[Asia/Oceania] Yellen says she hopes China wont mount retaliation against any steps Washington takes

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > C-SPAM > [Asia/Oceania] Yellen says she hopes China wont mount retaliation against any steps Washington takes

«‹›3005 »

(Thread IKs: fart simpson)

Doktor Avalanche: Dec 30, 2008

targeting an earthquake monitoring center lmao, cartoon villains

# ? Aug 14, 2023 05:17

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 27, 2024 20:23

Palladium: May 8, 2012; Very Good
✔️✔️✔️✔️

Weka posted:

tbf when they got Saudi Arabia and Iran to compare notes both parties were reportedly surprised to find out that the great satan had been up to it's regular tricks.

im gonna be rude here but both are idiots for trusting american "intel" even if it was about water found being wet

# ? Aug 14, 2023 05:34

slave to my cravings: Mar 1, 2007; Got my mind on doritos and doritos on my mind.

Chinese cars are banned in the us because they use illegal uhyghur slave labor to manufacture them

# ? Aug 14, 2023 06:04

Antonymous: Apr 4, 2009

oh is that why

# ? Aug 14, 2023 06:14

gradenko_2000: Oct 5, 2010; HELL SERPENT; Lipstick Apathy

code:

https://twitter.com/ZhugeEX/status/1690727634492088320

quote:

Here's something that no English language media outlet has caught on to:

Overwatch 2 currently has 100k reviews on Steam since launching 3 days ago, of which 91% are negative.

However, nearly 2/3 of those reviews (63k) are written in S.Chinese, with 97% of them being negative.

Alignment with Intl audience:

On the surface, the Chinese reviews mention a lot of the same elements as reviews from the rest of the world.

The lack of promised PvE content, criticism over in game content pricing and perceived downgrades compared to OW1 are cited in all language reviews.

Why are so many reviews from China?

Most of you will be aware that Blizzard and NetEase ended their agreement for the distribution of Blizzard PC games in China, leading to the shut down of OW2 and other titles on Jan 23, 2023.

To cut a long story short, gamers in China have been upset over losing their accounts and ability to play on the national server, with no announcement of a return so far.

The launch on Steam is the first time that gamers can vent on an open and international platform, with many taking the opportunity to do so.

What do the reviews say?

On a theoretical level, the Steam launch for OW2 does allow players in China to access the game again. This is because the international ver. of Steam is accessible in China without a VPN and the game has a S.Chinese localization.

However, the complaints have mostly revolved around:
- Criticism of Blizzard's handling of the game
- Lack of national server + existing game account
- Slow to log in + poor online connection
- Criticism over shut down of national server and impact on gaming communities

Worst rated game of all time

As noted in the tweet below, OW2 has become the worst user rated game of all time on Steam in just a couple of days. It takes the record from "War of the Three Kingdoms", a card battle game from Chinese developer Youka.

Some users that left negative reviews for OW2 have proceeded to leave positive reviews for War of the Three Kingdoms in the past couple of days, citing their desire for OW2 to keep its lead.

However, War of the Three Kingdoms still has 89% negative reviews... so not great lol.

What do Chinese players want?

We conducted a survey in March 2023 that looked at Blizzard PC game players in China both before and after the shut down of key titles.

We found that World of Warcraft and Overwatch were the most popular Blizzard PC games prior to the shut down, both by players and time played.

Overwatch gamers were most likely to switch to a similar game from a different publisher after the shut down. Over 40% said they were considering playing the game on a global server via a VPN and a majority (53%) said they would start playing the game again if it relaunched in China with a national server.

In the end, it's clear that OW was and still is a popular IP in China. But the string of events starting from the shut down at the beginning of the year has led to pent up frustration being let out all at once.

Here's our China PC Games Market Report which includes full results of the survey and more: https://nikopartners.com/china-pc-games/

# ? Aug 14, 2023 08:33

stephenthinkpad: Jan 2, 2020

Palladium posted:

im gonna be rude here but both are idiots for trusting american "intel" even if it was about water found being wet

I think it has to do with half of Saudi elites already knew this, but the other half are still pro US and want to do more business with US. So you have to actually do this highly symbolic act of having multiple diplomatic meetings in China and then start doing intel colab to shut up the resistance from the other half.

Iran used to have very pro Europe, pro west factions too, but Trump kinda made those voices silent.

