Partheno, a single female Skywalker hoolock gibbon living in Nankang, Gaoligong nature reserve. Photo: Li Jiahong
Selections from Godfree Roberts’ extensive weekly newsletter: Here Comes China. You can get it here: https://www.herecomeschina.com/#subscribe
Further selections and editorial commentary by Amarynth.
China suspended economic dialog with Australia.
Australia has been walking a tightrope between geopolitics and economic/trade cooperation to maximize its national interests. The trend now is this tightrope is breaking. pic.twitter.com/Mi2SRZOW24
— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) May 6, 2021
The PRC will probably opt to retaliate against Australia for its anti-BRI actions this month. Ambassador Cheng indicated that tourism and education may be in the sights, saying that the current environment in Australia ‘appears to create obstacles for Chinese travelers to return’. Read full article →
Can you blame China?
Australian commander’s leaked China comments fuels further talk of war: Australia’s Major General Adam Findlay told special forces troops in a private briefing last April to prepare for possibility of conflict with China. Read full article $ →
An important event is the respective speeches by Mr. Lavrov and Mr. H.E. Wang Yi, State Councilor and Foreign Minister of The People’s Republic of China at the UN Security Council High-Level Meeting titled “Maintenance of international peace and security: Upholding multilateralism and the United Nations-centred international system,” held via videoconference, Moscow, May 7, 2021.
Comparing these two speeches brings a most important issue to the forefront. This is a major difference between what The Saker termed “Zone A” and “Zone B”. It is also another demonstration of the Russia/China relationship in a form that Larchmonter445 termed “The Double Helix”
We see Zone B at work here and Mr. Wang Yi organized and called for this meeting.
Mr. Lavrov spoke about multilateralism and universally recognized norms of international law with the United Nations as a key platform for coordinating efforts as it is the backbone of the modern global order, where all independent states are represented.
Mr Wang Yi spoke about, you guessed it .. “The United Nations is the banner of multilateralism. To pursue multilateralism, we must follow the basic norms governing international relations built around the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, uphold the authority and stature of the UN, and ensure its central role in international affairs. That is what it means to practice multilateralism, an intrinsic nature that is absolutely incompatible with unilateralism.” and “The key is to promote law-based international relations, observe universally recognized international laws and norms, and honor international agreements adopted by all parties. International rules must be based on international law, and must be written by all. They are not a patent or a privilege of a few. They must be applicable to all countries, and there should be no room for exceptionalism or double standards.”
In comparison, these two speeches set out the resistance (Zone B) to a ‘rules-based international order’, (Zone A) which is simply another attempt at single polar hegemony and also called ‘a new concert’ of international relations and I would argue, not very far off from the much-maligned green new deals and (not so great) resets.
It is also clear from these two speeches, that the gauntlet has been thrown down professionally and formally and the challenge is out in the open.
It is now up to the resistance countries to join their voices. Iran, with their refusal to negotiate with the US for another round of the Iran Nuclear Deal or the JPCOA, may have inadvertently illustrated what international law means and that it cannot willy nilly be broken by somebody else’s new-fangled ‘rule’ and in this sense, forced the US back to their agreement.
From previous comments by both Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Putin, the idea may be overall to increase the size of the UN Security Council in order to add a bigger voice and stop the stale-mate veto powers. But this remains to be seen.
On this note, the rules-based international order or the multilateral and international law-based global order has extreme economic repercussions. There is no one better than Michael Hudson to explain this.
From that important and lofty start to this China Sitrep, and on another note: We know that China used their traditional Chinese medical practitioners and the ancient principles of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) as an equal and integrated and complementary practice to modern medicine during the height of the Covid outbreak. This conference was held in March of last year and specifically to help western practitioners and share experience and expertise. From Godfree’s newsletter:
(Yes, we know that China never helped anyone else of course, or so says the propaganda).
Governance – China is continually strengthening its Governance.
