The challenge of PR China advanced manufacturing to the US and the West

[Typhoon]

MIT Tech Rev | The latest threat from the rise of Chinese manufacturing

MIT economist David Autor first documented the loss of millions of jobs to Chinese imports a decade ago. Now he sees an even more serious danger if the US loses the race for advanced manufacturing.

For example, PR China first contracted high speed rail trains from Hitachi, Alstom, and Bombardier while it learned the technology.
The next generation of high speed trains, designed by and built in PR China, will run at 400 kph [249 mph]. The fastest on steel rail to-date.

[Nonc Hilaire]

IMG_0383.jpeg (296.65 KiB) Viewed 337596 times

MIT Tech Rev | The latest threat from the rise of Chinese manufacturing

MIT economist David Autor first documented the loss of millions of jobs to Chinese imports a decade ago. Now he sees an even more serious danger if the US loses the race for advanced manufacturing.

For example, PR China first contracted high speed rail trains from Hitachi, Alstom, and Bombardier while it learned the technology.
The next generation of high speed trains, designed by and built in PR China, will run at 400 kph [249 mph]. The fastest on steel rail to-date.

[Doc]

IMG_0383.jpeg

MIT Tech Rev | The latest threat from the rise of Chinese manufacturing

MIT economist David Autor first documented the loss of millions of jobs to Chinese imports a decade ago. Now he sees an even more serious danger if the US loses the race for advanced manufacturing.

For example, PR China first contracted high speed rail trains from Hitachi, Alstom, and Bombardier while it learned the technology.
The next generation of high speed trains, designed by and built in PR China, will run at 400 kph [249 mph]. The fastest on steel rail to-date.

Well Chinese HIgh speed rail trains tend to run empty these days. I suppose there is a reason for that.

Chinese advanced manufacturing:

[Typhoon]

PR China HSR ridership

I suggest that Americans and Japanese who are dismissive of PR China's progress in advanced value-chain manufacturing are fooling themselves.

As I lived in the US Midwest during the later 1980's and early 1990's I had a front row centre seat regarding the dismissive treatment of Japanese manufacturers who were rapidly moving up the value chain. The

While PR China currently is experiencing serious economic problems, so did the US and Japan during their rise.

[Doc]

PR China HSR ridership

I suggest that Americans and Japanese who are dismissive of PR China's progress in advanced value-chain manufacturing are fooling themselves.

As I lived in the US Midwest during the later 1980's and early 1990's I had a front row centre seat regarding the dismissive treatment of Japanese manufacturers who were rapidly moving up the value chain. The

While PR China currently is experiencing serious economic problems, so did the US and Japan during their rise.

The United States and Japan did not rise with a very corrupt communist regime in control.

[Typhoon]

PR China HSR ridership

I suggest that Americans and Japanese who are dismissive of PR China's progress in advanced value-chain manufacturing are fooling themselves.

As I lived in the US Midwest during the later 1980's and early 1990's I had a front row centre seat regarding the dismissive treatment of Japanese manufacturers who were rapidly moving up the value chain. The

While PR China currently is experiencing serious economic problems, so did the US and Japan during their rise.

The United States and Japan did not rise with a very corrupt communist regime in control.

Since Deng Xiao Ping, "communist" in name only. Since then an autocracy and kleptocracy.

One should consider results, rather than ideologies.

[Doc]

PR China HSR ridership

I suggest that Americans and Japanese who are dismissive of PR China's progress in advanced value-chain manufacturing are fooling themselves.

As I lived in the US Midwest during the later 1980's and early 1990's I had a front row centre seat regarding the dismissive treatment of Japanese manufacturers who were rapidly moving up the value chain. The

While PR China currently is experiencing serious economic problems, so did the US and Japan during their rise.

The United States and Japan did not rise with a very corrupt communist regime in control.

Since Deng Xiao Ping, "communist" in name only. Since then an autocracy and kleptocracy.

One should consider results, rather than ideologies.

Communism has always been autocratic and Kleptocratic rule. Stalin publicly portraited himself as living is a bare dingy apartment in Moscow. When in fact he lived in a huge estate outside of Moscow.