# ? Aug 14, 2023 08:58

Votskomit: Jun 26, 2013

crepeface posted:

from the ukraine thread:

[Asia/Oceania] rice cultivation (actionable threat)

I remember seeing a report a year or so ago that... 80% ? Of food in China is produced by cooperatives. I did the maths then and came to a number like 30% ? Of all global food is made by Chinese farming cooperatives.

So when you see reports by the Economist about how much of a threat Chinese farming is, that is the context you need to understand. It literally is a threat to capital if people know farming can be done in that way.

# ? Aug 14, 2023 09:39

Beefeater1980: Sep 12, 2008; My God, it's full of Horatios!

Agree that Chinese cars are great these days, it usually feels like a big downgrade when I�m in HK and taking Ubers (where Teslas, which are horrible to get into, are overrepresented) versus SH and taking a DiDi.

# ? Aug 14, 2023 10:36

Weka: May 5, 2019; That child totally had it coming. Nobody should be able to be out at dusk except cars.

Palladium posted:

im gonna be rude here but both are idiots for trusting american "intel" even if it was about water found being wet

I don't think either were taking American intel and certainly Iran wasn't, that would be crazy. More just having their stuff blown up and presume it was the other, maybe there was some fake evidence planted idk.

# ? Aug 14, 2023 11:48

BEAR GRYLLZ: Jul 30, 2006; I have strong erections for Israel.
Strong, pathetic erections.

crepeface posted:

from the ukraine thread:

[Asia/Oceania] rice cultivation (actionable threat)

weapons of mass cultivation

# ? Aug 14, 2023 11:56

Megamissen: Jul 19, 2022; any post can be a kannapost
if you want it to be

BEAR GRYLLZ posted:

weapons of mass cultivation

this is just wuxia

# ? Aug 14, 2023 12:37

copy: Jul 26, 2007

Megamissen posted:

this is just wuxia

lol

# ? Aug 14, 2023 14:14

post COVID: Mar 5, 2007; free college, free healthcare, free Shmurda

While the U.S. and Europe have enacted sweeping policies to fight climate change in recent years, China has always had the potential to undermine those successes.

# ? Aug 14, 2023 14:15

ikanreed: Sep 25, 2009; I honestly I have no idea who cannibal[SIC] is and I do not know why I should know.

syq dude, just syq!

post COVID posted:

While the U.S. and Europe have enacted sweeping policies to fight climate change in recent years, China has always had the potential to undermine those successes.

# ? Aug 14, 2023 14:25

Regarde Aduck: Oct 19, 2012; c l o u d k i t t e n; Grimey Drawer

post COVID posted:

While the U.S. and Europe have enacted sweeping policies to fight climate change in recent years, China has always had the potential to undermine those successes.

aaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

# ? Aug 14, 2023 15:03

Best Friends: Nov 4, 2011

China is derailing US and European climate change mitigation by a) actually doing stuff, which makes the west (the good guys) look bad and b) they do it cause of evil, while the west�s hearts are pure.

We must also consider all the harm climate change mitigation causes, which China is fully responsible for.

# ? Aug 14, 2023 15:18

crepeface: Nov 5, 2004; r*p*f*c*

post COVID posted:

While the U.S. and Europe have enacted sweeping policies to fight climate change in recent years, China has always had the potential to undermine those successes.

lmao

D&D?

# ? Aug 14, 2023 15:48

Sleng Teng: May 3, 2009

crepeface posted:

lmao

D&D?

nyt

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/14/briefing/china-climate.html

# ? Aug 14, 2023 15:56

Lord of Pie: Mar 2, 2007

post COVID posted:

While the U.S. and Europe have enacted sweeping policies to fight climate change in recent years, China has always had the potential to undermine those successes.

I guess trying to use up all the fossil fuels as quickly as possible is a strategy of sorts

# ? Aug 14, 2023 15:59

stephenthinkpad: Jan 2, 2020

What have US actually done in the area of climate change? Outside of DEM president always freezes the canada pipeline and GOP always greenlight the pipeline?

Biden keep asking for climate change cooperation with China and I have no idea what the US is trying to offer. You want to buy more solar panels? Just place a larger order.

It seems to me the unspoken deal Biden is trying to get is "we will do the Hollywood magic and sing the songs on how revolution EV and solar panel and wind turbine are to the whole world; but you have to give us a cut."

# ? Aug 14, 2023 16:35

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

stephenthinkpad posted:

What have US actually done in the area of climate change? Outside of DEM president always freezes the canada pipeline and GOP always greenlight the pipeline?

Biden keep asking for climate change cooperation with China and I have no idea what the US is trying to offer. You want to buy more solar panels? Just place a larger order.

