Not what you might expect – close encounters in China    By Meg Hart 

 

I recently visited Wu Tai Shan, a Buddhist mountain in Shanxi Province, China, with an old nun-friend and a film crew of thirty young Beijing production people. It was Dragon Boat Festival and Wu Tai’s many temples were thronged with pilgrims from all over China paying their respects to the deities. I met worshippers, discussed Buddhist psychology and ate with the lively crew.

The atmosphere was vibrant, the pilgrims friendly, the monks and nuns thoughtful, all practising an ancient philosophy that seems eminently modern to me: by cultivating good relations with ourselves and the world, we restore our common humanity, finding that most people are just like us – they want to be happy, safe, free from suffering, and respected for who they are. Relationship is everything.

I’ve been going to China for 50 years. First, from colonial Hong Kong where I lived with my Chinese husband, taking slow trains to the Canton Trade Fair and tours to Xi’an, Shanghai, Hua Shan. These days I go to visit my son in Beijing. I’ve witnessed China’s extraordinary material and technological transformation, its high-speed trains, EVs, skyscrapers and science parks. But it is China’s humanity I relish and its enduring, pragmatic relational philosophy for living well.

Australian mainstream media does us all a great disservice with its steady drip-feed of sinophobic stories. Light on fact, heavy on one-sided opinion citing spurious “incidents” and unsubstantiated “cyber threats”, this unbalanced portrayal of China only reinforces the simplistic script of winners and losers, good guys (us) and bad guys (them). War becomes “inevitable”, armament sales soar and suspicion and ignorance of the real China is maintained. Isn’t it time to replace the tired and false binary narrative with stories based in the multipolar reality of our common humanity?

Like every country, China has its contradictions, a ‘perennial tension between eternal principles and present realities’, observed historian and broadcaster Michael Wood. But it also has a secret weapon for dealing with that existential tension, a tried and tested systemic view of the way things are cultivated for millennia: Everything is relationship. This collectivist outlook is reflected in personal dealings as well as government guidelines: Co-exist in harmony whilst accommodating differences. It’s an aspiration of course. China, like all nations, has many differences. But aspiration is powerful in shaping the behaviour of individuals and societies. During my stay I encountered a dynamic society functioning harmoniously for the wellbeing of its people. A society of 1.4 billion where co-existing in harmony is a necessity not an ideal.

That pragmatic relational philosophy wove its way into the conversations I had on my trip: with writers and directors, up to date with international news, who acknowledge censorship but point out it’s not unique to China. A Beijing journalist friend, who left Associated Press after its requirement for ‘bad China’ stories became too onerous, was perplexed by the Australian media’s unrelenting negativity towards our biggest trading partner. A Taiwanese producer in Shanghai suggested politely that when it comes to cross-Strait matters: “Chinese will sort out their own business”. University students returning from Canada were changed by their experience but eager to contribute to their country. My 94-year-old sister-in-law came back after 60 years in the UK for the “integrative and reasonable healthcare” and respect shown the elderly.

Newer visitors, intrepid Caucasians touting the latest video technology, were posting similar views on YouTube: “Americans first time in China: NOT AT ALL what we expected.” Sammy and Tommy visit Beijing on a four-day transit. They’re surprised by how “peaceful” and “green” this city of 22 million is. They eat Peking Duck for US$24, pronouncing China very affordable. Locals greet them with smiles as they video their way through Jingshan Park, the Drum and Bell Towers and other old Peking sights. The friendliness of the natives, another surprise. Aren’t Chinese supposed to be repressed, censored, hostile? Yet here they are walking and dancing in lush parks, eating fine food with their families, watching their children play, catching fast trains, greeting incomprehensible visitors.

“China has completely blown away my preconceptions,” declares Harry Jaggard after his visit to Shanghai with three British mates. On arrival they’re full of questions: Didn’t China “resist capitalism”? No, says their patient guide, it just prioritised the task of feeding 800 million people first. “What about all the surveillance?” The guide acknowledges the downside of ubiquitous cameras – less privacy. The upside is safe streets 24/7, women feeling secure, zero vandalism, pristine public spaces. At Jing’an Temple another stereotype is blown away. Instead of religious persecution, they meet devout Buddhists and learn that 30% of Chinese are agnostic/atheist, the rest Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims and Christians. 

