One of the reasons why I love China so much is the extended network of friends and family. In the United States, you are ALONE. In everything. You are on your own.

• In China, the financial support of the extended family is unconditional, no strings attached.
• In China, people are supporting their family members, even when it lowers or even halving their own life standards.
• In China, it is one’s moral duty to do that.
• In China, there’s no expectation to ever pay back. It’s not a loan, its a present.
• In China, it is part of the guanxi 关系, the traditional Confucianist philosophy.

Quite different from the West.

.

Brian Berletic: China will DESTROY AUKUS in Taiwan and the Pacific

Egg In Their Face – Two Anti-China Claims The Wall Street Journal Made Last Weeks Were Fake

On May 26 Amnesty International published one of its usual aggressive accusations against a government the U.S. is hostile to.

Hong Kong: Government must reveal whereabouts of Uyghur student detained at airport (archived)

Hong Kong authorities must reveal the whereabouts and fate of a Uyghur student who has been missing since he arrived in the city from South Korea earlier this month, amid fears he has been unlawfully extradited to mainland China without due process and is at risk of arbitrary detention and torture, Amnesty International said today.

Abuduwaili Abudureheman has not been heard from since he sent a text message to a friend on 10 May. In the message, Abudureheman said he was being interrogated by Chinese police after arriving at Hong Kong airport.

“The unknown fate of Abuduwaili Abudureheman is deeply worrying, given the background of crimes against humanity committed against Uyghurs by the Chinese government in Xinjiang, and its ongoing pursuit of Uyghurs who have travelled overseas,” said Alkan Akad, Amnesty International’s China Researcher.

The accusations seem to be based on claims made by a single anonymous source:

On 10 May 2023, Abuduwaili travelled to Hong Kong to visit a friend, but he has been missing since his text message that evening, saying that he was being questioned at the airport by Chinese police. The friend has made Abuduwaili’s disappearance public after becoming increasingly concerned for his safety.Amnesty International understands that Abuduwaili was on a Chinese government “watch list” of Uyghurs and other Muslims from the Xinjiang region, based on the fact that he had a history of overseas travel. Amnesty International has documented numerous instances of the Chinese government targeting Uyghurs both at home and abroad with arbitrary incommunicado detention, lengthy imprisonment and torture purely based on the fact that they had travelled outside of China.

In 2021 Amnesty closed its Hong Kong office. One wonders then how it communicated with the relevant “friend”?

The Wall Street Journal and others published China bashing pieces based solely on Amnesty’s claims.

The authorities Hong Kong were pretty pissed about the allegations as the man is question had never been there:

Hong Kong on Saturday criticized rights group Amnesty International’s accusation that a Uyghur student disappeared after being interrogated at the airport, and said that government records showed that he had not entered or been refused entry to the city.

The Korean Yonhap news agency made efforts to actually contact the man. It tuned out that he is still in Korea and has no plans to go anywhere else (machine translation):

(New York = Yonhap News) Correspondent Koh Il-hwan = Abduwali Abu Dureheman (38), an international student from Xinjiang, China, who Amnesty International said was missing in Hong Kong, is staying in Korea, his advisor said.In a phone call with Yonhap News on the 29th, Jo Wook-yeon, head of the physical education department at Kookmin University, who is Abu Durehman’s advisor, said, “Amnesty’s announcement is not true.”

Dean Cho said, “Abu Dureheman has not departed from Hong Kong, and is staying in Korea safely.”

Dean Cho repeatedly confirmed that he had been in contact with Abu Durehman on a daily basis for guidance for his doctoral degree, and that “it is true that he is in Korea.”

“I don’t know why Amnesty announced that Abu Dureheman in South Korea was missing in Hong Kong,” he said.

We don’t know either but it aptly shows what standards Amnesty International and other such propaganda outlets have when making their sensational claims. None. A claim by one person based on a text message that may not even exist and made for whatever reason is trumpeted into the world even before any effort is made to verify it.

And why do the Wall Street Journal and others, who should have higher standards, publish Amnesty’s accusation without ever fact checking them?

That is a question that one that can be reliably answered. The U.S. is hostile to China. Therefore U.S. mainstream media must bash China whenever they can.