It seems to me the unspoken deal Biden is trying to get is "we will do the Hollywood magic and sing the songs on how revolution EV and solar panel and wind turbine are to the whole world; but you have to give us a cut."

they've passed a lot of legislation!

# ? Aug 14, 2023 16:43

mawarannahr: May 21, 2019

crepeface posted:

[Asia/Oceania] rice cultivation (actionable threat)

# ? Aug 14, 2023 16:50

ikanreed: Sep 25, 2009; I honestly I have no idea who cannibal[SIC] is and I do not know why I should know.

syq dude, just syq!

But don't you know that ancient Chinese dynasties viewed agriculture as a measure of military power! Obviously the policies of Shang Yang are still directing Chinese government in 2023.

# ? Aug 14, 2023 17:02

Mister Bates: Aug 4, 2010

every once in a while I still lol thinking about that article where American China experts went in expecting Chinese military theorists to still be basing their strategies on Sun Tzu, and being shocked to discover that they mostly read English just fine and have access to all the same scholarship we have access to in the West

I want to see an equivalent paper where Chinese analysts try to predict American behavior by studying Tacitus and Plutarch

# ? Aug 14, 2023 17:49

yellowcar: Feb 14, 2010

stephenthinkpad posted:

What have US actually done in the area of climate change?

ban plastic straws and plastic bags

top trending earth day hashtags on twitter

give elon musk money

# ? Aug 14, 2023 17:58

eSports Chaebol: Feb 22, 2005; Yeah, actually, gamers in the house forever,

Mister Bates posted:

every once in a while I still lol thinking about that article where American China experts went in expecting Chinese military theorists to still be basing their strategies on Sun Tzu, and being shocked to discover that they mostly read English just fine and have access to all the same scholarship we have access to in the West

I want to see an equivalent paper where Chinese analysts try to predict American behavior by studying Tacitus and Plutarch

the equivalent is actually reading Washington and Jefferson and Franklin and all the other genocidal rapist superfriends going on about how a standing army is fundamentally incompatible with their [hypocritical, but still sincere] ideal of liberal democracy and realizing how the Americans were projecting because they themselves cant actually read English

# ? Aug 14, 2023 17:59

indigi: Jul 20, 2004; ^{how can we not talk about family

when family's all that we got?}

yellowcar posted:

ban plastic straws and plastic bags

neither of these actually happened. some municipalities banned them and some states issued taxes that effectively removed plastic bags from circulation at certain sized stores and for certain products. like at the gas station/convenience store near my work you can't get a plastic bag for your purchase, but if you buy a cup of soup it comes in a small plastic carrying bag with your crackers

# ? Aug 14, 2023 18:01

Neurolimal: Nov 3, 2012

ikanreed posted:

But don't you know that ancient Chinese dynasties viewed agriculture as a measure of military power! Obviously the policies of Shang Yang are still directing Chinese government in 2023.

Cao Cao and his sinister strategy of "maybe we need food" is still haunting China

# ? Aug 14, 2023 18:27

yellowcar: Feb 14, 2010

indigi posted:

neither of these actually happened. some municipalities banned them and some states issued taxes that effectively removed plastic bags from circulation at certain sized stores and for certain products. like at the gas station/convenience store near my work you can't get a plastic bag for your purchase, but if you buy a cup of soup it comes in a small plastic carrying bag with your crackers

my point was america doesn't do jack poo poo

# ? Aug 14, 2023 19:01

Shear Modulus: Jun 9, 2010

What the American newspapers are saying is that the west is addressing climate change by switching to electric cars and closing coal plants while china is making it worse by building more coal plants

# ? Aug 14, 2023 20:08

mawarannahr: May 21, 2019

here's some shut that's probably boring but hey it's news and could come in handy
RUSI and NK News Release New North Korea Reports Database

www.rusi.org posted:

The database contains over 5,000 entities and their relationships, as described in successive reports by the UN Panel of Experts on North Korea from 2010 to 2023. The data allows countries and organisations to track sanctions compliance in a more easily accessible format. It is fully searchable and downloadable, and its fields are structured with ISO standards, making it easy to incorporate the data into existing databases.

This is a valuable tool for tracking sanctions compliance and promoting effective international sanctions implementation. It is particularly beneficial to smaller institutions, such as those in developing countries, who may often lack access to information and resources.