[Nonc Hilaire]

Communism is similar to democracy and other groups. They work fine until the group exceeds about 200 individuals.

[Typhoon]

The United States and Japan did not rise with a very corrupt communist regime in control.

Since Deng Xiao Ping, "communist" in name only. Since then an autocracy and kleptocracy.

One should consider results, rather than ideologies.

Communism has always been autocratic and Kleptocratic rule.

Marxism - communism is not a political theory, nor is it an economic theory. Rather it is a secular religion consisting of revealed prophecy.

And as such the opportunists rise to the top while fleecing the true believers and repressing and killing the heretics.

Stalin publicly portraited himself as living is a bare dingy apartment in Moscow. When in fact he lived in a huge estate outside of Moscow.

Yes, well known.

However, regardless of definitions, it would be a mistake for the West and Japan underestimate the progress that PR China has made in science and engineering.

I arrived in the US at the tail-end of when "Made in Japan" was generally held to be synonymous with junk . . .

[Doc]

Since Deng Xiao Ping, "communist" in name only. Since then an autocracy and kleptocracy.

One should consider results, rather than ideologies.

Communism has always been autocratic and Kleptocratic rule.

Marxism - communism is not a political theory, nor is it an economic theory. Rather it is a secular religion consisting of revealed prophecy.

And as such the opportunists rise to the top while fleecing the true believers and repressing and killing the heretics.

Stalin publicly portraited himself as living is a bare dingy apartment in Moscow. When in fact he lived in a huge estate outside of Moscow.

Yes, well known.

However, regardless of definitions, it would be a mistake for the West and Japan underestimate the progress that PR China has made in science and engineering.

I arrived in the US at the tail-end of when "Made in Japan" was generally held to be synonymous with junk . . .

But they so far have mostly succeeded in copying IP from other countries. Of course they will progress. However so will we:



Outside of military tech they don't have much as the CCP seems to be the one that picks and chooses what gets the money for development by centralized planning. Japan's rise was not by centralized planning. Neither was Germany's. Both were wiped out economically in WWII. So only the cream rose to the top in the post war years. And to make the point clearer after the war Japan and Germany did better than any other country economically. I believe this was not in spite of being wiped out by the war but because they were wiped out and having lots of money to play was not a factor Rather it was the best player so to speak. China is already looking to be in or headed to a great depression. Coming out of that China should be quite formidable with tech. Until then its real talent will be just surviving.

[Typhoon]

Communism has always been autocratic and Kleptocratic rule.

Marxism - communism is not a political theory, nor is it an economic theory. Rather it is a secular religion consisting of revealed prophecy.

And as such the opportunists rise to the top while fleecing the true believers and repressing and killing the heretics.

Stalin publicly portraited himself as living is a bare dingy apartment in Moscow. When in fact he lived in a huge estate outside of Moscow.

Yes, well known.

However, regardless of definitions, it would be a mistake for the West and Japan underestimate the progress that PR China has made in science and engineering.

I arrived in the US at the tail-end of when "Made in Japan" was generally held to be synonymous with junk . . .

But they so far have mostly succeeded in copying IP from other countries. Of course they will progress.

PR China is not the first nation to copy IP from other nations. There's a long list.

The US initially copied IP from Britain. However, they significantly improved upon it.

Japan initially copied and licensed IP from the West. However, they significantly improved upon it.

S Korea and Taiwan followed similar paths.

PR China copies IP from the West. However, in the engineering fields that I'm familiar with, they have often significantly improved upon it.

However so will we:

I view military R&D as a sunk cost of necessary, but mostly non-productive, investment.

Outside of military tech they don't have much as the CCP seems to be the one that picks and chooses what gets the money for development by centralized planning. Japan's rise was not by centralized planning. Neither was Germany's. Both were wiped out economically in WWII. So only the cream rose to the top in the post war years. And to make the point clearer after the war Japan and Germany did better than any other country economically. I believe this was not in spite of being wiped out by the war but because they were wiped out and having lots of money to play was not a factor Rather it was the best player so to speak. China is already looking to be in or headed to a great depression. Coming out of that China should be quite formidable with tech. Until then its real talent will be just surviving.

