"It's not that it's unprofitable, but the interests you mentioned are different from what I agree with." Jiang Chen put down the coffee cup in his hand and sighed softly, "The more we touch this sky, the more we You can feel your own insignificance. A century ago we were still dreaming about what the inhabitants of the moon would look like, but today a century later we have planted our flag on Mars. In your eyes, I may have negotiated that day. 'Tough concessions' were made on the table, but why don't you look forward and see what we can get out of this universe by working together?"

"And if you really do this," Jiang Chen paused for a moment before continuing, "then it should not be difficult for you to find that compared to what we are about to get, the part I gave up is as light as a feather. .”

There was silence in the living room for a long time.

After a long time, Trump laughed, stood up from the sofa, and straightened his collar. Facing Jiang Chen, who also stood up, he stretched out his right hand.

"No matter what, you are a formidable opponent."

"Correction, it used to be," Jiang Chen shook the hand holding Trump's hand and said with a smile, "Now we are allies."

Although the answer he got was not what he wanted, Trump still breathed a sigh of relief after leaving the Hilton Hotel.

If that man's sight was no longer limited to this planet, then the worries in his heart seemed to be unnecessary. At least the people living on this land will not change anything because of the defeat. The soldiers of the Star Ring Trade will not always ride on their heads to show off their power. After all, in the eyes of that man, this territory is already too small. There is a wider world waiting for him to conquer...

Although where exactly this world is, we can't see it from Trump's perspective yet.

…

Even though it was expected, the international community still expressed a considerable degree of shock and regret over North America's withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty.

As the United States joined the Earth Defense Alliance and became the fifth major member of the alliance, everyone clearly realized that the old era had come to an end, and another new and great era was slowly beginning.

According to the treaty signed by the Earth Defense Alliance, major member states will contribute 5-7% of GDP (minor member states contribute 3-4% of GDP) based on their country's territorial area and population weight for the development of the aerospace industry.

Judging from the data alone, this maximum GDP ratio of 7% seems a bit too high. NATO's requirement for each member's military expenditure is only 2% of the national GDP. However, it should be noted that military expenditure itself is a burden. The money spent has no return other than making arms dealers cheaper and providing a small number of jobs. It can neither improve people's lives nor obtain a return on investment.

But investment in the aerospace field is different. Since the completion of the space elevator, the aerospace industry has been given economic value in addition to national honor. Whether it is space mining or space industry, companies from various countries have received visible benefits.

It is precisely for this reason that instead of resisting the GDP contribution amount stipulated in the treaty, many countries consciously exceeded the target.

And now, the United States has also been tied to the Earth Defense Alliance's chariot. The original 50% Earth Defense Tax (mandatory on the space industry of non-member countries) has been eliminated, and the costs of North American aerospace companies have also dropped significantly.

Although they were resentful about the defeat, California, Massachusetts and other regions with more developed aerospace industries seemed to be the biggest beneficiaries of the United States' defeat.

Even in the current economic downturn across the United States, aerospace science and technology parks in San Francisco, Boston and other places are still bustling with activity. Companies large and small have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, and various recruitment notices are showering on universities across the United States like snowflakes. With the introduction of the five-year tax reduction policy for the aerospace industry by the U.S. government, the aerospace industry in North America has exploded with amazing vitality, and has become a pillar industry for North America's post-war economic recovery...

As for the longer-term impacts in the future, only the future can know.