How China's Military Views the United States

China's Gen Z is overconfident and thinks the West is "evil", according to a Chinese academic. Apparently, they are really buying the government propaganda and fake news available on the Chinese internet. They view other countries with a condescending perspective, and 84% of those 16-24 believe that China is viewed favorably internationally. (By whom? The neighbors that China is stealing land or water & fishing rights from? The developed countries that China is stealing technology from? The African countries that China is either stealing wildlife from or trading a lifetime of debt for infrastructure?) Actually, I think it is more likely that Chinese people (not unlike Donald Trump) think that wealth is a measure of a country's (or person's) worth, and their wealth makes them admirable. Of course, a successful thief may be wealthy, but less than admirable.

China's Gen Z overconfident and thinks West is 'evil', top academic says

 

Western banks and investment firms around the world are beginning to show enough trust (or gullibility) to move into China or expand their businesses there. I hope they do better than the U.S. mutual funds that invested in China in the 1990's (and were robbed blind of billions of dollars as well as U.S. technology).

China is still the ultimate prize that Western banks can't resist - CNN

I don't know how these banks are able to trust China, after everything that China has done to seize assets, information and technology over the years. The U.S. government should either prevent U.S. banks from operating in China, or limit some of the protections (FDIC insurance, etc.) that it provides to banks that send money to China. We've already learned that Chinese companies set up fake shell companies to allow westerners to think they are investing in a Chinese company, but in fact have bought worthless paper and do not own a share of the company.

 

China's foreign minister announces that it will not bully or impose its will upon its neighbors in the South China Sea. Forgets to mention "as long as they do what they are told".

China won't 'bully' neighbours over S. China Sea, foreign minister says

 

China's dealings with African countries has a name that I have not heard before: debt trap diplomacy.

One of the ways that China gets away with what they are doing is that they force the host nation to keep the details secret. Most likely, the country's leaders are getting personal bribes and, in exchange, they are promising the country's financial future (or natural resources). Neither the country's leaders nor China wants these details to get out.

Kenya is refusing to release the loan contracts for its Chinese-built railway

There is also a concern that the railway is degrading wildlife habitat for a number of animals. That's o.k., though, because Kenya's animals need to be shipped to China anyway for Traditional Chinese Medicine.

 

China sentences 47 steel factory executives to jail for falsifying environmental data. It's good that they are trying to enforce these responsibilities, but it tells you how widespread the problem is. These 47 were from four steel mills in the Beijing area. Another three mills were found guilty last March.

China Jails Almost 50 Steel Executives for Faking Emissions Data

 

Lithuania takes a stand against Beijing and recognizes Taiwan. In the process, they give Europe a lecture about morality and doing the right thing.

Analysis: How a tiny European country took on China over Taiwan - CNN

Taiwan immediately celebrated by buying 20,400 bottles of Lithuanian rum.

 

A think tank at Peking University came to the conclusion that a "tech decoupling" from the U.S. would hurt China a lot more than the U.S. China's government forced them to pull the report the next day.

US-China tech war: Top Chinese university pulls report that concluded China would suffer more from tech decoupling with US

 

China's currency has been falling due to the economic impacts of Covid ravaging their cities.

Yuan to US dollar: China's currency still dropping after worst month ever - CNN

 

Chinese sailors on board their submarines are a nervous wreck.

Chinese submarine sailors report significant mental health problems in rare study - CNN

They are stuck in a second-class tin can underwater as prime targets should hostilities ever break out between the U.S. and China. They have no illusions about the capabilities of their submarines. I can't imagine that life on board a Chinese aircraft carrier is much better. They are the biggest target in the Chinese Navy, and are in a second-rate aircraft carrier with no place to hide. They do have the solace of knowing that they may have a chance to swim for a while before drowning or being eaten by sharks, and a slight chance of being rescued by a smaller ship that may not have been targeted in the initial attack.