As a person who sees the struggle with Russia and China as being about the nationalization of resources, which means the sharing of wealth with the workforce, versus ownership of resources by capitalists who oppress, terrorize, or enslave labor, I find the following articles important this week.
and I doubt it can be slowed let alone reversed.
Peace - Public Domain
Capitalism ?
In China there are a lot of problems, but at the moment, the Chinese, the party these days has proven an extraordinary ability to change. I make the joke, in America you can change political parties but you can't change policies. In China you cannot change the party but you can change policies. So in the 65 or 66 years, China has been run by one single party, yet the political changes that have taken place in China this past 66 years have been wider and broader and greater than probably any other major country in modern memory.
So in that time China has ceased to be communist. Is that what you are saying?
China is a market economy, it is not a capitalist country. Here's why. There's no way a group of billionaires could control the politburo as billionaires control American policy making.
So in China you have a vibrant market economy, but capital does not arise above political authority. Capital does not have enshrined rights. In America the interest of capital or capital itself has risen above the American nation. The political authority cannot check the power of capital. That's why America is a capitalist country. But China is not.
h/t lookout
When you are both the biggest and strongest bully on the block, you can get away with just about anything as long as you follow one simple rule: Don't try to take on the entire block at once.
Mike Pompeo has decided to ignore that one simple rule.
The Nimitz and Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier strike groups are currently in the South China Sea carrying out the Orwellian-named Freedom of Navigation Operations.
Meanwhile, Congress is preparing to draw a line in the sand.
The Trump administration's policy of all-stick/no-carrot continues to fail.
This time with Iran.
Let's look at three American corporations with significant influence in our society which expanded various parts of their business into China. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was the first fast food franchise to enter China. Google has made two attempts to enter the high tech market in China and exited. Nike first saw China as a source of cheap labor and later a major market for sales.
Morning, this is not a cheery diary today. I thought I was done writing about China, but changes in current events keep happening fast.
The first phase of coronavirus infections are on an upswing as lockdowns in the United States are easing. Nearly half of US states seeing an uptrend in new US cases, and 10 seeing 7-day averages climb to their highest levels since the beginning of the crisis. This is not the second wave. A second wave will happen after we have reestablished a new normal and Covid-19 cases are naturally diminished for a while.
Moving past what I consider the first hurdle necessary to successfully address treatment and prevention. Healthcare providers fearing their patients. The current interviews and videos of health care professional do not show the same level of fear in their eyes.
We are getting closer to the stage of considering it like any other other contagious illness. Take appropriate precautions to avoid catching, early treatment and protocol to follow as seriousness of the condition increases in a patient.
A Look at China Part Seven
My intent in the series was to provide basic knowledge to start understanding China and our ongoing relationship with Chinese governments and its people. The story did not begin with the opening of China by Nixon and will not end in our times. Military leaders, policy makers and intelligence services have deep sources of knowledge on China. Most politicians appear to have the same misconceptions as the general public about mysterious China and try to describe China in sound bites.
Maochun Yu, historian teaching at Annapolis provides the best description I have read or heard on Chinese Studies in the United States during a 2015 panel discussion.
(full video 100 min. section on China Studies 38.07 to 40.55)
