China Thread

#26
#26
It may be too extreme, but, if you think about it, if a bunch of armed, masked men with no insignia were just to start taking over govt. spots in Taiwan, what the hell would anyone do about it?

That's a bit more extreme, because it's more reasonable to expect the Taiwanese would not be nearly as careful in their response as the Ukrainians (don't tell Ras or Pacer this; they still think Ukraine is fascist).

But it really is somewhat frightening to think about.
 
#29
#29
Lol. No, I'm just considering myself exempt to this thread due to high levels of irrational anger right now.
 
#31
#31
Velo Vol said:
What's this thread about?
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It's about being able to discuss whatever geopolitical stuff about China you want, boss.

You've been begging for it.

Now it's here, courtesy of Louder. Like a Sunday afternoon KFC value meal, now enjoy.
 
#34
#34
LouderVol said:
Ok, I promised to make a China Thread with all the problems i have with the country right now.

my main one is how they are becoming the main bad guy in the pacific. However i will also touch on the Hong Kong voting issue, Cultural "flooding", forced migrations, environmental issues including, but not limited to, the damming rivers, pollution and strip mining and dirty industry like we haven't seen in 50 years. There is also the drive to remove a lot of their cultural connections to the past and to the land.

China's Maritime Disputes

three problem areas: Paracel Islands fishing and maybe oil. Spratly Islands with fishing and definitely oil and gas. and Senkaku Islands with fishing, oil and gas and shipping lanes.

the are competing with Japan, Vietnam, the Phillipines, Mayalsia and Brunei. in pretty much every circumstance the contested islands are closer to the other country beyond China, and most of China's claims are either really recent (last decade or two) or are from almost 1000 years ago but no continuation.

i am in no way an expert, as i have done little research beyond the stuff i will post here. feel free to add in as you see fit.
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But they are good climate change partners! Together with India, we are going to clean up this silly planet and get it back on course. I just haven't figured out what that course is since it constantly changes.
 
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#35
#35
Will China’s Infrastructure Bank Work?

Will it offer free checking?

Or, more pertinently, who will benefit most from this?

Given the legacy of problematic loans and projects funded by Western-led infrastructure banks, it is reasonable to ask whether another one is needed, as opposed to reforming existing institutions. Still, if the AIIB views itself mainly as a knowledge bank, rather than a funding vehicle, it could provide real added value. We should evaluate the AIIB by how it chooses and fosters projects, not just by how much financing it provides.
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#36
#36
#37
#37
So much for the strategic counterbalance of India. I know that the Chinese are not too keen on the idea of Japanese military reforms.
 
#39
#39
hog88 said:
Still not worried about their pollution. In the long run it will bite them.

The only control the Chinese government has over it's people is fear. Once they have had enough or no longer fear the government it's over for the communist regime. It's a Tom Clancy book but I think "The Bear and The Dragon" does a good job of illustrating how fragile the governments control really is.
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I would agree its fragile, but still strong. they are still a way from the shock that will really weaken/show how fragile it is. Hong Kong had a chance but the media block out, and casting it as the protesters fault, was a strong move on Beijing's part.
 
#40
#40
volprof said:
Who knows, but certainly worth thinking about. The Russians seem to have established a new standard of international diplomacy.

Get Ready: China Could Pull a 'Crimea' in Asia | The National Interest

First, it was Genghis Khan diplomacy, which ended with V-E and V-J Day(s), and then it was UN, Bretton Woods, etc. diplomacy (what we think of as the current order). But, then Crimea happened.

100 years from now, assuming historians aren't speaking Chinese or kissing the asses of the current Chinese leadership, I think we'll look back and say that the 2014 Crimean grab was the most perfect territorial expansion/invasion/annexation/whatever the hell you want to call it in history. It seems to have laid the groundwork for a new international order, one that does not require international law and one that retains plausible deniability.
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China has been working Taiwan for a long time, i am honestly surprised they haven't already fallen in line. the article doesn't go much into how Taiwan could work out like Crimea except that it ends up in Chinese hands and the world is none the wiser.
 
#41
#41
Velo Vol said:
Will China’s Infrastructure Bank Work?

Will it offer free checking?

Or, more pertinently, who will benefit most from this?
Click to expand...

China has been funding projects all over the place that don't go anywhere. not sure why making it a bank doing it, instead of the Central Government, makes it any better. Off the top of my head there was a $50 billion dollar plan to build solar farms in Nicaragua that ended up just clear cutting the rain forest and then stopping. There are a couple pipe lines they were building in Africa that moved people out of the way built like 50 miles of piping, starting in the middle, and then stopped. a couple plans have fallen through in the ME too, but i cant really blame them, ISIS has a way of ruining things. The Russian pipeline(s) two are planned, and nothing has happened there. I would look real careful at the terms this bank offers as far as expertise goes.
 
#42
#42
Velo Vol said:
We Traveled Across China and Returned Terrified for the Economy - Bloomberg Business
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this is what i have been saying. we are reaching a nexus where China can't outgrow its problems. I don't think the world needs a service industry the scale of China. More IT, and IT support, sure, but its really difficult to get factory workers to be good at that stuff, and China, right now, doesn't have the infrastructure (schools, training programs, company support (employers), investing, connections and also the true High Tech stuff) to make it happen. The US barely does and we have been trying to make the switch for about two decades.
 
#43
#43
The main component of the economy that makes China strong is the lack of debt both by the population and business. The common man is given credit by no one and a 30% downpayment is required for home purchase. Businesses, only at the highest level, borrow money from banks. The country is debt free compared to us. This is why they recover from the bumps in the road faster than other countries.
 
#44
#44
IPleadInsanity said:
The main component of the economy that makes China strong is the lack of debt both by the population and business. The common man is given credit by no one and a 30% downpayment is required for home purchase. Businesses, only at the highest level, borrow money from banks. The country is debt free compared to us. This is why they recover from the bumps in the road faster than other countries.
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And that's been a major issue with Americans. We don't save money.
 
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#45
#45
IPleadInsanity said:
The main component of the economy that makes China strong is the lack of debt both by the population and business. The common man is given credit by no one and a 30% downpayment is required for home purchase. Businesses, only at the highest level, borrow money from banks. The country is debt free compared to us. This is why they recover from the bumps in the road faster than other countries.
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agreed, but wouldn't you say that in their switch to a service based economy they are headed to those type of debt related issues they have avoided, until now/in the near future?
 
#46
#46
Between the years 2011 and 2013, China used more concrete than America in all the 20th Century, according to PBS.
 
#48
#48
Velo Vol said:
What makes you say it hasn't?
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there are a few issues they still buck heads on. including that japanese island from my OP. they have also tried to limit the number of chinese migrant workers that come over.

i think the core of their government is more pro Taiwan, but the "fringes" and some departments are definitely more pro China.
 
#49
#49
Taiwan, China Pursue New Trade Deal Despite Opposition

Taiwan and political rival China are negotiating this week what could be their farthest-reaching agreement ever after nearly eight years of warming relations. But the deal to cut tariffs faces opposition in Taiwan, while China has turned much of its attention to pacts with fellow exporters Japan and South Korea.
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Interesting.
 
#50
#50
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