Good further explainer on the latest cyber confrontation. We have allies joining, but they are hesitant to go too far due to China’s economic power IntelBrief: Operating in the Gray Zone: China’s Cyber Operations Call for a Unified Response - The Soufan Center
China has been sending prosecutors over to the U.S. to pressure U.S. citizens (former Chinese citizens) to return to China and go on trial. Sometimes, they use former police officers to help them harass and threaten the victims. Sometimes they drag the person's parent over to plead with them. CCP prosecutor worked with ex-NYPD officer to pressure US resident to return to China
I have hundreds of flight hours doing FON in the Straits of Hormuz and around the Spratly Islands. Hours upon hours of mind numbing boredom interspersed with a few minutes of terror. Oddly enough, I sometimes miss it.
Very cool. 2034 had a lot of problems as a book but you might find it interesting, and a bit familiar
China cracks down on capitalism in support of motherhood and bamboo pie. Xi Jinping’s Capitalist Smackdown Sparks a $1 Trillion Reckoning Xi is starting to make Biden look weak in the progressive agenda department.
Good piece on the impact and history of the Quad as an instrument to counter Chinese regional domination
China's nationalism rears its ugly head at the Olympics, as Chinese athletes are caught wearing Chairman Mao pins on the podium (against Olympic rules regarding keeping politics out of the Olympics). Chinese censors are removing the pins from the broadcast of the games, and nationalists in China are calling them cowards and saying that they are kowtowing to the capitalists. They suggest that China should host a Communist version of the Olympics. Chinese Nationalists Furious Beijing Backed Down Over Celebrating Mao at the Olympics The Chinese censors are seen by the people as being afraid of the "imperialist paper tiger", as Chinese citizens apparently view the United States and European Union. The Chinese do not seem to realize that their behavior with regard to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet, and other places makes them the imperialist paper tiger. Imperialism - Wikipedia
An interesting article on Xi Jinping's rise to power, and what that means for any succession plan for Xi. I did not realize that he purged large numbers of political enemies in addition to corrupt officials in his rise to power. He cannot give up power without risking the new leadership turning on him. Most of the top officials in his administration are older than he is (at 68, Xi just hit the official retirement age for Chinese politicians) and therefore cannot be considered for the top office. China could easily become destabilized when Xi either dies or is forced out of office. In the meantime, Xi's policies and actions have irritated and offended most of the rest of the world. Xi Jinping set out to save the Communist Party. But critics say he made himself its biggest threat - CNN
I know it's just a movie but in "Megiddo, The Omega Code In the final battle sequence, China's forces team up with the good USA, Mexican troops(so to speak) to battle the Machiavellian leader(3rd antiChrist?) and his troops. Entertaining movie I thought, VERY loosely based on Revelations.
Investors in Chinese companies are not actually getting a share of ownership of the Chinese company they invest in. They are buying ownership in a shell company that has a contract with the Chinese company. Stocks week ahead: The risky loophole Chinese companies have been using for years - CNN I don't know why you would trust a China-based company with your money in the first place, much less a Caribbean shell company that has a contract with a Chinese company. Chinese companies are telling Beijing that they are 100% owned by Chinese citizens, while they tell foreign investors that they are "the real owners". You would have to fairly stupid to believe the Chinese at this point.
The latest: China operates secret jails where people are held prisoner for political indoctrination purposes, without trial or any legal recourse. This is not necessarily news--they've been doing this for years inside of China. What is news is that China has started to operate jails . . . in OTHER COUNTRIES! This is fairly remarkable. This shows a complete lack of respect for other countries' sovereignty. Ughyurs and other Chinese who were working in Dubai suddenly found themselves held captive in a compound in Dubai run by Chinese agents. Detainee says China has secret jail in Dubai, holds Uyghurs This shows utter contempt for international law, and the idea of respecting borders and participating in an international community.
China has a backlog of bulk container ships at its ports that is holding up worldwide shipping. Apparently it's due to Covid restrictions. And it could be having an impact on the U.S. economy. It does not make sense to me that off-loading bulk cargo ships would be a likely pathway for Covid transmission. China Bulker Pileup Dwarfs California Container-Ship Gridlock
The recent crackdowns on various sectors has been interesting. Big tech and crypto both make sense, the education has been kind of odd. I wonder if it's related to their looming demographics crisis. Chinese parents invest an enormous amount into their children's education, and is a big deterrent to having more kids. Perhaps his reasoning is that if he can make education cheaper, that people will have more kids? Property is another big hurdle, but it's an even bigger issue because a lot of Chinese people's assets are invested in property. My guess is that he's gonna concentrate efforts on channeling people's money toward away from private education and the property sector into future industries that he would like the country to focus on (e.g. AI, semiconductors, etc.) I think it's because they shut down some parts of ports due to COVID outbreak among the staff.
China is trying to persuade couples to have second and third children, and women aren't having any of it. China wants families to have three children. But many women aren't convinced - CNN As the Chinese become more wealthy in an economic system with a lot of opportunity, but also a lot of uncertainty, they tend to become more focused on reaching financial goals and less interested in having a family. By the time they realize how disrupted their demographics are, no one will remember what it is like to be a part of a large (or even a medium-sized) family. The choice will be one child or none.
In other news, the island nation of Tonga has sold out to China, building a massive government building in exchange for the islands' soul. Meth, Vanilla and ‘Gulags’: How China Has Overtaken the South Pacific One Island at a Time
According to this article, one worker at the port in Ningbo (the third busiest container port in the world) came down with Covid, and the port was closed from Aug 11 until Aug 27. The closure sounds accurate, but it may have been more than one person for a 16-day closure. Traveling to China during Covid-19: What you need to know before you go China is also experiencing an outbreak of Covid right now, apparently from the Delta variant.