On the other hand, China, under the autocratic Qing dynasty of the time, was exporting massive amounts of manufactured goods to Britain in the 19th century . Britain was experiencing a massive trade deficit. The solution, via the East India Company, was to push opium into China. Later the US got into the game; a number of "blue-blood" fortunes were based on pushing opium. An option that is not possible today. Few people in the West are aware of the Opium Wars, whereas the events are known to all Chinese and resentfully recalled as the "One Hundred Years of Humiliation".

A number of manufacturing sectors in PR China are experiencing vicious deflationary price wars. However, the survivors will be formidable competitors.

My point is not to approve of or endorse PR China, but rather that to dismiss it, as some in the West and Japan do, is foolish.

Anyways, the resolution of my crystal ball is not very good, so all I can predict is that
whether PR China or the US, or some other nation, comes out on top depends on who screws up the least.

[Doc]

Marxism - communism is not a political theory, nor is it an economic theory. Rather it is a secular religion consisting of revealed prophecy.

And as such the opportunists rise to the top while fleecing the true believers and repressing and killing the heretics.



Yes, well known.

However, regardless of definitions, it would be a mistake for the West and Japan underestimate the progress that PR China has made in science and engineering.

I arrived in the US at the tail-end of when "Made in Japan" was generally held to be synonymous with junk . . .

But they so far have mostly succeeded in copying IP from other countries. Of course they will progress.

PR China is not the first nation to copy IP from other nations. There's a long list.

The US initially copied IP from Britain. However, they significantly improved upon it.

Japan initially copied and licensed IP from the West. However, they significantly improved upon it.

S Korea and Taiwan followed similar paths.

PR China copies IP from the West. However, in the engineering fields that I'm familiar with, they have often significantly improved upon it.

However so will we:

I view military R&D as a sunk cost of necessary, but mostly non-productive, investment.

Outside of military tech they don't have much as the CCP seems to be the one that picks and chooses what gets the money for development by centralized planning. Japan's rise was not by centralized planning. Neither was Germany's. Both were wiped out economically in WWII. So only the cream rose to the top in the post war years. And to make the point clearer after the war Japan and Germany did better than any other country economically. I believe this was not in spite of being wiped out by the war but because they were wiped out and having lots of money to play was not a factor Rather it was the best player so to speak. China is already looking to be in or headed to a great depression. Coming out of that China should be quite formidable with tech. Until then its real talent will be just surviving.

On the other hand, China, under the autocratic Qing dynasty of the time, was exporting massive amounts of manufactured goods to Britain in the 19th century . Britain was experiencing a massive trade deficit. The solution, via the East India Company, was to push opium into China. Later the US got into the game; a number of "blue-blood" fortunes were based on pushing opium. An option that is not possible today. Few people in the West are aware of the Opium Wars, whereas the events are known to all Chinese and resentfully recalled as the "One Hundred Years of Humiliation".

A number of manufacturing sectors in PR China are experiencing vicious deflationary price wars. However, the survivors will be formidable competitors.

My point is not to approve of or endorse PR China, but rather that to dismiss it, as some in the West and Japan do, is foolish.

Anyways, the resolution of my crystal ball is not very good, so all I can predict is that
whether PR China or the US, or some other nation, comes out on top depends on who screws up the least.

I agree that once the Chinese get their governance act together they will be a world manufacturing power as the Chinese people are very resourceful. *IF* there is anyone left. To manufacture their product and to buy them. Apparently the CCP has been lying about its population, demographics. As well as many more dying due to COVID, and the Sino Vax then the CCP has owned up to.

[Doc]

But they so far have mostly succeeded in copying IP from other countries. Of course they will progress.

PR China is not the first nation to copy IP from other nations. There's a long list.

The US initially copied IP from Britain. However, they significantly improved upon it.

Japan initially copied and licensed IP from the West. However, they significantly improved upon it.

S Korea and Taiwan followed similar paths.

PR China copies IP from the West. However, in the engineering fields that I'm familiar with, they have often significantly improved upon it.

However so will we:

I view military R&D as a sunk cost of necessary, but mostly non-productive, investment.