Here is a case from another recent WSJ attempt to do just that:

On the day that Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui visited Moscow on the last leg of his European trip, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) ran an article that completely contradicted the facts and even fabricated stories. Such behavior that attempted to impose its own views and practices on others is in fact obstructing the peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Facts have proven that blindly fueling the fire can only escalate the conflict and cause more harm to people.The article began by stating that the Chinese envoy carried a clear message that “US allies in Europe should assert their autonomy and urge an immediate cease-fire, leaving Russia in possession of the parts of its smaller neighbor that it now occupies,” accusing China of trying to split the West.

However, what the WSJ received was a denial from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. On May 27, Kuleba said in a video message that after the article appeared, he immediately contacted his colleagues in the European capitals visited by Li. None of them confirmed that negotiations about what the WSJ suggested were held.

In response to this, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning stated on Monday that she noted that the Foreign Minister of Ukraine publicly said that he contacted other parties and no country said Li made the remarks reported by the WSJ.

That is some egg in the face of the WSJ editors. China bashing in the opinion sections is fine. But fake news, twice in one week, to make some editorial point, is not something that readers are willing to pay for.

Posted by b on May 29, 2023 at 17:09 UTC | Permalink

Published: May 25, 2023 07:41 PM

A couple of days ago, a Quad summit meeting in Sydney scheduled for May 24 was abruptly canceled. The US president had to pull out of his long-anticipated trip to Australia and Papua New Guinea. Instead, the heads of the four Quad member states got together on the margins of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima on May 20.

The main reason for the change of plans was the continuous struggle between the White House and Republicans on the Hill over the national debt ceiling.

If no compromise is reached, the US federal government might fail to meet its financial commitments already in June; such a technical default would have multiple negative repercussions for the US, as well as for the global economy and finance at large. Let us hope that a compromise between the two branches of US power will be found and that the ceiling of the national debt will be raised once again.

However, this rather awkward last-minute cancellation of the Quad summit reflects a fundamental US problem – a growing imbalance between the US geopolitical ambitions and the fragility of the national financial foundation to serve these ambitions.

The Biden administration appears to be fully committed to bringing humankind back to the unipolar world that existed right after the end of the Cold War some 30 years ago, but the White House no longer has enough resources at its disposal to sustain such an undertaking. As they say in America: You cannot not have champagne on a beer budget.

The growing gap between the ends that the US seeks in international relations and the means that it has available is particularly striking in the case of the so-called dual containment policy that Washington now pursues toward Russia and China. Even half a century ago, when the US was much stronger in relative terms than it is today, the Nixon administration realized that containing both Moscow and Beijing simultaneously was not a good idea: “Dual containment” would imply prohibitively high economic costs for the US and would result in too many unpredictable political risks. The Nixon administration decided to focus on containing the Soviet Union as the most important US strategic adversary of the time. This is why Henry Kissinger flew to Beijing in July 1971 to arrange the first US-China summit in February 1972 leading to a subsequent rapid rapprochement between the two nations.

In the early days of the Biden administration, it seemed that the White House was once again trying to avoid the unattractive “dual containment” option. The White House rushed to extend the New START in January 2021 and held an early US-Russia summit meeting five months later in Geneva. At that point many analysts predicted that Biden would play Henry Kissinger in reverse – that is he would try to peace with the relatively weaker opponent (Moscow) in order to focus on containing the stronger one (Beijing).

However, after the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it became clear that no accommodation with the Kremlin was on Biden’s mind any longer. Still, having decided to take a hard-line stance toward Moscow and to lead a broad Western coalition in providing military and economic assistance to Kiev, Washington has not opted for a more accommodative or at least a more flexible policy toward Beijing.

On the contrary, over last year one could observe a continuous hardening of the US’ China policy – including granting more political and military support to the Taiwan island, encouraging US allies and partners in Asia to increase their defense spending, engaging in more navel activities in the Pacific and imposing more technology sanctions on China.

In the meantime, economic and social problems within the US are mounting. The national debt ceiling is only the tip of an iceberg – the future of the American economy is now clouded by high US Federal Reserve interest rates that slow down growth, feed unemployment and might well lead to a recession. Moreover, the US society remains split along the same lines it was during the presidency of Donald Trump. The Biden administration has clearly failed to reunite America: Many of the social, political, regional, ethnic and even generational divisions have got only deeper since January 2021. It is hard to imagine how a nation divided so deeply and along so many lines could demonstrate continuity and strategic vision in its foreign policy, or to allocate financial resources needed to sustain a visionary and consistent global leadership.

