China Megathread - Their navy can be taken seriously or taken littorally

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > China Megathread - Their navy can be taken seriously or taken littorally

«‹›4 »

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

DerDestroyer posted:

So what's the best way to avoid trouble with the police in China then? It sounds like there are a lot of ways you can get arrested in spite of being mostly harmless to society.

Glib, generalizations aside, in all reality you'll have more problems with the cops in the US than in China on a every day basis. It's only when things get serious that the troubles with the system pop up.

# ¿ Feb 17, 2012 06:07

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 3, 2024 12:54

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

McKracken posted:

I frequently come across the argument put forth by globalization advocates that outsourcing of manufacturing to China has been a great boon to the citizens and country as a whole, lifting them from poor starving rice farmers to industrious go-getters poised to experience a revolution in living standards. They argue that this excuses a lot of the exploitation because, well, they don't live in grass reed huts anymore.

I'm highly suspicious this is nothing but an attempt to rationalize and justify the abuse of foreign workers, but is there even any truth to this claim? Has the standard of living actually increased an appreciable amount as a direct result of jobs created by outsourcing from first world nations?

I've only my own personal experience to go on, but the short answer is an unequivocal yes. I moved to the states with my parents almost 25 years ago from a third tier city that pretty much no one in the states has heard of. Since moving I've been back every 3 or 4 years to visit family and every time their standard of living as well as the general standard of living in the city and countryside has gotten better by leaps and bounds. Keep in mind that most of my family are very avg as far as the socio-economic standing in China so it's not merely the elite benefiting.

# ¿ Feb 20, 2012 00:53

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

Electro-Boogie Jack posted:

Pro-PRC Laowai as his username really should have told you all you need to know. The dude personally is really cool and will tell you all you need to know about the realities of living in China as a foreigner... but politically he takes all of his cues from the shittiest parts of Chinese politics. Harmful rumors are a larger problem than a government stranglehold on information, the CIA is the main reason Tibet isn't a harmonious part of the motherland, etc.

mei banfa.

Honestly though, what most Americans believe about China is equally as ridiculous, only at the other end of the spectrum.

# ¿ Mar 17, 2012 04:04

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

LP97S posted:

I remembered when I tutored some Korean professors in English (very smart guys, but their English needed some help), they would tell me about the Chinese claiming basically anyone who was of value and near the current Chinese border as being Chinese like Genghis Khan sometimes. I took this with a grain of salt because people sometimes get a bit defensive of their country's history but I could see it happening.

Weren't Koreans the ones claiming that Sun Yat Sen was Korean?

# ¿ May 9, 2012 05:05

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

Abilifier posted:

I can't read Chinese, so I'm missing a lot of details here. Are they going to build a 220 Storey tower in 6 months? Considering it took 5 years to build the Burj Khalifa, this estimate seems a tad optimistic.

Won't be the tallest once the Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia gets done.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2012 04:41

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

french lies posted:

Thanks for this good and informative post, even if it could have used some more pictures. I'm including it in the OP. I do have to admit I felt kind of bad for you when I noticed nobody had quoted it at all.

In other news, the new Sinica is now out and it happens to be about one of the most interesting China-related topics: Moral decay in Chinese society.

There's a lot to say about this, but at a basic level I agree with Jeremy Goldkorn's assessment. It's ridiculous to expect Chinese people to act as shining beacons of altruism when the values incarnated by the most powerful and successful people in the country - the ruling class and other elites in its orbit - are those of selfishness and looking out for your own. Ascension in the Chinese political system is decided almost purely by party and faction loyalty, while success in business hinges upon personal guanxi or otherwise cordial relations with the state. The CCP is pretty bald-facedly hypocritical in expecting the people they govern to act any differently.

I'm not sure why you or anyone should expect the Chinese people to be a shiny example of altruism in any case.

# ¿ Jun 12, 2012 07:07

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/12/us-usa-iran-sanctions-idUSBRE85A19E20120612p

quote:

(Reuters) - The United States extended exemptions from its tough, new sanctions on Iran's oil trade to seven more economies on Monday, leaving China the last remaining major importer exposed to possible penalties at the end of the month.

In the latest sign Washington is working with other countries to pressure Iran's nuclear program, India, South Korea, Turkey and four more economies will receive waivers from financial sanctions in return for significantly cutting purchases of Iranian oil, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

China, which alone buys as much as a fifth of Iran's crude exports, and Singapore, where much of the country's fuel oil is blended, did not receive such waivers, ramping up pressure on two important U.S. trade partners in Asia.