Canadian Alina McLeod concurs: It’s “Not what I expected”. She arrives in Guangzhou at midnight equipped with an Alipay account and takes a Didi ride to her downtown hotel where she’s pleasantly surprised by the comfortable room (US$45/night). Next day she gets “the biggest culture shock in a decade”: “Guangzhou is so modern”. Alipay works for her congee breakfast, Airalo ensures an e-sim card. She feels safe as a lone female on the streets and visits Shamian Island, launch-site for the colonial powers’ 19th century opium trade. China’s resistance triggered the Opium Wars, Hong Kong the retribution price. History not forgotten.

Another Brit, @snidelab, is upfront: “China’s not utopia.” But he’s made it his home for 12 years raising two children with his Chinese wife. “No country’s perfect…it’s about your mindset.” For him, China’s been welcoming, and safe for his kids. And freedom of speech? “Why should we be free to say horrible things online anonymously without any accountability”? He’d rather his sons learn respect and empathy, recognising the interdependency of their wellbeing with others.

Instead of bashing the People’s Republic of China for doing things differently, perhaps we could learn something from the principles for peaceful co-existence put forward 70 years ago by Zhou Enlai, its respected founding Premier, which guide Chinese policy to this day. These include mutual respect, non-interference in others’ internal matters, and equality and co-operation for mutual benefit. Australia has benefited greatly from cooperation with China. It’s called trade and it’s been win/win. Co-operation and mutual respect not deluded journalism will determine whether humanity has a shared future – or no future. Win/lose isn’t an option.

https://johnmenadue.com/not-what-you-might-expect-close-encounters-in-china/

 

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1LiUgFEeFI

US allies warn of "diplomatic crisis" as American officials demand new curbs in China chip battle

 

Japan and the Netherlands are strongly resisting US demands to further limit their companies' tech exports to China, the world's largest semiconductor and electronics market.

The Biden Administration is threatening to invoke an obscure 70-year-old US law, the Foreign Direct Product Rule. This regulation authorizes the American government to impose controls and trading restrictions on any foreign-made products that use even the tiniest amount of technology or components from American sources.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpyFmQSWXFE

How China Becomes the LARGEST EV Market in The World

 

Ever wonder how China becomes the largest market for electric vehicles? China is not an early adopter of EVs. Still, due to certain drivers and the government's careful planning, China has become the world's largest EV market, surpassing Japan as the world's biggest car exporter. In this video, we will explore what makes China a market leader in EVs...

 

 

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Why Chinese technology set off alarm bells in Germany

Dirk Kaufmann
07/17/2024July 17, 2024
Even as the German government moves to bar components made by China's Huawei and ZTE from core parts of the country's 5G networks, some German companies are looking to work with Chinese firms in other critical areas.

 

On July 11, the German Interior Ministry (BMI) announced that by the end of 2026 components made by Chinese technology companies Huawei and ZTE "must no longer be used" in building up the country's next-generation 5G mobile networks.

Already existing components, the BMI decided, "must be replaced by the end of 2029."

The German government considers 5G networks "critical infrastructure" because they are crucial for the energy sector, transportation, health care and financial services.

The ban comes as Chinese technology firms are increasingly viewed with suspicions for their allegedly too close ties to the government in Beijing. Especially Beijing's drive to make companies like Huawei and ZTE world leaders in high-tech sectors makes Western governments wary of giving them too much influence on their national infrastructures.

Wind power market becomes new battlefield

Meanwhile, another German-Chinese collaboration has caused a stir in this respect. Luxcara — an independent asset manager based in Hamburg, Germany, — announced it had contracted Chinese company Ming Yang to build the turbines for a wind project off the German coast.