Xi Jinping to Party leaders: “Common prosperity cannot be just a slogan, but a visible, touchable, real, and perceptible fact. Achieving common prosperity is not only an economic issue, but also a major political issue related to the Party’s governing basis. We must not allow the gap between the rich and the poor to grow wider, the poor getting poorer and the rich getting richer, and an insurmountable gap between the rich and the poor must not appear. .. At the same time, this work can not wait, we must consciously and actively solve the problems of regional disparities, urban-rural disparities, income disparities, etc.”. Read full article →
The government’s information disclosure system is intended to act as a guarantee that all citizens can obtain government information in accordance with the law. Annual reports offer a key glimpse into the system’s workings. 31 provincial-level administrative regions and most of the State Council’s constituent departments have recently released their 2020 reports on government information disclosure as scheduled. Read full article →
Public health advocates say the powerful State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) — which both regulates and sells most of China’s tobacco products— should not also be given the power to regulate vapes. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which oversees the STMA plans to end the booming market’s regulatory free-for-all. Read full article →
New rules for live-streaming e-commerce industry ($154 billion), scrutinize fake products, falsified sales figures and fraudulent behaviors. Starting May 25, live streamers will be required to authenticate their identities and meet age requirement (>16); platforms will need to hire moderators to ensure safety of content. Read full article $→
China Development Bank (CDB) issued a 5-year, $1.9 billion bond with a coupon of 3.28% in a pilot program that removes the role of the underwriter and allows investors to bid directly for the debt. The program aims to open the financial sector to both domestic and foreign direct participation. Read full article →
The first Futures Law will govern far more than futures, as the latest draft of the legislation defines which derivatives will be covered under the law, now available for public comment. The draft legislation brings more of complex financial instruments besides futures under the purview of Chinese law and raises fines for violators. Read full article →
Xiong’an New Area became the home of a new, state-owned satellite company to build its own satellite internet to compete private projects. China Satellite Network will be responsible for the overall planning and operation of satellite internet construction as part of a new infrastructure plan published by the National Development and Reform Commission in April. Read full article →
Beijing released its new national standards on basic public services covering 80 public services including education, employment, medical services, elderly care, and housing. They serve as important references for governments at all levels to fulfill their responsibilities and advance the equalization of public services nationwide. Read full article →
Congress adopted a law on the “promotion of rural vitalization” covering cropland and environmental protection, industrial development, and urban-rural integration. The notion of “rural revitalization strategy” was advanced by President Xi in 2017: “Implementing the rural revitalization strategy. The issue of agriculture, rural areas and farmers is a fundamental issue related to the people’s livelihood, and we must always make solving the “three rural issues” as the top priority of the whole party. Read full article on Beijing Channel →
Cover Image: Partheno, a single female Skywalker hoolock gibbon living in Nankang, Gaoligong nature reserve. Photo: Li Jiahong
The Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon, is among the world’s most endangered primates, with 150 living in the tropical rainforests of Yunnan, less than 10% of the number of wild giant pandas. There are clusters in Myanmar, and the remaining Skywalkers in China live in separate clusters with impassable barriers between them created by human activities. Read full article $→
This is but a fraction of what I gleaned from the Here Comes China newsletter. If you want to learn about the Chinese world, get Godfree’s newsletter here: https://www.herecomeschina.com/#subscribe
I suspect Mr Godfree may already want to talk about these latest developments in quantum research by China:
1. China pushes further the limit of quantum computing by designing and fabricating an 8×8 two-dimensional square superconducting qubit array to achieve 62 qubits:
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2021/05/05/science.abg7812
2. China researchers are working toward unbreakable network communication with experiment on qubit masking:
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1222757.shtml
62 qubit’s not enough to claim quantum dominance. 100 qubits are the minimum.
I wonder why no reference to China’s new space station? The core module is already up in space. It is powered by electricity from its solar panels which Chia said can convert 30% of sunlight into electricity.
There is much to say here Simon, and I can perhaps concentrate on a sitrep focused on space. Now that the space junk from the Long March 5B rocket burned up on re-entry to earth’s atmosphere, the space topic is safe again :-)
Yeah, by the time of your next sitrep on China, Tianwen 1 will had landed or burnt up on Mars.
so if this is true and the UN is the model – how did the USA get 900 or more military bases in the world if there is a “rules based order” – did the UN approve? how many other nations in the world >cumulatively< have bases more than 100 in other countries -especially without permission ?
The rogue nation is the US of A
"must follow the basic norms governing international relations built around the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, uphold the authority and stature of the UN, and ensure its central role in international affairs. That is what it means to practice multilateralism, an intrinsic nature that is absolutely incompatible with unilateralism.” and “The key is to promote law-based international relations, observe universally recognized international laws and norms, and honor international agreements adopted by all parties. International rules must be based on international law, and must be written by all. They are not a patent or a privilege of a few. "
It appears that which ever country donates the most money to the UN, makes the most rules “based order”.