Outside of military tech they don't have much as the CCP seems to be the one that picks and chooses what gets the money for development by centralized planning. Japan's rise was not by centralized planning. Neither was Germany's. Both were wiped out economically in WWII. So only the cream rose to the top in the post war years. And to make the point clearer after the war Japan and Germany did better than any other country economically. I believe this was not in spite of being wiped out by the war but because they were wiped out and having lots of money to play was not a factor Rather it was the best player so to speak. China is already looking to be in or headed to a great depression. Coming out of that China should be quite formidable with tech. Until then its real talent will be just surviving.

On the other hand, China, under the autocratic Qing dynasty of the time, was exporting massive amounts of manufactured goods to Britain in the 19th century . Britain was experiencing a massive trade deficit. The solution, via the East India Company, was to push opium into China. Later the US got into the game; a number of "blue-blood" fortunes were based on pushing opium. An option that is not possible today. Few people in the West are aware of the Opium Wars, whereas the events are known to all Chinese and resentfully recalled as the "One Hundred Years of Humiliation".

A number of manufacturing sectors in PR China are experiencing vicious deflationary price wars. However, the survivors will be formidable competitors.

My point is not to approve of or endorse PR China, but rather that to dismiss it, as some in the West and Japan do, is foolish.

Anyways, the resolution of my crystal ball is not very good, so all I can predict is that
whether PR China or the US, or some other nation, comes out on top depends on who screws up the least.

I agree that once the Chinese get their governance act together they will be a world manufacturing power as the Chinese people are very resourceful. *IF* there is anyone left. To manufacture their product and to buy them. Apparently the CCP has been lying about its population, demographics. As well as many more dying due to COVID, and the Sino Vax then the CCP has owned up to.

This explains the difference between today's China and 1990's Japan.
"Wanting everything and achieving nothing"


Waiting for Collapse: Why China’s Economy Needs a Political Overhaul? | Digging into China

[Typhoon]

PR China is not the first nation to copy IP from other nations. There's a long list.

The US initially copied IP from Britain. However, they significantly improved upon it.

Japan initially copied and licensed IP from the West. However, they significantly improved upon it.

S Korea and Taiwan followed similar paths.

PR China copies IP from the West. However, in the engineering fields that I'm familiar with, they have often significantly improved upon it.



I view military R&D as a sunk cost of necessary, but mostly non-productive, investment.



On the other hand, China, under the autocratic Qing dynasty of the time, was exporting massive amounts of manufactured goods to Britain in the 19th century . Britain was experiencing a massive trade deficit. The solution, via the East India Company, was to push opium into China. Later the US got into the game; a number of "blue-blood" fortunes were based on pushing opium. An option that is not possible today. Few people in the West are aware of the Opium Wars, whereas the events are known to all Chinese and resentfully recalled as the "One Hundred Years of Humiliation".

A number of manufacturing sectors in PR China are experiencing vicious deflationary price wars. However, the survivors will be formidable competitors.

My point is not to approve of or endorse PR China, but rather that to dismiss it, as some in the West and Japan do, is foolish.

Anyways, the resolution of my crystal ball is not very good, so all I can predict is that
whether PR China or the US, or some other nation, comes out on top depends on who screws up the least.

I agree that once the Chinese get their governance act together they will be a world manufacturing power as the Chinese people are very resourceful. *IF* there is anyone left. To manufacture their product and to buy them. Apparently the CCP has been lying about its population, demographics. As well as many more dying due to COVID, and the Sino Vax then the CCP has owned up to.

This explains the difference between today's China and 1990's Japan.
"Wanting everything and achieving nothing"


Waiting for Collapse: Why China’s Economy Needs a Political Overhaul? | Digging into China

Perhaps. Some people have made a multi-decade career from predicting the imminent fall of the CCP.
However,

"山高皇帝远 | The mountains are high and the Emperor is far away."

Counterpoint:

NYT | We Warned About the First China Shock. The Next One Will Be Worse.

[Doc]

I agree that once the Chinese get their governance act together they will be a world manufacturing power as the Chinese people are very resourceful. *IF* there is anyone left. To manufacture their product and to buy them. Apparently the CCP has been lying about its population, demographics. As well as many more dying due to COVID, and the Sino Vax then the CCP has owned up to.