Of course, the “dual containment” policy is not the only illustration of the gap between the US ambitions and its resources. The same gap inevitably pops up at every major forum that the US conducts with select groups of countries from the Global South – Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America or the Middle East.

The Biden administration has no shortage of arguments warning these countries about potential perils of cooperating with Moscow or Beijing, but it does not offer too many plausible alternatives that would showcase the US generosity, its strategic vision, and its true commitment to the burning needs of the US interlocutors. To cut it short, Uncle Sam brings lots of sticks to such meetings, but not enough carrots to win the audience.

In sum, US foreign policy under President Joe Biden reminds people of a very advanced and highly sophisticated smartphone that has a rather weak battery, which is not really energy efficient. The proud owner of the gadget has to look perennially for a power socket in order not to have the phone running out of power at any inappropriate moment. Maybe the time has come for the smartphone owner to look for another model that would have fewer fancy apps, but a stronger and a more efficient battery, which will make the appliance more convenient and reliable.

We sneaked into an Abandoned Luxury Spa

Native American Tortillas in a Bag

A popular wheat food that kids love to make and eat!

Variations: Use 1/2 cup corn meal and 1 cup all-purpose flour, or use /4 cup whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour.

Quick Meal Idea: Lightly brush cooked tortillas with oil. Bake tortillas on baking sheets in oven for 4 minutes. Top with browned ground beef or pork, black beans, onion, chopped tomato, shredded mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Season with dried oregano leaves; return to the oven and heat 10 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1/2 cup hot water

Instructions

1. In a large self-locking plastic bag, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Close bag and shake to mix.
2. Add shortening and work into flour until fine particles form.
3. Add the hot water and knead the dough in the bag until it forms a ball.
4. Remove dough from bag and place on a lightly floured work surface; knead 15 strokes.
5. Divide into six equal pieces; shape into balls. Cover; let rest 15 minutes.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece as thin as possible. Roll from the center out, turning several times to form an 8-inch circle.
7. Heat an ungreased griddle or skillet over medium heat. Cook until the surface begin bubble and the under side is speckled golden-brown, about 15 to 20 seconds. Cook other side.
8. Stack tortillas under a cloth as they are done and serve warm.

Yield: 6 tortillas

When NATO expanded into Ukraine, the alarm bells were clamoring throughout Asia. There were plenty of opportunities to de-risk, and back-down, but that did not occur. So a “special military operation” initialized by Russia stopped the NATO assaults in Eastern Ukraine.

It’s been over a year.

NATO is holding fast, and doubling down. Russia hasn’t even started yet. It’s the making of something that will become very nasty in the future. We have no crystal ball, no one really knows what will happen. But we do know this…

NATO’s resources are finite. Asia’s is not.

Oh, yes, the propaganda war is in full-swing. “Russia is dying. Russia will collapse any day now. Brilliant and brave Ukrainians will fight to the end.“

But, propaganda does not start, complete or end wars. It’s purpose is to keep domestic populations satiated as they are lined up for the butcher.

NATO’s resources are finite. Asia’s is not.

In any long-duration conflict, NATO will contract at various levels, and Asia will expand. It has nothing to do with the fighting, the technology, the propagandized reports, or the political winds. Instead it has everything to do with economics, resources, and energy.

NATO’s resources are finite. Asia’s is not.

To this end, let me wrap up with the Duran…

How do we detect an imminent Chinese invasion of Taiwan?

I assume that you are an American, or a member of a proxy state loyal to the United States.

I also must assume that you failed geography. Never studied war. Have no idea at all about China, and are just emotionally entangled with the anti-China nonsense being spewed forth from the Western media.

Well, I’ll try to answer this one.

But as we used to say in Mississippi; there’s “few things stupider than a mail box pole”.

…

Taiwan is close to China.

In close. As in really, really, REALLY close.

Here is the view of China from Taiwan…

Taiwan is SUPER close to China.

Not only geographically, but socially, economically, financially, culturally, historically, and in all other ways… Chinese.

There is so much cross-strait migration back and forth, that you cannot tell who is from Taiwan and who is from the mainland.

So what does this mean?

Well…

• You cannot detect a build up of any kind of an invasion force.
• You cannot discern who is who, and where is what.
• China controls Taiwan. Even though there are DPP elements who believe otherwise.

…

So, to spell it out clearly… let’s just say this.