Don’t the Chinese know that they will always be on the AngloZionist Empire’s shit list no matter how technologically advanced they become? They, along with the Russians, have the great misfortune to be living on prime real estate that the Empire has long coveted.
Look what happened on Turtle island, which would still be an unspoiled pristine wilderness if it weren’t for the unenlightened immigration policies of Native Americans. What were they thinking, letting those expansionistic Europeans get a foot hold on this continent? Didn’t they know that these violent white-supremacist invaders couldn’t be reasoned with, as they considered themselves to be God’s chosen people who were destined to displace the indigenous all around the planet, rape and pillage them, and steal their lands and resources?
That’s why Manifest Destiny equals Zionism equals racism, pure and simple. If you don’t believe me, just ask any Native American or any Palestinian.
China have lived 5000 years without being on the US “shit” list. It doesn’t matter.
Being on the US shit list is a sign of virtue, nothing else. Austfailia is on the USA’s arse-kissing list, and it is a shithole with no discernible public figures who are not wicked psychopaths or gutless cowards in refusing to confront the racist Evil that has the country by the throat.
“…these violent white-supremacist invaders…”
… and there’s the elite-approved catch-phrase for the current iteration of “divide & conquer” to rule the world.
Funny how so many are so susceptible to whatever contemporary meme our ruling overlords deign to mandate for us. For a while there it was all about “global warming”, then we switched to “climate change” and “climate deniers”, then it was the naughty Corona Chan “pandemic” and “anti-vaxxers” and “vaccine hesitance”, and now we’re into the “white supremacist” theme with whatever direction that’s supposed to herd us all.
I don’t suppose it occurs to anyone that it’s the Zionists themselves that are feeding these ever-morphing narratives to all of us compliant lemmings in order to manipulate us into whatever position suits their purposes?
I thought it was the other way around – Anglo/US/UK Zionists on everybody’s shit list permanently.
Australia is, unfortunately, backing the wrong horse. The subservience to America’s foreign policy is not proving beneficial to Australia, since Australia’s economic future lies with Asia; not a declining empire. China is Australia’s largest trading partner or at least was! In my humble opinion, Australia should seek to become the Switzerland of the south by maintaining good relations with all countries. Australia is a minnow in military terms, so it should cease interfering in other countries domestic affairs by following New Zealand’s lead in relation to China. The price Australia is paying by following the US foreign policy is simply to high.
Agree with everything you have written. This whole episode started with Australia wanting an investigation into covid origins, despite being one of the least affected countries on the planet. Seems likely the US prodded them, current talk of war is insanity. Is our devout PM a Rapture believer?
New evidence emerging suggests a high likelihood that it did escape from the Wuhan lab, however the research was being funded by the US, via Fauci no less. So no, China did not deliberately start the pandemic, however their cover up did help propagate it. Having access to those lab notes that they very quickly disappeared would have been helpful. If it looks, walks and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. Denying the obvious makes one little better than the MSM.
Please show your evidence. All evidence shows the US released the covid. US patent in 2007. Developed at Detrick. Detrick closed precisely for reasons of leaks. WSJ reports covid in US before China. Cambridge study shows 3 types of covid: a,b,c; a begets b begets c; type a in US, type b in China, type c in EU. The Wuhan lab is civilian, not military. etc, etc.
“New evidence emerging suggests a high likelihood that it did escape from the Wuhan lab, however the research was being funded by the US, via Fauci no less. So no, China did not deliberately start the pandemic, however their cover up did help propagate it.”
Your position is understandable, given the binary choice presented to the masses to focus on, ie, either Corona Chan was a natural event, or it was an engineered virus which escaped the Wuhan lab.
However, the absolutely critical and documented revelation that the American military had foreknowledge of Corona Chan’s arrival in Wuhan, together with the abundance of circumstantial evidence such as American participation in the Wuhan military games, the timing of the outbreak in Wuhan coincident with the Chinese New Year, the Taiwan and Japanese university studies independently concluding that the Corona Chan bug originated in North America, the spookily prescient Event 201 exercise by creepy Bill and Uncle Klaus and friends, etc etc etc, all firmly point to Corona Chan being a Team America ® enterprise, specifically a deliberate American act of biological warfare.
Don’t take my word for it – I’m biased, my mind is made up.