This explains the difference between today's China and 1990's Japan.
"Wanting everything and achieving nothing"


Waiting for Collapse: Why China’s Economy Needs a Political Overhaul? | Digging into China

Perhaps. Some people have made a multi-decade career from predicting the imminent fall of the CCP.
However,

"山高皇帝远 | The mountains are high and the Emperor is far away."

Counterpoint:

NYT | We Warned About the First China Shock. The Next One Will Be Worse.

Request: Could you increase the amount of time for logins" I just wrote a long reply to you hear but was logged out while I was typing it and pulling the facts from the internet.

Shorter reply:
China's population is far lower than the CCP has been claiming. Notice the official growth rate of population during the CCP's one child policy and the growth rate directly before and after the policy. These include the official CCP population numbers since 1950


The youth unemployment rate is so bad the CCP no longer reports it. About 10% of delivery drivers have graduate degrees or higher. The middle class in China is going bankrupt. Just yesterday the CCP announced that pension payments are now suspended. What effect do you think that will have on Domestic consumption in China?

As for China vs Japan Did anything like this happen in post war Japan?


In China Public Rage Explodes At Mass Children Attack | Chinese Economy: Wage Growth | New Mega-Dam

The above this isn't 100% true. It is worse the guy in the above video is from New Zealand but calls China home. So he has to be careful what he posts. Though he is conservative in what he says, he is otherwise a pretty good source about China.


China is SO MUCH WORSE Than You Imagine

The CCP is one of the most incompetent due to CCP corruption of all governments in history. It has been burning China's future in favor of its own power and wealth for over 70 years. If the Chinese people finally decide they will no longer allow themselves to be beaten by a dead horse, I am sure they can do very well. But until the CCP is gone that is not going to happen.

[Doc]

MIT Tech Rev | The latest threat from the rise of Chinese manufacturing

MIT economist David Autor first documented the loss of millions of jobs to Chinese imports a decade ago. Now he sees an even more serious danger if the US loses the race for advanced manufacturing.

For example, PR China first contracted high speed rail trains from Hitachi, Alstom, and Bombardier while it learned the technology.
The next generation of high speed trains, designed by and built in PR China, will run at 400 kph [249 mph]. The fastest on steel rail to-date.

Why are China’s Trains Randomly Crashing? - The Hidden Disaster of the High Speed Rail Network

[Typhoon]

MIT Tech Rev | The latest threat from the rise of Chinese manufacturing

MIT economist David Autor first documented the loss of millions of jobs to Chinese imports a decade ago. Now he sees an even more serious danger if the US loses the race for advanced manufacturing.

For example, PR China first contracted high speed rail trains from Hitachi, Alstom, and Bombardier while it learned the technology.
The next generation of high speed trains, designed by and built in PR China, will run at 400 kph [249 mph]. The fastest on steel rail to-date.

Why are China’s Trains Randomly Crashing? - The Hidden Disaster of the High Speed Rail Network

How do you manage to find these social media morans?

Wikipedia | Wenzhou train collision

The Wenzhou train collision was a railway accident that occurred on 23 July 2011, when a high-speed train travelling on the Yong-Tai-Wen railway line collided into the rear of another stationary train on a viaduct in Lucheng District, Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China. The two trains derailed, and four carriages fell off the viaduct.[3] 40 people were killed,[2] and at least 192 were injured, 12 severely.[4] This disaster was caused by both defects in railway signal design and poor management by the railway company.[5]

The collision is the only fatal crash involving high-speed rail (HSR) in China, and is the third-deadliest HSR accident in history, after the 1998 Eschede train disaster in Germany and 2013 Santiago de Compostela derailment in Spain. High speed was not a factor in the accident, however, since neither train was moving faster than 99 km/h (62 mph), a moderate speed for a passenger train.

Anecdotally, In the past I have travelled extensively on the PR China HSR, from Beijing to Shanghai to Guangzhou and numerous points in between, and was impressed. Again, not cheering for PR China rather stating the reality of my own direct experience.
Wishful and/or delusional thinking does not benefit the West or Japan.