The sanctions, which the United States may impose starting on June 28, are Washington's most ambitious measures yet to strangle Iran's nuclear program by cutting funding from its oil export sales.

The United States and the European Union believe Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. Tehran says the program is strictly for civilian purposes.

Beyond the 27-country EU, which has banned Iranian imports from July under separate sanctions, other buyers of Iran's crude have pledged to cut purchases by up to a fifth.

"By reducing Iran's oil sales, we are sending a decisive message to Iran's leaders: until they take concrete actions to satisfy the concerns of the international community, they will continue to face increasing isolation and pressure," Clinton said in a release.

She is hosting high-level, previously scheduled talks with ministers from India and South Korea, Iran's second- and fourth-largest oil buyers, this week in Washington.

Geng Shuang, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said his government "opposes unilateral sanctions imposed by one country on others". He added that China will push for a diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear issue through negotiations.

South Africa, Taiwan, Malaysia and Sri Lanka will also be exempt from the sanctions, Clinton said. Japan and 10 EU countries had been granted exceptions in March.

RELIEF

Banks and other institutions in the economies that received waivers will be given a six-month break from the threat of being cut off from the U.S. financial system under sanctions signed late last year by President Barack Obama.

China, Japan, India and South Korea cut imports by about a fifth from the 1.45 million barrels per day they were buying a year ago as they prepared for the sanctions to come into effect.

The cuts and threat of sanctions have helped drain Iran's oil revenues by an estimated $10 billion since the start of the year, said Senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat who helped craft the measures.

"While I look forward to seeing the actual levels of reductions made by each country, I presume that they will be on par with the significant reductions in purchases made by Japan," which cut its buying by about 15 percent to 22 percent, he said.

Oil traders had largely expected the exemptions after the cuts, with Obama seeking to tread a fine line between tightening the screws on Tehran and triggering a squeeze on global oil supplies that could tip the U.S. economy back into recession.

"The White House doesn't want to see 1 million barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian exports cut when oil prices are still relatively high, but at the same time they want to make sure the sanctions still have some bite," said Andy Lebow, senior vice president of energy at Jefferies Bache in New York.

"No one thinks they're going to slap sanctions on China."

The bigger issue for markets will be whether separate European sanctions blocking access to tanker insurance cause shipments to grind to a halt from July 1.

CHINA TALKS

Although China did not immediately receive a waiver, it does not necessarily follow that the United States will impose sanctions on the country from June 28. A U.S. official said last week it would take some time for Washington to gather evidence to support punitive measures against banks that have processed oil transactions.

It was not immediately clear why the administration did not grant China an exemption. Backers of tough sanctions on Tehran believe China has received clandestine cargoes of oil from Iran, which has disabled tracking devices on some of its shipments.

Senior U.S. officials sidestepped questions about those issues in a conference call with reporters, but said the dialogue with China on the issue was constructive.

"We are in discussions with China. It would be premature to comment further on where those discussions might lead," a senior official said.

He said the United States continued to outline to China the requirements of U.S. law "and we are engaged in a good-faith dialogue to be able to work toward a solution that in our view addresses the fundamental point here, which is how do we reduce the volume of purchases of Iranian crude oil".

Bob McNally, head of the Washington-based oil consultancy Rapidan Group, said Obama may have delayed a decision on China to avoid criticism he is soft on Beijing ahead of the U.S. presidential election on November 6.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see China raked over the coals a little longer before a decision is taken on whether to grant them a waiver," he said.

Obama is under pressure from Congress, which may pass even tougher sanctions on Iran.

"If the administration is willing to exempt all of these countries, who will they make an example out of?" said U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton, Paul Eckert and Andrew Quinn in Washington and David Sheppard in New York; Editing by Sandra Maler and Dale Hudson)

So what exactly is the US trying to say here? Seems like pretty provocative move by the US aimed towards China. Is this some attempt to get China to cooperate on sanctions against Iran, if so how does a selective sanction like this get anything accomplished?

# ¿ Jun 13, 2012 06:06

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

menino posted:

If they don't know the context, then I guess they're trying not to.

Hitler=Japan's buddy. Japan=hated enemy, slaughterer of population, decimator of native culture , creator of attempted racial empire at the expense of Chinese lives.