You can supply Taiwan with all the weapons and bombs in the world, and you can convince them that LGBQ+ is the “new sexy”, but China is far too big, far too powerful, far too influential, and far, far too well managed. If China said “enough is enough”. All the games and charades would be over.

President Biden would have a fit, the United States media would howl, and the neocons would demand war!

But you know what would really happen?

Nothing.

A quiet tiny whimper.

And the United States would slither back under the rock from whence it came from.

We found a treasure in a cave suspended by a metal detector

Because it’s cute girls who rule China. China could live just fine without developing their poor provinces. But the teenage girls have to because it’s a shame for the poor.

If the US does not prevent it, then the Chinese rulers, the maids, will develop the whole world.

The teenage girls can’t rule China alone, but the officials want to help them.

Exploring an Abandoned Fairy Tale Castle

Americans CAN’T Believe Chinese Electric Cars!

Sautauthig (Cornmeal Blueberry Mush)

A favorite dish of the Native Americans during colonial times was Sautauthig, a simple pudding made with dried, crushed blueberries, dried, cracked corn (or samp), and water. Later, the settlers added milk, butter and sugar when they were available. The Pilgrims loved Sautauthig and many historians believe that it was part of the first Thanksgiving feast. In a letter to friends back in England, one colonist describes how Sauthauthig was prepared:

“…this is to be boyled or stued with a gentle fire, until it be tender, of a fitt consistence, as of Rice so boyled, into which Milke, or butter be put either with sugar or without it, it is a food very pleasant…but it must be observed that it be very well boyled, the longer the better, some will let it be stuing the whole day: after it is Cold it groweth thicker, and is commonly Eaten by mixing a good Quantity of Milke amongst it.”

Here’s a recipe that gives us an idea of what Sautauthig tasted like. We call it Cornmeal Blueberry Mush but you can give it any name you want.

Yield: about 6 regular servings or 12 tasting-size servings (about 4 3/4 cups)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup cornmeal or quick cooking grits
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 2 cups fresh, frozen or canned blueberries or 1/2 cup dried blueberries*

Instructions

1. In a 2-quart saucepan heat water and milk until bubbles form around edge of pan. Stirring constantly, slowly add cornmeal or grits and salt until well combined. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in maple syrup or honey until well combined. Gently stir in blueberries.

Notes

* Today, we don’t have to pick and dry blueberries in the summer to enjoy them year round. We can always find them in our local supermarket – either fresh, frozen or canned, sometimes even dried. If you are using frozen blueberries in this, defrost them between 2 layers of paper towels to absorb excess liquid. If you are using canned blueberries, drain well. Fresh or frozen blueberries can be dried on a cookie sheet in a 250 degrees F oven for about 1 1/2 hours.

How clever is an octopus, really?

Beachside Bathing Machines During Victorian Era

These bathing machines were very popular in England at 18th and 19th centuries. They allowed people to change out of their usual clothes into swimwear and were directly lowered into the water.

The Global Happiness 2023 survey from Ipsos shows that China is the happiest country in the world at 91 percent.

Latana’s Democracy Perception Index 2023 shows that China is one of the most democratic countries in the world, well ahead of USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Ash Center at Harvard Kennedy School in 2020 reported that 95.5 percent of Chinese are satisfied with their government.

A 2019 UC San Diego study shows a high level of satisfaction among the Chinese across a range of aspects up to 95 percent.

A November 2019 Ipsos survey shows that 95 percent of Chinese believe their country is on the right track.

The statistical evidence is overwhelming. Western countries, especially the United States, can only dream of having such numbers.

Abandoned Millionaire’s Castle: Family Left Behind A Luxury Palace

China To Settle $582,300,000,000 in Yuan Worldwide Amid Push to Circumvent US Dollar: Report

Abandoned Places make Time Travel possible | Abandoned Italy

How ferocious rescued kitten grows up: from 0-26 days”The Story of the Miracle Talking Cat Mu”

The Reconnaissance Strike Complex

The Reconnaissance Strike Complex
Lester Graun and Charles Bartles – May 30, 2018

The Soviet Union, and now Russia, have long worked on the development of twin concepts for the detection and assured destruction of high-value targets in near-real time. The Reconnaissance Strike Complex (разведивательно-ударный комплех-RYK) was designed for the coordinated employment of high-precision, long-range weapons linked to real-time intelligence data and precise targeting provided to a fused intelligence and fire-direction center. The RYK functioned at operational depths using surface-to-surface missile systems and aircraft-delivered “smart” munitions.

