-attitude without strategy
-common complaints against China:
discriminatory trade barriers, forced technology transfer, militarization of outposts in the South China Sea, pressure on Taiwan, human rights and religious freedom, government-sponsored cyber-enabled economic espionage, and Chinese interference in other countries’ political systems.
Huawei, one of China’s large computer companies, has been accused of selling US computers to Iran. The US asked and planned with Canada to arrest Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, when she was on route from Hong Kong to Mexico. The arrest occurred on 2018 Dec 01. Shortly after this China arrested two Canadians in China fo “endangering national security”. They have not been heard from since. It is widely understood to be retribution against Canada by China for assisting the US for the arrest.
Abandon All Hope All Ye Canadians Who Enter Here. SCMP
The first arrest was Canadian ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig, detained in China today for unknown reasons. The second Canadian was Michael Spavor, who runs an NGO specializing in tours to North Korea.
Problem: China and Russia are eavesdropping on Trumps’s private calls. China specifically wants to know who influences Trumps so they can influence the influencers. This is standard practice for many countries and not just China.
This New York Times editorial is gutsy and calls out Donald Trump. It is well overdue. The lack of truth, the fabricated truth, no truth, all adds up to either you disregard reality and go Trump, or you question how this administration can come to pass.
All ages have their tyrants. They are psychopaths that can be charismatic and draw followers into his fold. I worked for one but they quickly removed me. You either believe or they chew you up and spit you out. This is where you find out if you have the backbone to stand up for who you believe you are and how you were brought up, or fold into the morass.
No photo says it more clearly than the photo of Angela Merkel staring down Trump at the recent G6+1 summit in Quebec, Canada. This was supposed to be a meeting of Allied countries, not a meeting of enemies.
Merkel and the rest of the G6 countries confront Trump, 2018 May 11, Charlevoix, Quebec
I quote Stephen Colbert: “Still Life With Douchebag”. Not only funny but apt. There seems a lack of friendliness with Allied countries, which Trump has put tariff on all Allied countries. Then there is the issue of insulting Justin Trudeau and Canada in general.
It had to happen. It was predictable, and everyone saw it coming. Therefore it should not be a surprise that there is an impending trade war with China. Let’s discuss and document some of the issues.
China has grown stronger, and this is good. What is not good is their increasingly aggressive trade and military stances in the world. Their military buildup in the disputed South China Sea islands has antagonized all their neighbours and has destabilized the region. Using Chinese Coast Guard vessels to hassle indigenous Philippine fishermen, in their own waters, is not friendly. There are kidnappings of Chinese businessmen from Thailand, which is completely out of China’s jurisdiction. There are also Chinese influence and incursions into foreign politics that many countries such as Australia, find distasteful.
As Trump is mysteriously quiet about Russia, Trudeau is silent on China. It is very curious why the two of North America’s leaders are so silent. Is there no leader with the balls to speak about the blatantness of China? China’s increasingly aggressive behaviour includes:
Forced technological transfer to Chinese companies, if you wish to sell product in China
Claiming the South China Sea and all islands as Chinese, with historical reasoning.
blatant human rights abuses against not only their own citizens, but also those of Taiwan and Hong Kong
Tolerance of an increasingly nuclear North Korea
At least the US has representatives, though not Trump, that somewhat says censures China’s aggressive attitude to internationalization.
2009 Obama (left) vs 2017 Trump (right) Inauguration photos in Washington DC. AP. The Obama Inauguration holds so many more people that you must say he was more popular.
Wondering, I am, about the truth in today’s news. US President Trump says something, the press refutes with facts, then he doubles down and continues to insist his version is correct. And this, from a US president. I find it odd that someone of such a high office would do and say such “alternative truths”, as he puts it. Really, there are no alternative truths, only truths backed by evidence. There are different conclusions made from the same original evidence, but no alternative truths. Alternative truths are close to a lie. What do we tell our kids, after years of us espousing everyone to tell the truth, when people in high office begin to lie.