Racial empires' ally in Europe=neutral figure? Come on, gently caress that. They learned nothing from it, if it's just a "hey important Western figure let's feature him lolololo". I get that China's not up on international standards in terms of development, but for the most part that's just willful ignorance, at that's at best.

{Insert NE Asian nation-state here] is always history's victim.

Whats your point here? Pretty much every country does this. Do you really think anyone in the US would know what Japan did during the war if they hadn't been in direct conflict with us? Heck, most don't know even now. I've seen plenty of people with the Japanese imperial flag stuck on their cars or shirts, which is pretty similar to sticking a loving swastika somewhere.

# ¿ Oct 8, 2012 04:54

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

Bloodnose posted:

The Hong Kong Subcommittee of the Guangdong CPPCC has an answer to the city's distaste for things mainland: "Y'all just jelly."

It's pretty disgusting stuff.

Hong Kongers in the mainland government really are the worst. And the latest news is that they now include Stephen Chow. He just became the worst.

Considering some of the venom and prejudice Hong Kongers exhibit towards Mainlanders I can understand where the sentiment comes from.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2013 08:04

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

China thread, where we discuss non issues such as baby formula and breast feeding!

# ¿ Jan 29, 2013 07:45

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

goldboilermark posted:

No murder, no rape, no ridiculous robbery, no bad-mouthing the government.

I pretty much thing every other possible thing in China is ok.

Hard drugs are a nono also. Marijuana is generally unheard of except in Yunnan.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2013 09:17

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

dilbertschalter posted:

China and South Korea had pretty similar levels of gender imbalance from the early 80s through the mid 90s (though South Korea was 'ahead' in the 70s). Then, as you noted, the situation in South Korea got much better in the 90s, but while that was happening China's imbalance rose to absurd levels that had never been reached in South Korea. It isn't quite as bad today as in, say, 2004, but it's going to be a much bigger problem for China down the road than it is/will be for South Korea.

Of love to see the data for this, I wonder how fast a gender gap can be corrected.

# ¿ Mar 22, 2013 17:57

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

VideoTapir posted:

I was thinking more her daughter's plans changing.

Then you sell the apartment for profit? Seems like a pretty smart plan.

# ¿ Mar 30, 2013 03:46

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

WarpedNaba posted:

That reminds me - Traffic in China's major metropolitan areas. How's the public transport, what are the large scale systems they use to relieve pressure on the inner city roads?

Hopefully it won't involve more bullet trains

The HSR system is great and I hope they continue connecting the country with more lines. As for metropolitan areas it seems that every major city is building or expanding their subway/rail/bus systems. How much these will improve traffic is yet to be seen though.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2013 06:59

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

GuestBob posted:

The sooner you learn Chinese, the sooner you will be prepared for the new world order.

I suppose the Mongolians have their cool horse games aswell. It just seems that one never sees minorities on the TV or in any kind of public media unless they are being patronised in some way. In twenty years, China's population is going to be as devoid of diversity as its cities are of pleasant architecture (with the exception of Qingdao - which has pleasing architecture but isn't particularly diverse).

I'm not sure if accusing the Chinese media of not portraying minorities in a realistic or non patronising fashion is altogether fair when much more developed societies are still having trouble with the very same thing. As far as having a "living" culture, that meaning can be taking in all kind of ways. No doubt minority culture is being subsumed by the majority in China, but even still the minority culture has some sort of agency in determining how that change is taking place. It seems that culture is and should never be static and I think it's a failing game trying to keep a portion of the population to a certain pre-defined culture when it's naturally moving in another direction.

# ¿ Apr 22, 2013 16:20

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

Arglebargle III posted:

Choudoufu tastes like stinky cheese. It may smell gross but it has a rich umami flavor with a sharp tang and lots of mellow flavors in the background. If you like blue cheese you might try choudoufu out some time, it's really much more pleasant than it smells.

So true, I still get cravings for them, especially ones drizzled with hot chilly sauce. Really it's one of those things that you either love or hate, but you'll never know until you try.

# ¿ Sep 17, 2013 03:51

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

Arglebargle III posted:

It's intentional government policy. The late Qing and early 20th century is taught as "100 years of humiliation " in school.

Well it kind of was.

# ¿ Nov 22, 2013 04:27

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

Bloodnose posted:

I've never met a Chinese young person anywhere in Greater China that legit believed in Buddhism. The closest I got was a grad school classmate from Shenzhen who, when asked what religion she identified with, answered "semi-Buddhist."