It took some time for the Russian reconnaissance-strike-complex to improve its reaction time. But it now seems to be quite fast.

First the reconnaissance element:

The Ukrainian Air Force Formed A New Strike Squadron—By Arming Reconnaissance Bombers With British Cruise Missiles
Forbes – May 28, 2023

Working closely with the United Kingdom, the Ukrainian air force has equipped at least some of the recon section—which flies two-seat, supersonic Sukhoi Su-24MRs from the regiment’s base in western Ukraine—with British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
…
All the pre-war bombers and recon planes—as many as 16 of the former and nine of the latter—belonged to the 7th Bomber Regiment at Starokostiantyniv air base.In a year and three months, the regiment has written off at least 17 Su-24s. Victims of Russian air-defense missiles, mostly.
…
It’s that simplicity [of the conversion] that apparently allowed the Ukrainian air force and its British supporters to form what amounts to a new long-range strike squadron—eight or more Storm Shadow-armed Su-24MRs—inside the battle-battered 7th Bomber Regiment … in just three months’ time.

After reading yesterday’s Forbes piece about Storm Shadow launching airplanes stationed at the Starokostiantyniv air base the commanders at the operation center of the Russian Special Military Operation, decided to have them destroyed.

The strike:

Russia Hits Military Facility In West Ukraine, Damaging Planes
AFP – May 29, 2023

A Russian strike hit a military facility in western Ukraine, damaging five planes, while Kyiv repelled another large volley of overnight air strikes, authorities said Monday.
…
In the western city of Khmelnytsky regional authorities said Russian troops attacked a military facility overnight.In a rare admission of the damage, they said “five aircraft have been put out of action.”

Work was underway to localise fires at fuel and lubricant warehouses, the statement said.

The Starokostiantyniv air base is some 40 kilometers north of Khmelnytsky.

Posted by b on May 29, 2023 at 14:45 UTC | Permalink

Clearly, China is justified and correct in insisting that the United States fulfill its commitments and consensus. A state visit is a signal to the world of friendship and cooperation. Once China agrees to a visit by a high ranking US leader, it will be seen by the world as a signal of détente in US-China relations, whether or not there will be tangible results in the end. If the US does not continue to honor its previous consensus and commitments with China, but China joins the US in releasing a signal of détente, then US containment of China is sure to intensify. China’s cautious approach is also self-protective.

Moreover, the condescending attitude revealed in Blinken’s words is not a signal of friendship or de-escalation toward China; rather, it is more like a flurry of defiance and orders. Despite his statement that he expects progress in relations between the two countries, it is clear from the actions of the US government as a whole that the United States is not going to give up its interference in China’s internal affairs and various restrictions on trade with China.

The real purpose of the US is just that in view of the deteriorating global security situation at the moment, more and more other countries want to see a de-escalation of tensions between the two great powers, China and the United States. The US, as the party that initiated the conflict, does not want to take the blame for destroying world peace, so it deliberately pretends that it wants to communicate with China very much, which is actually deceiving global public opinion. This can be seen from the fact that Blinken used the word “must” to ask China, if the United States is sincere in wanting to improve relations with China, not to mention their performance in action, at least in words, should not be so aggressive. After all, it is now the United States that is eager to seek communication with China, not China that wants to communicate with the United States. To speak in a commanding tone when it is clear that one wants to initiate contact with China is clearly uncomfortable and distrustful. By simply emphasizing the US willingness to talk and engage with China, Blinken is in fact implicitly accusing China of not accepting US demands, so it is China that is sabotaging US-China relations.

Since the “balloon incident” earlier this year, US-China relations have been deteriorating. In order to suppress China’s development, the US has been doing everything possible, first by smearing China with rumors and hypeing “China threat” with its allies, and then by repeatedly provoking China on issues related to China’s territorial sovereignty, such as the Taiwan Strait. Blinken, who said that “China should communicate with the United States,” has made wrong statements on Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other issues that are not in line with the US-China consensus, intending to interfere in China’s internal affairs.

In fact, although the US has been interested in suppressing China, but also dare not and China really tear face, on the one hand, because now China is strong, the US is still in the Ukraine battlefield fighting against Russia, its “number one enemy”, at this time. Therefore, confrontation with China is not wise. On the other hand, the US needs China’s help to get itself out of the debt crisis. At the moment, the US urgently needs to reach some cooperation and consensus with China in related fields to ease the social pressure at home and prevent the situation in the region from getting out of control. This is one of the reasons why Blinken expects to visit China, although China has been refusing to allow top US leaders to visit China because the US keeps infringing on China’s interests and interfering in its internal affairs.