Aaron Arnold, Senior Associate Fellow at RUSI�s Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies and former member of the UN Panel of Experts for DPRK sanctions, said of the tool:

# ? Aug 14, 2023 22:31

AnimeIsTrash: Jun 30, 2018; Can't post for 5 hours!

e: nvm this could be taken a bad way

# ? Aug 14, 2023 22:33

FrancisFukyomama: Feb 4, 2019

hasn�t North Korea been experimenting with shenzhen style special economic zones for a while? I�m guessing the fact that they�re still cut off from the global market means that they�re not seeing the level of growth china did?

# ? Aug 14, 2023 22:36

Grapplejack: Nov 27, 2007

https://twitter.com/SteveWeaverTEFL/status/1689952097351983104

i'm sure if I were to look on twitter a little more I'd find accounts talking about how china used their lasers to catch hawaii on fire

# ? Aug 14, 2023 22:54

mawarannahr: May 21, 2019

this website has some awesome takes
The Counterfeit Revolution and the Global Rise of Authoritarianism

www.rusi.org posted:

�
Counterfeit is an age-old illicit art spanning Renaissance�art forgeries �to fake Roman�[url=https://coinweek.com/bad-money-ancient-counterfeiters-and-their-fake-coins/]coins , and knock-off clothes. However, as observed in Sri Lanka, the counterfeiting exists on an industrial scale. This article analyses the key factors behind the industrial scale counterfeit production: a revolution in counterfeit. It investigates dark truths detrimental to liberal democracy and the rules-based order. The piece argues that the mass counterfeiting swarming unregulated markets is not an isolated phenomenon but an indication of the black hole, or the global illicit economy, which diverts an�estimated�$ 2.2 trillion from the world economy. The accelerating growth of the black hole over the world economy cannot be understood without analysing its context:�modern geopolitics, the rise of authoritarianism, and democratic backsliding . This context creates never-before-seen trends in organised crime and, specifically, counterfeiting.

## Geopolitics of Counterfeiting

Industrial-scale counterfeit production with fakes spreading worldwide requires logistics, organisational structures, power, money, influence, control, and supply chains to sustain an illicit business model. How can this happen? According to the Economic Intelligence Unit�s�(EIU) World�s Democracy Index 2022, only 8% of the world population now live in a full democracy; the rest live in flawed democracies and hybrid regimes. Alarmingly, 36.9% of the world population live under authoritarian regimes. It is in this unique context of the rise of an authoritarian world that we can better understand the process of the counterfeiting revolution.

First, a black hole of�illicit money �grows over the world economy, compromising UN�Sustainable Development Goals �(SDGs). Second, transnational organised crime (TOC) fits into the business model of terrorist organisations, deepening the�crime-terror alliance. Third, both these trends are consolidated with the rise of an authoritarian sphere of power. The first and second trends are nothing new, but the third step has repositioned (authoritarian) states vis-�-vis the illicit world. I argue, authoritarian regimes leverage their domain of power to intensify criminality, which is the status quo of authoritarianism with its inherent absence of the rule of law. How do we understand the empirical picture of this scenario where authoritarians and their allies consolidate or partake in global illicit flows � seen in the industrial-scale counterfeit production we witness today.

## Counterfeit Revolution: Evidence ��

Is there evidence to confirm if the rise of authoritarianism consolidating counterfeit flows, providing a domain for corrupt business to flourish?

China maintains the world�s most favourable regime-backed mass theft and piracy patronage. As seen by its�Made in China 2025, and the�Thousand Talents Plan, the Chinese Communist Party aims to dominate high-tech and other cutting-edge scientific advancements through outright theft and piracy of intellectual property, especially from the US. Unsurprisingly, China is now claimed to be the�top global source of counterfeit. The US Customs and Border Protection�counterfeit�seizure statistics �demonstrate China was the biggest counterfeit originator to the US in 2021. According to�2021 statistics, Hong Kong (hybrid regime), Turkey (hybrid�regime), Philippines (flawed�democracy), and Colombia (flawed democracy) are other considerable counterfeit originators in the supply chain to the US. Furthermore, counterfeit sale exceeds�$43 billion annually in Russia,�according to the World Trademark Review (WTR). This evidence indicates the observed association between authoritarian status and counterfeit prevalence.

Further investigating this association, we can see how counterfeit and�organised crime are closely linked in a variety of criminal markets. Cartels have diversified their businesses from drugs,�counterfeit,�humans,�organs, and�timber to�wildlife. Without reliable access to global illicit and licit supply chains, it is impossible to supply counterfeits and the slew of other illicit products on an industrial scale. This is where we see convergence between illicit markets and authoritarian states devoid of the rule of law. For example, Chinese traffickers are alleged to be collaborating with Mexican cartels to provide Fentanyl to the US.�Fake Oxycodone pills laced with Fentanyl are widely circulating in Mexico, with�Chinese groups revealed to be involved in organised crime there.