"The decision for Ming Yang was based on an extensive due diligence exercise, covering the supply chain, ESG [environmental, social, and governance] compliance aligned with the EU taxonomy and cyber security supported by independent experts from renowned international advisors," the company said in a statement on July 2.

Energy supply is also considered critical infrastructure in Germany, as the country strives to generate 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2035.

Wind power is expected to be a significant part of the future electricity mix. Official German data show that in the first three months of this year, 38.5% of all electricity produced in Germany came from wind power. No other renewable energy source has grown as significantly as wind power.

Lars Haugwitz, senior consultant at Luxcara, says Luxcara "chose the most powerful turbines" for their Waterkant wind park project.

"Ming Yang was the only company that could meet the delivery time by 2028 with an 18.5-megawatt unit," he told DW, adding that the decision was based on a thorough review of all the offers they'd received during the international tender.

With a little help from Beijing

To date, Danish company Vestas and German-Spanish manufacturer Siemens Gamesa have dominated offshore wind power in Europe. However, other German wind farm operators are now also considering Chinese companies as suppliers.

According to German business daily Handelsblatt, energy giant RWE is among them, with the newspaper citing limited supply of wind turbines in Europe and high demand as reasons.

In a statement, the Germany-based utility said it has no Chinese suppliers in its wind portfolio so far and was planning to continue working with established European suppliers. However, a company spokesperson told DW that the offshore industry needs to understand "what products Asian suppliers can offer and whether they meet the requirements in terms of technology, quality, safety and cost-effectiveness."

There are several reasons why companies from Asia are often leading in new technologies, says Michael Tenten, managing director of Pure ISM, a company focused on data security in the renewable energy sector. They were "mostly economic," he told DW, with "faster availability of the equipment" being the main one.

However, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) in Germany found that in 2022, more than 99% of China's listed companies also received direct state subsidies and enjoyed easier access to critical raw materials, forced technology transfer in joint ventures and assistance in public procurement processes.

China's carmaker BYD, for example, has become the world's leading electric-vehicle manufacturer after receiving particularly high subsidies, IfW research director Dirk Dohse recently told Handelsblatt. It also benefited from subsidies for battery production and subsidized components.

"Although European industries often can't compete with Chinese prices, without China's subsidized technology, products needed for Germany's green transformation would be more expensive and scarcer," Dohse said.

Data leaks a security risk?

Pure ISM's Michael Tenten sees another reason for mistrust toward Chinese suppliers: data security.

"Manufacturers usually operate their own control centers to monitor the wind farms they build. As long as these control centers aren't located in Germany, there is always a risk of unwanted influence on operations from abroad," he said, adding that he isn't aware of any Chinese manufacturer currently planning or intending to set up its own control center in Germany.

For Luxcara's Lars Haugwitz, such a risk is rather theoretical as there will be "no direct data link" between the German offshore wind park and the Chinese turbine manufacturer.

"Control, operation, and maintenance of the turbines will be entirely conducted in Germany," he said.

This article was originally written in German.

 

https://www.dw.com/en/why-chinese-technology-set-off-alarm-bells-in-germany/a-69666217

 

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China firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, supports all Palestinian factions in achieving reconciliation through dialogue and consultation, and supports Palestine in realizing solidarity, unity and independent statehood at the earliest possible date. China has been and will continue to make relentless effort to this end. Mao Ning, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman

China has brought together 14 disparate Palestinian groups and helped them form a unity government that will rule Gaza when the Israeli onslaught ends.

 

BY MIKE WHITNEY

 

On Tuesday, leaders of the main Palestinian factions—including Hamas and Fatah—signed the Beijing Declaration which establishes an “interim national reconciliation government” to rule post-war Gaza. The groundbreaking agreement represents the first step towards rapprochement between traditional rivals who have put their differences behind them in the interests of the beleaguered Palestinian people.