No country will be friendly to a country that harms its own national interests and sovereignty. If the United States really wants to ease the tensions and seek contact and dialogue with China, it should stop interfering in China’s internal affairs. The US indeed need to stop talking about seeking new progress for US-China relations while recklessly undermining China’s interests.

Putin and China just scored a devastating blow to the U.S. and Europe

Is China more powerful than the US when it comes to the economy?

There are various ways to measure this.

I like to measure the health of a nations economy on a personal level. During the 1970’s President Jimmy Carter explained that the American economy was strong and robust, but that Americans “need to tighten their belts”. He would have these televised events known as “fireside chats” to explain to the American people not to worry, that the American economy was going to recover. Meanwhile, I had to help my dad by storing hoarded gasoline, eating less food, and living with limits on how high to turn the thermostat at home.

So while people can point at all sorts of “economic data” and trends, the bottom line is really not what others think. It’s what you think.

Let’s compare.

Inflation

• USA = 9.1%
• China = 2.5%

Homeless

• USA = 0.17%
• China = 0.001%

Unemployment

• USA = 5.46%
• China = 5.3%

By simply comparing the baseline stats, and these are averages only, people in China are more likely to have a roof over their heads, afford good basic food, and be able to find work BETTER than their American counterpart.

But that is an illusion. That is the conclusions that one comes to when comparing basic stats. And we all know that far more goes into the calculus for the average person.

• What about medical costs?
• What about taxes?
• What about venues for social interaction?

In the three examples above, China is clearly the “winner”.

Chinese medial costs are trivial, while those in the USA can be considered exuberant. Total taxes, fees, fines, and social insurance for the average Chinese worker is far, far less than their American counterpart. Social interaction is nearly nonexistent for Americans, the suburbs are oasis of quiet, and nighttime dancing, and outdoor activities do not really exist for the average American, while in China it is part of culture and society.

So, which economy is doing better?

You can summarize everything stated above into one measurable…

Rate of Saving

How much money can an average person save, while still maintaining a decent middle class lifestyle? This is the bottom line figure. The more money that a family saves, the better off they are doing. Hence, the more favorable the economic environment is for that family.

• USA = 5.2%
• China = 45.0%

From which we can conclude that most Chinese are living a life that permits a middle class lifestyle, and savings, while those in the United States have a more difficult time at it.

So on a personal level, China has a better economy than the United States does.

Well, this answer will probably infuriate some readers. After all, there’s an entire industry that relies on the idea that China is collapsing, don’t you know!

Let’s perform (what we like to call) a “sanity check”.

Let’s compare GDP PPP. Purchasing power parity (PPP) is an economic term that calculates the relative value of different currencies. When calculating GDP per capita, purchasing power parity gives a more accurate picture about a country’s overall standard of living.

• USA = $20.49T
• China = $25.36T

And here is a visualization of those figures.

So what does it mean?

• Sally Mae has two dollars and can buy one apple with it.
• Lee Chan has one dollar and can buy ten apples with it.

Lee Chan is doing much better than Sally Mae is.

Lee Chan eats one apple, and puts the rest in storage for a “rainy day”. While Sally Mae eats her apple, but has nothing left afterwards.

Green Acres – a few scenes with Mr.Haney (1)

https://youtu.be/EIvjz2X-Kok

China and France just released a groundbreaking 51-point joint statement. Full text available here (in Chinese; French and English versions will be provided when available):