I suggest you consider some of the excellent investigative research of Mr. Ron Unz –
[ https://www.unz.com/runz/american-pravda-the-truth-and-the-whole-truth-on-the-origins-of-covid-19/ ]
New evidence emerging suggests a high likelihood that it did escape from the Wuhan lab
There is no such evidence. There are loud allegations unsupported by any evidence whatsoever.
There exists evidence that is being ignored by the US MSM in the rush to implicate China.
Waste water treatment plants typically take and preserve water samples for quality control purposes.The COVID-19 virus is shed in human fecal matter. Examination of water treatment samples taken prior to November 2019 gives evidence of COVID-19 circulating in the populations of Italy and France. This date is well in advance of the Chinese identification of COVID-19 in January 2020.
It was not until Chinese authorities obtained the DNA “signature” of COVID-19 that they were able to develop a PCR test for COVID-19. Until this PCR test was developed there was no means for any nation to confirm the presence of COVID-19 in their populations.
The US experienced a series of outbreaks of a novel form of pneumonia in 2019. The first of these outbreaks occurred at an old folks home in proximity to Fort Detrick. Fort Detrick was ordered to cease operations at around this time due to a failure to control laboratory releases. The second outbreak occurred in Minnesota and was attributed to vaping.
Immediately after the Chinese identification of COVID-19, a Taiwanese scientist reported that five haplotypes of COVID-19 were found to be circulating in the US but only one of these haplotypes was present in Europe and another of these haplotypes was present in China.
The US megaphone continues to scream about bat soup and seeks to attribute the COVID-19 outbreak to China. The global public should demand the US focus its efforts on the identification of the above mysterious outbreaks rather than seeking to blame China for American incompetence in disease identification and control.
One has to understand why this “subservience” is happening.
(Sorry for all the capitals mods, but there is a reason for this: names in capitals are corporations. Eg: YOUR NAME is a fictitious corporate entity fraudulently and deceptively registered upon your birth, while Your Name is the living man/woman. They have set up a system where they address you as a corporate entity via trickery, thus you are subject to corporate contract law, and they have complete control over you.
AUSTRALIA INC, COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA INC, STATE OF VICTORIA INC, VICTORIA POLICE INC, etc are all corporations registered in Washington DC. Scott Morrison is the CEO of the corporation and only has obligations to the business owners – he has absolutely zero obligation to the people of Australia. This is why Scomo does what Washington tells him to do irrespective of how much it will harm Australia. We are merely an expendable resource to achieve their “harm China” agenda. This all stealthily, fraudulently, and traitorously happened since 1973 under Gough Whitlam. (Actually it started before that, and proves that it was a massive organsied crime.) The whole country and the people have been corporatized. Unlawfully.
The way out of this is to first understand what has happened, then for all people to record their births under common law, set up common law assemblies, and create their own governing bodies. Eventually the criminal and unlawful statutory system will be pushed aside and dismantled, and the traitors to this country arrested and tried.
The first steps are to learn the truth. Some resources:
commonlaw.earth
cirnow.com.au
advance-australia.com.au
constitutionwatch.com.au
Ignore any “Untrustworthy website” warnings by antivirus software… this is one way they keep people away from really good informational sites. Go join a common law assembly near you immediately, and spread the word. These crooks will all be brought down lawfully, using the highest laws in the land they have tried to hide but can never get rid of.
This is a topic which really needs to be brought to the public’s attention. Having said that, it is in the interest of the existing rulers to ensure that it is never mentioned let alone discussed in the mainstream media. More and more people are becoming aware of it however it is a very slow process.
Well said, Rob, glad someone else understands this.
The dominant elites in Austfailia, and c.20-30% of the population, a crucial number in elections, are racists. Hatred of China is pure racism, and cultural contempt and, paradoxically, fear, as China so rapidly outdoes the Herrenvolk of the Judeo-Christian West. This national suicide pact is driven by the local Zionazis and their Sabbat Goyim running-dogs, the Right, the Murdoch cancer and the Pentecostal lunatics who have sprung up like poisonous toadstools in recent years, including the PM, ScoMo, our bunyip Bolsonaro.
Thank-you Dr. Hudson, Ben Norton, Max Blumenthal and the Saker for this wonderful interview.
I’m going to guess that Australia needs China more than China needs Australia but it’s hard to pin down what mix of products Australia exports to China. I’ve tried googling but only get the overall trade balance. If Australian exports can be replaced by Russia, South America, and Africa, I have no idea why Australia has this death pact.