In order to capitalize on the progress they’ve made in Beijing, Palestinian leaders need to call a broad and fully authorized international conference under the auspices of the UN, with regional and international participation.” By doing this, they will draw more attention to their decades-long struggle for self-determination, which is already gaining momentum due to Israel’s genocidal rampage in Gaza. With the establishment of a de facto national unity government, the Palestinians will also be in a position to request international peacekeepers to protect their legal (1967) borders, which Israel fails to recognize, and which are the source of the ongoing dispute. In order for international law to have any meaning, UN resolutions must be enforceable. Thus, the legitimacy of the United Nations depends largely on its ability to establish and defend a Palestinian state against Zionist aggression. This is from an article at the Global Times:

China has made another significant contribution to the peace and stability of a world in turbulence as 14 factions from Palestine, including Fatah and Hamas, with key support from China, reached a historic declaration for nationwide reconciliationin Beijing on Tuesday. Experts said it will be a key step for Palestinian people to achieve their goal of establishing a state and the realization of long-standing peace between Palestine and Israel….

The latest…. events on the Palestine issue and the Ukraine crisis prove that China, which always upholds its stance for peace… is taking concrete actions to contribute to political settlements, despite the US and US-led military alliances like NATO continuing to add uncertainties and obstacles. China will continue with its efforts to ensure that peace processes in different regions of the world can be delivered…

Historic declaration for Palestine…

The core outcome of the reconciliation dialogue among Palestinian factions held in Beijing is to specify that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole legitimate representative of all the Palestinian people, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday….

Ma Xiaolin, dean of the Institute for Studies on the Mediterranean Rim at Zhejiang International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the declaration is absolutely historic, significant and unprecedented…. (it) is not just a document, but a feasible roadmap with international support and supervision from not only major regional countries but permanent members of the UN Security Council.”… Global Times

Chinese diplomats expect the path to peace to be implemented in three phases:

• Phase 1—“To achieve a comprehensive, lasting and sustainable cease-fire in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, and ensure access to humanitarian aid and rescue on the ground.”
• Phase 2—“To make joint efforts toward post-conflict governance of Gaza under the principle of “Palestinians governing Palestine.” Gaza is an inseparable, integral part of Palestine.
• Phase 3—“To help Palestine become a full member state of the UN and get down to implementing the two-state solution.”

China should be applauded for bringing the rival factions together and making such a courageous effort to bring the 10 month-long bloodbath in Gaza to an end. They should also be commended for understanding that the broader crisis cannot be resolved without internal reconciliation, which is why China’s foreign ministry arranged to bring all the factions together at one time. Fortunately, the three-day confab helped the leaders to iron-out their differences on key issues including the creation of a provisional “national reconciliation government that will be formed according to the consensus of Palestinian factions and the current Basic Law of the Palestine.”

This is a remarkable achievement for China which has already distinguished itself as the world leader in promoting policies of peace and non-intervention. Keep in mind, that China recently helped to reestablish diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia and, also, has made numerous efforts to mediate an end to the war in Ukraine. Wherever hotspots emerge and fighting breaks out, China can be found dousing the flames and trying to bring the opposing-sides to the negotiating table. And while their actions may be ignored by the western media, they are having an impact all the same.

The world needs an actively engaged China to offset the destabilizing effects of Washington’s endless coups, interventions and wars. The Beijing Declaration shows what progress can be made when right-minded leaders act in the interests of peace and conflict resolution.

Bravo, China.

https://www.unz.com/mwhitney/china-brings-peace-to-the-middle-east-while-washington-bombs-and-terrorizes/

 

 

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“You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”—Bob Dylan

A water main breaks every two minutes somewhere in the U.S., resulting in contaminated drinking supplies and boil water notices.

One out of three bridges in the U.S. needs repair, endangering hundreds of millions of commuters. More than 42,000 bridges across the country, carrying about 167 million vehicles each day, are in disrepair.

It is estimated that 300 million people could face power outages across the United States between 2024 and 2028, due in large part to widespread power grid failures.

 

America Is Falling Apart: Our National Priorities Are in Dire Need of Restructuring [SHORT]

 

By John & Nisha Whitehead

 

No wonder U.S. infrastructure received a C- on the Infrastructure Report Card.

America is falling apart.