I don't really think that can be used as any kind of metric. I know quite a few that take their faith in Buddhism quite seriously. Especially some of the Taiwanese.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2014 05:16

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

Baronjutter posted:

China is super weird about its borders and history. I don't know why they need to create a false history going back centuries to excuse their current borders. Countries grow, shink, fracture, it's normal. Why does china need this idea that it's borders and national identity were set in stone the moment the earth began to form from cosmic dust?

It's like if France had conquered and held europe back in Napoleonic times and then claimed europe was and always will be a united civilization with set borders and used that time 200 years previously when the germans had sort of conquered europe as evidence that "europe" is a country and "france" and "denmark" are just provinces within and all those previous great european wars were in fact internal civil wars over leadership of the great nation of europe.

You could almost call it a Manifest Destiny!

# ¿ Jul 22, 2014 21:10

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

RocknRollaAyatollah posted:

The natives of Shanghai have an undeserved superiority complex and feel that they're better than the rest of China because Shanghai is a world class city. They all forget that Shanghai is a very international city because it was an international city maintained by the holders of the unequal treaties before WWII. It really exists for no other reason than to know who is originally from there and who isn't so they can rip them off or treat them like poo poo with impunity.

Not unlike the way people in Hong Kong treat mainlanders. Everyone is a piece of poo poo basically.

# ¿ Sep 2, 2014 20:07

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

oohhboy posted:

Dealing with mental wellness around Chinese or even Hong Kongers is a real suckfest. Even if you explain it to them that yes you have a problem and yes I am doing my utmost to fix it and no I am not enjoying it and no just because I have this problem means you can be a fuckwit. Even Mother sees me as some sort of druggie and every time we meet she asks me whether I can get off the pills or not. Doesn't help when I am around Chinese people that they have all these cultural expectations of me that I have no idea of since I didn't grow up in HK, but am expected to comply to because BS.

Mainlanders are the worse as they tend to come here with a massive chip on their shoulder no doubt fostered by government propaganda that you are king poo poo of the world now and you can treat people like poo poo because 5000 years of victim-hood, it's pay back time baby because I got out of the country! You must comply because gently caress and you. You can find fuckwits like this in any country, but it is exponentially worse as all they see is the face, not the person, so coming to an understanding is all but impossible as they aren't willing to get pass their own preconceptions.

Sad thing is that it makes me avoid Chinese people as the chances of me having a horrible interaction with them is so high, it is just not worth the trouble. If its racist, then I am a racist.

Maybe you shouldn't be living in china!

# ¿ Sep 9, 2014 02:14

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

Chickenwalker posted:

The difference is that in China there is no plurality of opinions putting out propaganda. They're is only one unquestionably correct line of thinking. At least in the west we have many multiple parties and schools of thought all lying for their own benefit.

This just means that the west is better a lying due to the competitive nature of their propaganda system. Capitalism strikes again.

# ¿ Oct 7, 2014 18:13

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

pentyne posted:

So, is this going to be it moving forward? The HK police just looking the other way and letting the triads/anti-occupy mobs run rampant all over?

How do we know that the anti-occupy people are triad backed? Is it just rumor or is there evidence to back it?

# ¿ Oct 13, 2014 19:40

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

point of return posted:

I think he's saying that there have been attacks both from triads and from anti-occupy people.

Oh I see. Have there been cases in other protests where organized crime got involved? Seems like a lot of conflicting interests and goals making a chaotic situation even worse.

# ¿ Oct 13, 2014 19:53

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

RocknRollaAyatollah posted:

EDIT: People are going to have to get hurt for this to be a success and there's no way around that. You can't have a protest movement and expect results just because you clogged up some streets and sang Les Mis songs.

plenty of people got hurt in tiananmen, that sure worked out great for the students and their cause. i think its pretty naive of you to expect more results from violent protests. in the end youll just end up with hurt and dead people and nothing else.

# ¿ Oct 15, 2014 05:03

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

All of my Chinese coworkers who go by their Chinese names also have a Starbucks Name. They'll give the mouth breather behind the counter a generic English name because the hassle of trying to get them to pronounce the Chinese name correctly was simply not worth it.

# ¿ Nov 15, 2014 13:11

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

Arglebargle III posted:

It's really the western media and intelligentsia I meant to criticize.

If you think the western media has a pro PrC bias I don't know what to tell you...