Australia under ScoMo may like to think that they can recoup their losses by plundering China as part of the new eight-nation alliance now slowly congregating off the coast of China.😁
What would Simon say?
An invitation to a underground unofficial talk by certain private chinese group…
I say,
China is going to invade Australia!
Its a great landmass great environment great natural resources
and great tectical military spot,
largest island on earth w beautiful coastline,
and china needs a 2nd land to put her ppl and her assets.
(… and we know russia will be the sole military power on earth soon enough)
After all, the whites invaded and mercilessly ‘dealt’ w the aboriginals, caused the Stolen Generation, and still treat them like dirty dogs even in today’s world,
china can restore the rightful owner and make a win-win business deal,
under the mandate of heaven and peace and prosperity for all,
and under UN Law.
Simon says???
be well be safe
p/s I distinguish btwn CCP’s china and The chinese ppl’s china – one is the political party atm, the other has been around for 5,000+ yrs.
Okay, I shall give my two cents’ worth.
1) China is not going to invade Australia. China always gets what it wants through trade – win, win, and always cheaper than plundering through war in the longer term.
2) Australia is not strategic from China’s viewpoint. It is not the world’s largest island. The Eurasian-African landmass is the world’s largest island and is China’s priority.
3) I have seen Australia’s coastlines. They are beautiful indeed as are the blue-eyed blonds. But China’s and Asia’s coastlines are just as beautiful. Same as the almond-eyed Asian beauties. (Although I admire blue-eyed blonds, especially Russian blue-eyed blonds).
4) Russia will be the “sole military power on earth soon enough”? The jury is still out on that. But I don’t think Russia wants to be the “sole military power on earth”. It had paid too high a price before aspiring to that position and escaped although shorn of some ‘baggage’. In this present age and with the history of mankind in mind, no nation in its right mind will want to contend to be the “sole military power on earth”.
5) China has more than enough land to put its “people and its assets”. With technology, including climate control tech, it is creating even more arable land. We should see the Taklamakan Desert start to bloom little by little. North-western Xinjiang is already blooming and industrialising – no matter what the Hegemon tries to do to stop it. There are other huge provinces that need to be developed – Tibet, Qinghai, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia (even Mongolia soon, post pandemic), etc.
6) The Abos (unlike the Maoris in New Zealand) is a lost cause. There are no more 100% pure-blooded aborigines. The day of judgement for this genocide will finally come in God’s timing and by God’s hand. But I pray that the Aussie whites will repent in time.
7) And no, China has no interest in restoring Australia to the “rightful owners”. Not its business to do so. The Abos will have to get their own “mandate of Heaven” and achieve their own “peace and prosperity for all” etc.
8) And a final point about ScoMo and Australia. By investing itself with the powers to abrogate the BRI agreements of the states, the ScoMo regime has started the first step in the break-up of Australia post-pandemic. Victoria, Southern Australia and Western Australia were founded as free states. The rest, excepting the Northern Territories, were founded as penal colonies. Canberra, the Aussie capital territory, is in New South Wales which started as a penal colony. I don’t think the ‘free’ gentlemen states will long suffer being told what to do by federal politicians which often exhibited a nasty throwback to the ex-con DNA of their ancestors!
Yes well said Simon! You obviously understand the country very well. Australia has the *least* diverse economy out of any of the so called ‘developed’ nations.
Digging holes (for Chinese export), flipping over priced real estate (often to foreign investors), and providing substandard education in return for residency to wealthy overseas students, who are mostly from China, India and Asia anyhow are the only industries we have that amount to anything. Meanwhile we import almost everything, and manufacture almost nothing. (It was’t always so, but anyhow that’s another story.)
If you are going to bite the hand that feeds you, I would suggest that you consider to completely divest from depending upon that feeding hand *first*!
The stupid oaths in Canberra thought they could fence sit between US and China forever. I knew the Anglo/Zio masters would prevail, and pull on that chain to drag the spineless fools back to heel into their yard, no matter how detrimental doing so would be for this country.
Nothing to be done. Average Australian is a greedy, ignorant, lazy *to think*, complacent, and self serving mediocre pumpkin. Often racist, they look towards the white English and American as their ‘kind’ of people.
Sure there are exceptions to every rule, but this society very rigidly weeds out anyone who steps out of this consensus.
As you 100% correctly point out, the only hope Australia has is if it ‘de-fedaralizes’ and the states go their own way and become sovereign independent countries. (The only hope the USA has too, BTW!)