Collapsing bridges, buckling roads, overheated railways, deteriorating power lines, contaminated water lines, outdated public transportation, overtaxed power grids, aging ports and waterways, unsafe tunnels and highways, and spotty or insufficient telecommunications assets are all becoming frequent hallmarks of the American way of life.

If the nation is woefully unprepared to deal with climate disasters such as floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts, despite the hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars that have been pledged to shore up the nation’s infrastructure problems, it is because politicians across the political spectrum have failed us.

The devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene makes this failure by the government to put the needs of the American people first painfully evident. Entire towns are under water. Roadways have collapsed or are otherwise impassable. Potable water is scarce. More than 1.5 million households are still without power.

Clearly, our national priorities need to be re-examined.

While the politicians play partisan games with our tax dollars, the nation’s critical infrastructure—both the physical foundations of the nation and the figurative foundations of our freedoms—continues to be neglected and deprioritized in favor of grandstanding, bloated military budgets on endless wars abroad, foreign aid to shore up the infrastructure and military defenses of international allies, and all manner of graft and pork barrel spending.

When all is said and done, the bread-and-circus distractions and sleight-of-hand political theater being trotted out in order to keep Americans distracted, deluded, amused, and insulated from the government’s steady encroachments on our freedoms adds nothing of real value to the lives of the average American.

It’s time to fix what’s broken in this country.

For starters, we need an overhaul of the nation’s infrastructure.

According to Time magazine, “Throughout the country, millions of Americans don’t have access to or can’t afford broadband internet service. In excess of 2 million people live without running water or basic plumbing. For too long, the American public has had to carry on while these deficiencies have gone unattended. The political will has been weak or inattentive, the rewards too far removed from electoral advantage.”

In other words, the politicians who dance to the tune of the oligarchic elite aren’t motivated to do anything about our failing infrastructure because they get nothing out of it: no votes, no money, no power.

This isn’t about whether the Republicans or Democrats have better policies.

Indeed, both parties’ priorities are disconcertingly alike: both parties support endless war, engage in out-of-control spending, ignore the citizenry’s basic rights, have no respect for the rule of law, are bought and paid for by Big Business, care most about their own power, and have a long record of expanding government and shrinking liberty.

This is about the plight of the American people who continue to be treated like a permanent underclass.

Anyone who believes that this presidential election will bring about any real change in how the American government does business is either incredibly naive, woefully out-of-touch, or oblivious to the fact that as an in-depth Princeton University study shows, we now live in an oligarchy that is “of the rich, by the rich and for the rich.”

When a country spends close to $10 billion to select what is, for all intents and purposes, a glorified homecoming king or queen to occupy the White House, while 38 million of its people live in poverty, and nearly 7 million Americans are out of work, and more than 600,000 Americans are homeless, that’s a country whose priorities are out of step with the needs of its people.

Overhauling the nation’s infrastructure will take a significant amount of money, which won’t happen as long as the U.S. government continues to fund the military industry complex and its voracious appetite for endless wars.

James Madison was right: “No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.” As Madison explained, “Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes… known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.”

We are seeing this play out before our eyes.

The government is destabilizing the economy, destroying the national infrastructure through neglect and a lack of resources, and turning taxpayer dollars into blood money with its endless wars, drone strikes and mounting death tolls.

This is exactly the scenario President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned would happen if we allowed the military-industrial complex to wage war, exhaust our resources and dictate our national priorities.

We failed to heed Eisenhower’s warning.

As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, this is how tyranny rises and freedom falls.

If we are to have any hope of restoring both the structural and freedom foundations of this nation, we’ll need to start by getting our priorities in order, and that means focusing on what really matters: shoring up our battered Bill of Rights and investing in the American homeland.

WC: 961

ABOUT JOHN W. WHITEHEAD

Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. His most recent books are the best-selling Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the award-winning A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State, and a debut dystopian fiction novel, The Erik Blair Diaries. Whitehead can be contacted at [email protected]. Nisha Whitehead is the Executive Director of The Rutherford Institute. Information about The Rutherford Institute is available at www.rutherford.org.

 

https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.