Is the Chinese Communist Party complicit in these acts, or are these just the actions of Chinese traffickers?�John A. Cassara, a former U.S Treasury Special Agent who investigated transnational crime and money laundering, in a written testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services on March 23, 2023, states that the��business model of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is fuelling the Fentanyl crisis�. A recent US Senate Foreign Relations Committee�briefing echoed similar concerns, extending Chinese involvement to money laundering. Authoritarianism is fundamentally criminal with its inherent absence of the rule of law. The link between authoritarianism and organised crime is the unavoidable result of the inherent criminality of authoritarianism.

Reverting specifically to counterfeiting, in Sri Lanka (flawed democracy), the industrial-scale counterfeit products in unregulated markets found during a visit to the Pettah market in Colombo revealed disturbing truths. The multi-storey shop of a key wholesaler in the market had thousands of counterfeits, said to come from China (authoritarian), India (flawed�democracy), and Vietnam (authoritarian ). As the trader confided to us, they were given three months to clear products and stop selling counterfeit. By May 2023, all common wholesalers and street vendors will no longer sell counterfeit apparel with brand logos. Further according to the vendor, politically powerful actors and businesses have seized the illicit monopoly, removing the ordinary petty players from selling some lucrative counterfeit brands. For example, a conglomerate run by a�former�politician�with powerful political ties now owns the brands. This former politician is famously tied to many fraud�allegations.�Though, who will sell counterfeit after May 2023 is yet to be seen. �Despite efforts by international�luxury brands �to hired local lawyers to defend their brands, the industry has proven too compromised to effectively remove the counterfeiting.

# ? Aug 14, 2023 23:00

stephenthinkpad: Jan 2, 2020

FrancisFukyomama posted:

hasn’t North Korea been experimenting with shenzhen style special economic zones for a while? I’m guessing the fact that they’re still cut off from the global market means that they’re not seeing the level of growth china did?

Yeah they had a SEZ for the south korean to come build factories. I don't know what came of it, see SK politics swing the other way every 5 years.

# ? Aug 14, 2023 23:06

Zedhe Khoja: Nov 10, 2017; sürgünden selamlar
yıkıcılar ulusuna

where will all the istanbulites get their plain black t-shirts with "balenciaga" printed on them if they shut down the counterfeiters?

# ? Aug 14, 2023 23:13

Gildiss: Aug 24, 2010; Grimey Drawer

stephenthinkpad posted:

Yeah they had a SEZ for the south korean to come build factories. I don't know what came of it, see SK politics swing the other way every 5 years.

They started using more of the facilities and equipment again recently, as the South and their corporate lords wag their fingers.

North increases operations in Kaesong Industrial Complex almost three-fold

quote:

The North�s increased use of factories at Kaesong comes despite recent warnings from the South against using equipment and facilities left behind by South Korean companies when they withdrew from the zone in 2016.

Based on Seoul�s own surveillance of activity and vehicular movements in the Kaesong Industrial Complex and estimates of the North�s electricity supply to the zone, the regime is likely running at least 30 factories, according to multiple South Korean government officials who spoke to the JoongAng Ilbo on condition of anonymity.

Last year, the South Korean government estimated that the North was operating approximately 10 factories in the zone without permission from their South Korean owners.

South Korea�s Unification Ministry issued a statement on April 6 asking North Korea to stop using South Korean assets at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, including buses, which have been spotted being used for public transportation in Pyongyang, saying such actions infringe on South Korean companies� property rights and prior inter-Korean agreements governing the zone.

The North made their feelings known early 2020.

In 'Terrific Explosion,' North Korea Blows Up Liaison Office

# ? Aug 14, 2023 23:41

Grapplejack: Nov 27, 2007

incredible brains where they just assume that once the corps left that the factories would be totally unusable and not, you know, easily turned back on because you can just do that

# ? Aug 15, 2023 00:22

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 27, 2024 20:23

stephenthinkpad: Jan 2, 2020

They should make a new Just Cause game set in Not Korea. Call it Juu Che Republic.

P.S. I had no idea Kim Jong Nam was a CIA stooge. I thought for sure he was working with China since he lived in Macau.

# ? Aug 15, 2023 00:32

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > C-SPAM > [Asia/Oceania] Yellen says she hopes China wont mount retaliation against any steps Washington takes

«‹›3005 »