Being run by a few lawyers, accountants and bankers mostly from Sydney and Melbourne out of an artificial Legoland town in south west NSW called Canberra really isn’t working.
Speak for yourself.
I am NOT an Average Australian, not greedy, definately not ignorant, not lazy to work or to think, not complacent, and not a self serving mediocre pumpkin. I work hard, am well read and understand the problems here very astutely.
However, I have no intentions of being secreted away in some asylum, or locked away in solitary confinement because I know whats going on. I am also NOT racist, my wife is Chinese and I give respect to the Original People of Terra Australis to their faces. I treat them as equals in all things, even when they try to cheat me.
Many of my friends are both American AND Chinese, as I treat them all with respect and treat them all as equals. I’ve been called racist, to which I reply: “I’m not racist, Mate, I hate everyone equally.” That always gets a laugh.
Oh, and it is ‘Oafs’, not ‘Oaths’.
Cheers.
@ Bob Valdez: “I’m not racist, Mate, I hate everyone equally.”
Base on your words, I am therefore more racist than you are since I am more partial to Russian blue-eyed blonds over Aussie blue-eyed blonds. Not to mention my overlooking the almond-shaped dark-eyed Asian beauties. Maybe this is a good type of ‘racism’, no?
Simon Chow, a man with wisdom beyond his years.
(Sideline – how many know about the Chinese herbalist who lived to the ripe old age of 256 years, outliving 8 wives? True story.)
“1) China is not going to invade Australia. China always gets what it wants through trade – win, win, and always cheaper than plundering through war in the longer term.”
And yet, Adam’s Family refugee Defence Minister Dutton recently came out on national television and declared “Australia will not surrender to China”! The inmates have taken over the asylum.
“6) The Abos (unlike the Maoris in New Zealand) is a lost cause. There are no more 100% pure-blooded aborigines. The day of judgement for this genocide will finally come in God’s timing and by God’s hand. But I pray that the Aussie whites will repent in time.”
Under Australian law, you are legally an Aborigine if you have as little as 1/16 Aboriginal blood, and thereby are fully entitled to all the handouts and legal, social and financial support services that are the lifeblood of the burgeoning Aboriginal victim industry with its legions of lawyers, counsellors and assorted other professional parasites. I can’t think of a better way to destroy and utterly eliminate a race than this – systematically disenfranchise and dilute them out of existence. Eliminate the race by redefining it into its opposite.
“8) And a final point about ScoMo and Australia. By investing itself with the powers to abrogate the BRI agreements of the states, the ScoMo regime has started the first step in the break-up of Australia post-pandemic…”
My thoughts exactly. You are correct in referring to the ScoMo “regime”. They are a puppet regime dancing to America’s tune, to the detriment of common Australians and the national interest. If this continues, I foresee violence.
Christian, a nudge in the direction of where to look, points to Metal Ores & Meat, Australia has these in abundance, and China, with its processing and manufacturing capacity along with a huge population, is a fantastic market, right on their doorstep. There’s shooting oneself in the foot, and shooting oneself in the head, which one Australia’s doing, I suppose, is open to debate.
Apparently Australians vinyards have been badly hit by the sanctions.
“… I have no idea why Australia has this death pact.” — it is because it is run from London and Washington.
In spite of all the talk, there is little or no independent agency in the country. Ex-British colonial subaltern administrative types protecting their post-empire mineral resources and agricultural assets — a bit like French New Caledonia just to the east which was also a penal colony in the main.
Although it may appear vastly different on the surface, the underlying geopolitical dynamics are similar in nature to the Ukraine — a sacrificial borderlands region (of the sea peoples’ empire) now being positioned as a proxy war zone between USA and China. New Zealand has more independent spine but they also had a treaty with the native Maori which obviously impacts national identity and policy.
Apart from south Korea and Japan, most manufactured items are imported from China and the hardware shelves are looking quite bare at the moment with “supply chain” problems. Agriculture exports have taken a major hit due to China shifting their import quotas from Australia to the USA under Trump’s pressuring. No net impact on China. I suspect the next shock will be the dragon’s tail flick to the iron ore export industry — then the Australian ecomomy will be crushed and sent back to the stone age — a sacrifice to ideology. One needs to remember, at a total population of around 25million it is effectively on par with Sri Lanka as far as market goes — or one Chinese mainland mega city.
