tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post891825173103060988..comments2024-03-29T13:32:22.201+00:00Comments on Capitalists@Work: China and Hong Kong: AwkwardCityUnslickerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929544047783163175noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post-1779652393777278892014-10-14T22:16:22.060+01:002014-10-14T22:16:22.060+01:00oh yeah, loads of things that could go wrong for t...oh yeah, loads of things that could go wrong for them: & the Chinese officially discourage talk of the 21st C being 'China's Century'<br /><br />but how many western politicians, with at least one eye always on the next election, could say this:<br /><br />"<i>coolly observe, calmly deal with things, hold your position, hide your capacities, bide your time, accomplish things where possible</i>"<br /><br />(Deng Xiaoping)Nick Drewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13670594203660051701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post-39049464782005417332014-10-14T21:42:02.541+01:002014-10-14T21:42:02.541+01:00Having read 'why nations fail', the author...Having read 'why nations fail', the authors say on a long historic view, the chinese state will probably collapse due to internal unrest.<br />They dont give a timescale.<br />They say that this can be avoided not necessarially though democracy, but through a consistent rules based legal system that supports property rights for all citizens. and the ruling class being seen to run the country in the interests of all rather than the elite.<br /><br />It is also true that 6 of the top 10 death tolls by war have been in china. <br /><br />If your dad spends a lot of time going on about how much easier life is, how his problems were with finding food rather than mobile internet, and you feel better off every year, chances are you will put up with a lot.<br />When that stops being true things may change very quickly.andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07311993288675111834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post-33435885103810032702014-10-14T11:56:14.004+01:002014-10-14T11:56:14.004+01:00What makes you think that China has a long perspec...What makes you think that China has a long perspective? The CCP only came to power two generations ago, and after Thatcher juiced up the HongKong economy before launching it like a poisoned arrow at the heart of the CCP they have been struggling to manage it ever since (HongKong GDP per capita being 5x greater than mainland China). <br /><br />Bear in mind that the CCP actually prefers the "two systems" approach because it stops the mainland chinese realising that they still don't have the freedoms or wealth that the HongKong chinese have. For the same reason the CCP won't want Taiwan becoming part of China in its present state - a nation that is clearly better than anything the CCP can deliver with nominal GDP per capita 3x higher than the mainland. Imagine the message that sends out - the hated capitalists that fled to Taiwan did a much better job than the CCP. <br /><br />The CCP hates Taiwan for everything it stands for - but I don't think they really want Taiwan to become part of the mainland (unless they have destroyed it first). It is just "fightin' talk". Companies like Foxconn are clearly not concerned:<br /><br />"Taiwanese cumulative investments in China are unofficially estimated well in excess of US$200 bn. There are around 80,000 Taiwanese companies located in China, accounting for 70% of China’s electronics manufacturing."Ryannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post-89736942921055106002014-10-13T13:31:15.467+01:002014-10-13T13:31:15.467+01:00We should stop pretending we care about what happe...We should stop pretending we care about what happens to the Hong Kongers. We sold them all down the river the day Thatcher signed the Sino-British joint declaration.<br /><br />But China won't do a Tiananmen in HK. There's no need and it would end for all time their chances of peacefully persuading Taiwan back into the fold. They have to show "one country, two systems" works. Much easier to let it drag on peacefully until the locals get fed up with the disruption to trade and it peters out.Sebastian Weetabixnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post-75103132714503379202014-10-13T12:33:30.758+01:002014-10-13T12:33:30.758+01:00The hot-headed youth in HK probably need to calm d...The hot-headed youth in HK probably need to calm down a bit..if they don't it could end badly.Jannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post-71543331226484891232014-10-13T12:23:55.551+01:002014-10-13T12:23:55.551+01:00China has other regional displutes, and Tibet, to ...China has other regional displutes, and Tibet, to consider. <br />China is never going to put a value on human life - that is a delusional hope from the West.BrianSJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post-37693636715428516812014-10-13T12:06:48.140+01:002014-10-13T12:06:48.140+01:00Xi has a big issue with corruption. China is in re...Xi has a big issue with corruption. China is in reality at a cross-roads of heading Russia style to Oligarchy or moving to a more Western/Indian approach.<br /><br />My money is not on the latter. There will be a big blow up in china when the west becomes too poor to buy its stuff. The Party and the rich will seek to devour the spoils.<br /><br />Against this view is a hope that the internet and globalisation will force change - but too many despots in the world show they can stand in the face of this without much problem at all.CityUnslickerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15929544047783163175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post-53328422974301260992014-10-13T11:47:12.161+01:002014-10-13T11:47:12.161+01:00"surely the country with the longest and most..."surely the country with the longest and most patient historical viewpoint": except, presumably each time they burned all the books and buried the scholars alive.deariemenoreply@blogger.com