[Doc]

Why are China’s Trains Randomly Crashing? - The Hidden Disaster of the High Speed Rail Network

How do you manage to find these social media morans?

They lived in China for 10 years and were quite positive about China's development and future until they decided they had to leave. THough I could ask you how you managed to find a moronic online "encyclopedia'

https://web.archive.org/web/20220612014 ... ent-china/

High-speed train derailment in China kills 1, injures 8
June 4, 2022 / 7:28 AM / AP

Wikipedia | Wenzhou train collision

The Wenzhou train collision was a railway accident that occurred on 23 July 2011, when a high-speed train travelling on the Yong-Tai-Wen railway line collided into the rear of another stationary train on a viaduct in Lucheng District, Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China. The two trains derailed, and four carriages fell off the viaduct.[3] 40 people were killed,[2] and at least 192 were injured, 12 severely.[4] This disaster was caused by both defects in railway signal design and poor management by the railway company.[5]

The collision is the only fatal crash involving high-speed rail (HSR) in China, and is the third-deadliest HSR accident in history, after the 1998 Eschede train disaster in Germany and 2013 Santiago de Compostela derailment in Spain. High speed was not a factor in the accident, however, since neither train was moving faster than 99 km/h (62 mph), a moderate speed for a passenger train.

Anecdotally, In the past I have travelled extensively on the PR China HSR, from Beijing to Shanghai to Guangzhou and numerous points in between, and was impressed. Again, not cheering for PR China rather stating the reality of my own direct experience.
Wishful and/or delusional thinking does not benefit the West or Japan.

I have been making the point over and over here that the Chinese people are quite good with technology. Unfortunately their government is one of the worst in human history. And High speed rail is but one of many examples of that. China rail owes $850 billion in debt.

In the US James Carville once famously said "Its the economy stupid"
In China is is more like "Its the land stupid" As no one that has a say care much about the economy.

The Dark Economics Behind China’s High-Speed Rail ‘Miracle’

On Asia's Rail Networks: China Reopens "Ghost Stations", Japan Rail's Troubles | CNA Correspondent

[Typhoon]

How do you manage to find these social media morans?

They lived in China for 10 years and were quite positive about China's development and future until they decided they had to leave. THough I could ask you how you managed to find a moronic online "encyclopedia'

https://web.archive.org/web/20220612014 ... ent-china/

High-speed train derailment in China kills 1, injures 8
June 4, 2022 / 7:28 AM / AP

Wikipedia | Wenzhou train collision



Anecdotally, In the past I have travelled extensively on the PR China HSR, from Beijing to Shanghai to Guangzhou and numerous points in between, and was impressed. Again, not cheering for PR China rather stating the reality of my own direct experience.
Wishful and/or delusional thinking does not benefit the West or Japan.

I have been making the point over and over here that the Chinese people are quite good with technology. Unfortunately their government is one of the worst in human history. And High speed rail is but one of many examples of that. China rail owes $850 billion in debt.

In the US James Carville once famously said "Its the economy stupid"
In China is is more like "Its the land stupid" As no one that has a say care much about the economy.

The Dark Economics Behind China’s High-Speed Rail ‘Miracle’

On Asia's Rail Networks: China Reopens "Ghost Stations", Japan Rail's Troubles | CNA Correspondent

Well, the shinkansen [high speed rail, literally "new trunk line"] stations for the new Hokuriku line, from Tokyo to Tsuruga, were built long before the trains began to run. If the CNA reporter had visited, say, Fukui station back in 2023 she could have also reported on a "ghost station".

As for PR China, about 10 years ago I visited a massive newly-built hospital just outside of Beijing.
About 5000 beds if memory serves.
Part of the Peking University hospital system. It was effectively empty [the nurses were thrilled to see anyone other than my host Peking U prof and spoiled us]. Rather it has been built in anticipation of the outward expansion of the Beijing suburbs. Today it's busy.

While I'm no fan of the CCP and the Great Pooh Emperor, in my view, Western conservatives look at PR China with eyes wide shut. They underestimate PR China mirroring how they overestimated the former SU.

Referring to Chinese today as "peasants assembling products" in factories demonstrates a rather high level of naïveté.

