Ukraine is not even a real country. Point is that residents of the now annexed oblasts have been under seize, by Ukrainian forces for years. Again, this war is 30 some Western nations fighting to prevent besieged residents, of said oblasts, from defending themselves against the Ukrainians.
We have noticed that theme in your writing. Do you find it hypocritical for someone to live in a country and despise every single policy and decision that the country makes? Shouldn't someone who hates their country live in another country?
This is a bold move: protesters in Beijing hung a banner critical of Chairman Xi from a bridge. Unusually bold public dissent comes before Xi Jinping’s pivotal Party Congress meeting With as many cameras as China has in its cities, I'm surprised no one has been arrested yet. I would be curious to know what the Chinese Politburo thinks of the Ukraine War, and whether they should continue on the path that Xi is taking them on with regard to encouraging nationalism, building up the military, and invading Taiwan. They may be as afraid of Xi as Russian "leaders" are afraid of Putin.
Interesting video. It’s from a CCP source but it was endorsed by Victor Shih, which is how it showed up in my Twitter feed. I trust Victor after reading him over the years. A good explainer on the upcoming Congress. But at the 57 second mark, they show a hammer and sickle symbol. I had no idea the CCP was still using the hammer and sickle. Edited. Duh. It’s still in the flag. But I guess it was just trying to see it standing alone
The Chinese flag is red, but there is a large star in the corner with four smaller stars to the right. No hammer and sickle. I think you are remembering the old flag of the USSR. Chinese: USSR:
It's on some of their flags. After I posted, I did a Google search and it came up on some of their flags which is why I edited my post with a duh. But it was still surprising to see it in the video in 2022.
They would argue that it means sacrificing for the greater good (which is the opposite side of the coin). The truth lies somewhere in between.
Noah Smith on Xi’s incompetent heavy handedness and ultimate Chinese stagnation By reorganizing the CCP as an extension of his person, Xi puts all that in jeopardy. Rewarding loyalty over competence degrades the quality of top personnel. Eliminating competing factions robs decisions of needed criticism and consensus. And centralizing power in the hands of one man mean that that man’s mistakes become national failures. Already, the mistakes have begun piling up. Growth, especially all-important productivity growth, slowed a lot even before Covid and has now basically halted. The crash is due largely to Xi Jinping’s personal choices — his stubborn insistence on Zero Covid (which also has a dimension of social control), his willingness to let the vast real estate sector crash, and his crackdown on tech companies and other entrepreneurs. Overseas, Xi’s signature Belt and Road project has left a trail of uneconomical infrastructure, debt, and bad feelings around the world. His aggressive “wolf warrior” diplomacy, combined with his crackdown on Hong Kong and his use of concentration camps and totalitarian surveillance in Xinjiang, has soured much of the world on the prospect of Chinese leadership. And his promise of a “no limits” partnership with Russia blew up in his face when Putin bungled the invasion of Ukraine. Even Xi’s nationalized industrial policy — the Made in China 2025 initiative and the more recent push for semiconductor dominance — has not done much to accelerate growth, and has prompted the U.S. and other countries to switch from engagement to outright economic warfare. Xi Jinping, forever
There are lots of things I find wrong with China. Chief among them: it’s hysterical Zero Covid strategy. But basically, China and the US are two nations headed in opposite directions.
Chinese consulate employees in England give a protester a severe beating. There will be no pro-democracy protests on the consulate grounds. So much for soft diplomacy. Watch: Hong Kong protester 'beaten up at Chinese consulate in Manchester'
China is facing a massive local gov't debt crisis to the tune of $8 trillion. Beijing may have to respond with a federal gov't bailout. China is having economic problems on several fronts: collapsing real estate market, factories not producing due to Covid, blowback from Taiwan policy offending international customers, etc. China is facing a full-blown debt crisis with $8 trillion at risk as Xi Jinping eyes an unprecedented 3rd term
An interesting article that indicates that China's "walled-in" policies (including zero-Covid) will isolate it long-term from the outside world and possibly further weaken the economy. It could also lead to more nationalism and confrontation with other countries. 'Walled-in' China under Xi Jinping poses long-term global challenges | CNN
Interesting news from China's CP Congress. Former chairman Hu Jintao, age 79, was forcibly removed from the meeting, not for anything he said or did, but apparently to send a message that the dictator will not tolerate even former party leaders to share his spotlight. Quite an ego the current chairman has. China censored this out of all news within China. It would be more auspicious to keep this a secret--could affect the feng shui of the congress. Chinese ex-President Hu Jintao escorted out of party congress Xi is turning out to be quite the drama queen.