重要新闻_中华人民共和国外交部

应中华人民共和国主席习近平邀请，法兰西共和国总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙于2023年4月5日至7日对中华人民共和国进行国事访问。在两国即将迎来建交60周年之际，两国元首回顾中法关系坚实基础和两国人民友谊，就双边关系、中国－欧盟关系和重大国际地区问题深入交换意见，决定在2018年1月9日、2019年3月25日和2019年11月6日的联合声明基础上，为中法合作开辟新前景，为中国－欧盟关系寻求新动能。 一、加强政治对话，促进政治互信 1．中法将延续两国元首年度会晤机制。 2．中法两国强调双方高层交往及战略对话、高级别经济财金对话和高级别人文交流机制对于发展双边合作的重要性，同意年内举行三大机制新一次会议。 3．中法两国重申愿在相互尊重彼此主权与领土完整和重大利益基础上，推动紧密持久的中法全面战略伙伴关系不断发展。 4．中法两国同意深化战略问题交流，特别是深化中国人民解放军南部战区与法国军队太平洋海区之间的对话，加强在国际和地区安全问题上的相互理解。 5．在中国和欧盟建立全面战略伙伴关系20周年之际，中国重申致力于发展中国－欧盟关系，鼓励高层交往，推动在战略问题上凝聚共识，增加人员交流，共同应对全球性挑战，积极平衡促进经济合作。法国作为欧盟成员国，认同上述方向，并将为此作出贡献。 6．法国重申坚持一个中国政策。 二、共同推动世界安全与稳定 7．作为联合国安理会常任理事国，中法两国共同致力于为国际安全和稳定面临的挑战和威胁寻求基于国际法的建设性解决方案，认为应通过对话协商和平解决国家间分歧和争端，寻求在多极世界里强化以联合国为核心的多边国际体系。 8．中法两国重申支持中国、法国、俄罗斯、英国和美国（五常）领导人2022年1月3日发表的《关于防止核战争与避免军备竞赛的联合声明》。正如声明中所强调，“核战争打不赢也打不得”。两国呼吁不采取任何可能加剧紧张风险的行动。 9．两国愿加强协调合作，共同维护军控与防扩散体系的权威性和有效性，推进国际军控进程。中法两国重申致力于平衡推进《不扩散核武器条约》核裁军、核不扩散与和平利用核能三大支柱，不断加强《不扩散核武器条约》的普遍性、权威性和有效性。 10．双方支持一切在国际法和联合国宪章宗旨和原则基础上恢复乌克兰和平的努力。 11．双方反对针对核电站和其他和平核设施的武装攻击，支持国际原子能机构为促进和平核设施的安全安保发挥建设性作用，包括为保障扎波罗热核电站的安全安保所作出的努力。 12．两国强调冲突当事方应严格遵守国际人道法的重要性。两国尤其呼吁根据国际承诺保护受冲突影响的妇女儿童，加大对冲突地区的人道援助，提供安全、快速、无障碍的人道主义援助准入。 13．双方将继续在中法战略对话机制下保持沟通。 14.2015年达成的伊朗核问题全面协议（JCPOA）是多边外交的重要成果。两国重申致力于推动伊朗核问题政治外交解决，重申致力于维护国际核不扩散体系及安理会决议的权威性和有效性，重申在此框架下对国际原子能机构的支持。 15．中法两国将继续就朝鲜半岛问题保持密切沟通。 16．中法两国同意继续通过中法网络事务对话机制进行交流。 三、促进经济交流 17．中法两国承诺为企业提供公平和非歧视的竞争条件，特别是在化妆品、农业和农食产品、空中交通管理、金融（银行、保险、资产管理人）、卫生健康（医疗物资、疫苗）以及能源、投资和可持续发展等领域。为此，两国致力于为企业合作提供良好环境，改善两国企业在对方国家的市场准入，改善营商环境，确保尊重两国所有企业的知识产权。在数字经济领域，包括在5G方面，法方承诺在两国包括国家安全在内的法律法规基础上，继续以公平、非歧视方式处理中国企业的授权许可申请。 18．中法两国愿继续加强在服务业各领域的务实合作，支持两国机构和企业在互利基础上开展经贸往来，促进服务贸易发展。法国愿应邀担任2024年中国国际服务贸易交易会主宾国。 19．中法两国希加强农业、农食、兽医和植物检疫领域伙伴关系，乐见猪肉产品市场准入获得保障、向软枣猕猴桃和饲用乳制品开放市场、批准15家猪肉出口机构在华注册。两国主管部门将尽快回应符合双方食品卫生安全法律法规要求的农业、农食产品，特别是肉类和水产品出口企业未来的注册请求和婴幼儿乳品配方注册申请，以及双方各自部门提出的市场开放请求。双方将继续在肉牛、葡萄酒行业以及地理标志，特别是勃艮第葡萄酒地理标志注册方面进行交流合作。法国支持中国将尽快提出的加入国际葡萄与葡萄酒组织的申请，支持中国举办国际葡萄与葡萄酒产业大会。 20．中法两国对达成中方航空公司采购160架空客飞机的“批量采购协议”表示欢迎。两国将视中国航空运输市场和机队恢复和发展情况，适时研究中方航空公司的货运和长途运输等需求。双方欢迎中国民航局和欧盟航空安全局加强合作，将在均认可的国际安全标准基础上加快适航认证进程，特别是Y12F、H175、达索8X等项目的适航认证进程。双方欢迎两国企业就可持续航空燃料达成协议。双方继续开展工业合作，特别是空客天津新总装线项目。 21．中法两国支持两国航空公司按照两国民航部门相协调的方式，以恢复履行1966年6月1日签署的《中华人民共和国政府和法兰西共和国政府航空交通协定》及相关航权安排为目标，尽快将航空连通恢复至疫情前水平。两国航空公司在中法之间经营航班时应享有公平均等的机会。两国支持深化人员和经济往来，包括为两国私营部门人员和商务人士提供签证便利。 22．双方对两国航天机构围绕嫦娥六号及地外样品联合研究开展合作感到满意。 23．为实现能源体系低碳转型的共同愿望，中法两国在政府间和平利用核能合作协定框架下，开展民用核能务实合作。两国致力于在中国国家原子能机构和法国原子能和替代能源委员会协议等基础上，继续推进在核能研发领域前沿课题上的合作。两国支持双方企业研究在核废料后处理等问题上加强工业和技术合作的可能性。 24．中法两国对2015年第三方市场合作政府间协议取得的成果表示欢迎。双方致力于已确定的第三方市场合作项目的后续和落实。两国政府鼓励企业、金融机构及其他主体在可适用的国际高标准基础上在第三方市场开拓新的重大经济合作项目。 四、重启人文交流 25．为在全球推动保护和促进文化表现形式多样性，中法两国支持深化文化作品创作与利用方面的合作，将积极推动重启文化和旅游领域的交流合作。中法两国对两国文化主管部门达成文化合作意向声明表示欢迎。 26．双方将于2024年共同举办中法文化旅游年，支持故宫博物院与凡尔赛宫、上海西岸美术馆与蓬皮杜艺术中心等在两国合作举办高水平活动。双方承诺在遵守各自法律前提下，为巡回办展提供海关、物流等方面的便利化举措，将努力确保支持的展览中文化物品的完整性和顺利归还。 27．双方重申愿通过联合制作、版权合作、竞赛、艺术家交流等方式，加强在文化和创意产业领域，特别是文学、电影、电视纪录片、出版（含游戏）、音乐、建筑和数字化等领域的合作，提升针对最广泛受众的传播潜力。 28．中法两国承诺加强文化遗产保护、修复和开发领域的双边合作。两国欢迎就中国专家与法国团队共同参与巴黎圣母院现场修复工作、兵马俑保护修复研究合作、公输堂和茂陵合作项目、推动两国世界遗产缔结友好关系等达成文化遗产合作路线图。双方将继续共同努力预防和打击盗窃、非法挖掘和非法进