# ¿ Nov 25, 2014 06:17

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

From the posts in here I've seen nothing but hostility and racism from Hong Kong protestors. Their concerns might be legit but the way they go about expressing leaves almost no room for any kind of dialogue. Once you begin likening mainlanders to locusts and whatnot there no more point in talking with you.

# ¿ Mar 13, 2015 02:50

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

Raenir Salazar posted:

Does anyone have a good source for a map of all the prefectures of china, and all the counties of china and also named in some english transliteration on the map?

Try this:

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/

# ¿ Mar 16, 2015 09:36

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

Related to the anti-corruption campaign. Will this give any more bite to the effort?

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1740617/beijing-plans-external-audit-state-firms-foreign-assets

quote:

Beijing plans external audit of state firms' foreign assets
Independent accounting companies will probe what is thought to be a fertile ground for graft

Wednesday, 18 March, 2015
Keira Lu Huang in Beijing

China�s top state-owned enterprises regulator is planning to invite independent accounting companies to carry out an audit of state firms� overseas units in an unprecedented move amid concerns they provide fertile ground for corruption.

The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (Sasac) said yesterday it would launch a bidding process for accounting firms interested in conducting the audit.
......

# ¿ Mar 19, 2015 09:49

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

Bloodnose posted:

The other 90% are palace dramas, usually Qing or Han.

I like the one with the boobies, too bad they got censored out!

# ¿ May 11, 2015 04:44

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

Fojar38 posted:

They're nowhere near US capabilities for power projection and won't be anytime this century.

They don't need to be anywhere near US capabilities, they just need enough to backup whatever oversea interests they will have in future, South China Sea, Indian Ocean, Africa etc. I think your blindly dismissive of the PLA despite ample evidence that they have significantly invested in their military and increased their capabilities.

# ¿ Dec 20, 2015 13:34

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

icantfindaname posted:

China's coast is surrounded by a solid ring of hostile nations who are allies with the US. If it came down to a shooting war the US navy could prevent Chinese ships from leaving the South or East China Seas. They literally wouldn't be able to get them to the Indian Ocean or Africa if the US decided not to let them

Your automatically assuming a conflict with the US. China's Navy will be targeted towards areas where it interests lie which is mainly securing it's trade routes and foreign interests. This does not necessarily mean conflict with the US.

# ¿ Dec 20, 2015 14:12

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

McDowell posted:

I don't think we need a new military organization - just more antipiracy joint operations. I could see the US and Chinese militaries having a shared interest in Somalia.

I think this already happens. Pretty sure China has military ships protecting shipping lanes near Somalia all year round along with the US and several other countries.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2015 15:48

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

I think the utter lack of practical consequences for the past 200 years of imperialism sets a bad precedent for attempts to counter might-makes-right in territorial disputes..

# ¿ Jul 12, 2016 03:05

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

brnai posted:

She was supposed to be named 瀛文 according to her family's generational poem, but her father decided that was too many strokes.

Wouldn't have been an issue if they used simplified!

# ¿ Jul 14, 2016 06:07

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

Grand Fromage posted:

Hey now, they get a whole Sunday afternoon off to go sit on cardboard boxes on pedestrian bridges.

Is that a protest thing?

# ¿ May 11, 2017 03:21

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

Back Hack posted:

Something something 3D printing something something Omni-factories, blah blah Chinese panic blah blah.

The chinese are already very much advanced in the 3d printing and advanced manufacturing realm. What they lack is the willingness for domestic industries to take risks in adopting new technology
.

# ¿ Jul 22, 2017 06:24

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

bongwizzard posted:

Sure, but the idea of ground chicken just seems impossibly dry.

holy poo poo have you people never had a chick'fil'a chicken burger?!

# ¿ Oct 20, 2017 03:00

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 3, 2024 12:54

GlassEye-Boy: Jul 12, 2001

whatever7 posted:

I don't know how you guys call Japan a developed country just based on some numbers. They work way longer, all live in tiny dwellings and have been living frugally for many years now.

If all
China has to do is reach that living standard they can easily do that in a couple decades. You can giggle the number all you want, the whole deceloped/developing definition is so outdated in 21st century anyway.

I honest think many Chinese cities have better living standard than HK if you go by simple facts such as personal living space, commute time, prospect for the future generations and real world purchase power. You can even throw pollution in there, its possible to find Chinese cities that have low pollution.

Shhh... that dosent fit the narrative!

# ¿ Oct 22, 2017 11:13

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > China Megathread - Their navy can be taken seriously or taken littorally

«‹›4 »