China’s belt-and-road project needs iron ore and with Brazil basically under a USA neocon regime this alternative source (and larger trading market) is somewhat problematic. So, this and other mineral/energy resources are becoming the strategic governing control system targeted by the US in their efforts to slow China’s next phase down. The national economy of Australia is effectively sacrificial in this empire-scale friction. Of course, C-19 is also a good distracting convenient cover for this general trend. Some people are waking up, but I fear the general cultural malaise and political/economic treachery in Canberra are too far advanced to avoid major pain in the near-medium future.
I think that China has made a serious mistake in declaring its intention to retake Taiwan.
There are 25,000,000 people in Taiwan, the majority of whom wish to continue as a sovereign nation. That in itself gives them the right to declare themselves an independent nation.
Western countries are using this situation to create conflict which, whether it comes to a hot war or not, will damage China.
If China had patience and continued its climb to becoming the dominant power in the east then Taiwan would have fallen into line anyway.
On the other hand, it might all just be theater for the masses while Covid19 ushers in the Great Reset and global passports for the coming One World Government.
Hi Brad,
A little education on Taiwan. And no, China does not need to ‘retake’ Taiwan. Taiwan is not a country and it is fully Chinese, no matter what the color revolutionists want to tell you.
Short and punchy education from Nathan Rich and titled – Taiwan is not a country, even if you wish really hard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovKf9LWA4Wo
Excellent video amarynth and very informative.
However Taiwan has not been governed by mainland China since 1949. History lessons do not change anything if the government and the people of Taiwan decide that they do not wish to be governed by China and are prepared to defend themselves against a military invasion.
If they were invaded and defeated then I believe that “retake” would be an appropriate word to use in that situation.
Re d dans comments
A desire to be recognized as a sovereign state would have been a better way of phrasing it.
The people of that island wish to govern themselves and have done so for the last seventy years. China is a communist country and Taiwan is a capitalist country. Why would they want to be ruled by Beijing? Why would you want them to be ruled by Beijing?
I personally believe that, given their recent history, they are justified in seeking to be recognized as a sovereign nation. Yes the constitutions of both countries need to be amended but that’s easy compared to going to war.
There is no such thing as a guaranteed victory and Taiwan could easily be used as a tripwire to involve other nations who could do serious damage to China and maybe even defeat the China. Taiwan could be the little bone that big China chokes on! Hopefully it will never happen.
As for California or some other US state seceding without the permission of the supermajority of the other 49 states and Washington to agree. Given the degree of unrest there at the moment and the appalling lack of real leadership. I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened sooner rather than later.
Brad, there is this one thing. Taiwan is not looking for independence from China. That is why they don’t hold an independence vote or some kind of referendum. Taiwan claims it owns China, the whole of it. They still claim to be the state of China. Unless they let go of that via formal UN resolution, China owns them.
Brad says: “There are 25,000,000 people in Taiwan, the majority of whom wish to continue as a sovereign nation.”
That is a disputable statement. There has never been a formal referendum, and many of the so called “surveys” use very vague terms. They mostly prefer “status quo” – which is different than being a “sovereign nation”. The correct interpretation is closer to being an “autonomous” province.
Brad says: “… That in itself gives them the right to declare themselves an independent nation.”
No, it doesn’t. Even assume your previous (disputable) assertion is true, it still does NOT give Taiwanese the right to declare independent. Neither the Constitutions of PRC nor ROC allow Taiwan to go independence by local majority. It still needs the approval from Beijing – the UN recognized central government of China.
Furthermore, this is a common practice in many countries. For example, if California wants to go independent – it still needs the supermajority of the other 49 states and Washington to agree.
Australia and China – imports and exports. This is the wider view.
https://asialinkbusiness.com.au/china/getting-started-in-china/chinas-imports-and-exports?doNothing=1
Why doesn’t suspend economic dialogue with the United States as its the real enemy of the BRI ?
The USA is trying to become part of the BRI without being seen to do so. It is on the edge of an economic precipice and only China can help.
Watch the new ‘trade’ talks with Catherine Tai the US trade rep.
Thank you very much for the China updates. I love them. I was reposting them to my kids but have fallen off there. Michael Hudson and Pepe Escobar talking a while back inspired me to start reading economics (again after many years) and have read him and David Graeber’s books on debt and am just about done with Uncle Karl’s three volumes of capital. What a wit. Sometimes he’s a bit like maxwell’s silver hammer coming down upon my head when he puts on his accountant’s hat….