A few noteworthy points:

• Point 4 is about deepening the dialogue and cooperation between the Chinese and French navies in the Pacific Ocean. France has two strategically located overseas territories in this theatre – French Polynesia, and New Caledonia. These islands are located right on the so-called “Third Island Chain”.For the French, this could be payback of a sort for getting snubbed by the Anglo-Saxon nations over their nuclear submarine deal with Australia. Ultimately, US hegemony is an extension of Anglo-Saxon supremacy, where the other great powers of Europe only get to play second fiddle at best. For the Chinese, this presents a greater level of maritime freedom and security, as the Island Chains continue to be ever more porous.

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• Point 17, where France and China promise to provide fair and non-discriminatory environments for each others’ businesses. This is in stark contrast to the US, which stole Alstom from France, placed tariffs on French steel and aluminium, and exported its own inflation to France with the (ironically named) Inflation Reduction Act; and is trying to steal/ban TikTok, just for the crime of being Chinese.
• Point 20, where China will be gradually ditching the US and switching to France for all things aviation. China will be buying some 160 planes from French companies, while France will be setting up new production lines in China, as well as buying more Chinese ships.Also worthy of note is that France recently completed its first LNG trade with China using the yuan. Dedollarisation is real. It’s happening.

Article HERE

• Ukraine is only mentioned once by name. There is more to the world than just the Ukrainian crisis, and it is neither the responsibility – nor within the power of – either France or China to solve it, because neither country created the crisis in the first place. However, both countries did reiterate their consensus on the need to avoid nuclear warfare.