[Typhoon]

JT | China’s new production model export

The country's most important export today is not a product, but a more efficient production process

[Doc]

They lived in China for 10 years and were quite positive about China's development and future until they decided they had to leave. THough I could ask you how you managed to find a moronic online "encyclopedia'

https://web.archive.org/web/20220612014 ... ent-china/

I have been making the point over and over here that the Chinese people are quite good with technology. Unfortunately their government is one of the worst in human history. And High speed rail is but one of many examples of that. China rail owes $850 billion in debt.

In the US James Carville once famously said "Its the economy stupid"
In China is is more like "Its the land stupid" As no one that has a say care much about the economy.

The Dark Economics Behind China’s High-Speed Rail ‘Miracle’

On Asia's Rail Networks: China Reopens "Ghost Stations", Japan Rail's Troubles | CNA Correspondent

Well, the shinkansen [high speed rail, literally "new trunk line"] stations for the new Hokuriku line, from Tokyo to Tsuruga, were built long before the trains began to run. If the CNA reporter had visited, say, Fukui station back in 2023 she could have also reported on a "ghost station".

As for PR China, about 10 years ago I visited a massive newly-built hospital just outside of Beijing.
About 5000 beds if memory serves.
Part of the Peking University hospital system. It was effectively empty [the nurses were thrilled to see anyone other than my host Peking U prof and spoiled us]. Rather it has been built in anticipation of the outward expansion of the Beijing suburbs. Today it's busy.

While I'm no fan of the CCP and the Great Pooh Emperor, in my view, Western conservatives look at PR China with eyes wide shut. They underestimate PR China mirroring how they overestimated the former SU.

Referring to Chinese today as "peasants assembling products" in factories demonstrates a rather high level of naïveté.

I have seen examples of Chinese people being extremely sophisticated technically. IN what they used to refer to in China as the "sharing economy". That at the time seemed to be running not only into the lack of long term payoff problem, But that the CCP didn't care and inadvertently destroyed it at its roots.

The CCP is corruption poison. They don't give a damn about the Chinese people. Sure you can point to high speed trains and some other things. But I can point to things like their air defense radar being at least a decade behind Russia. Or not being capable of building high performance jet engines. OR the massive pollution of China's ground water. The corruption is not compatible with long term technological development. As the leadership of the SOviet Union found out not all that long before it collapsed.

The Soviets' had excellent scientists. First rate in a lot of cases. When it was decided that they had to modernize their manufacturing abilities that managed to get a western made robot and took it apart to copy it. They were shocked to find that they could not copy many of the robot's components. Primarily the stepper motors. And they were not nearly corrupt moneywise as the CCP. Most of the production improvements were due to foreign companies rushing to China to build cheap products, and bringing the manufacturing tech with them.

[Typhoon]

Culture is a great intangible.

Soviet Russia stole lots of Western and Japanese intellectual property, yet could not capitalize on having done so.

PR China joint-ventured with major Western and Japanese firms, learned, then mastered, the engineering and technology, and set up an all-Chinese company across the street.

As for all the Western wannabe pundits on Yt, the comment by Marx [Groucho, the smart one] comes to mind:

"Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?"


FT | How China pulled off a great tech reversal

How China pulled off a great tech reversal-FT.pdf

(2.53 MiB) Downloaded 570 times

[Typhoon]

On the other hand, PR China currently does have a unique challenge in contrast to most other developed nations: deflation instead of inflation.

Bloomberg | The True Cost of [PR] China’s Falling Prices

[Typhoon]

FT - China shock 2.0_ the flood of high-tech goods that will change the world.pdf

(10.65 MiB) Downloaded 559 times

[Typhoon]

The Empire of Wuxi

Debajit Ghosh

. . . What fascinated me was that this is not merely a story about Wuxi or manufacturing. It is a story about how industrial ecosystems compound over decades until they become nearly impossible to replicate elsewhere.

People often discuss technological dominance as if it comes from one breakthrough company or one brilliant policy. But systems rarely work that way.

What China appears to have built in places like Wuxi is not just capacity, but dense interdependence:

universities, suppliers, logistics, local governments, skilled labor, financing, tacit knowledge, and rapid feedback loops all reinforcing one another simultaneously.

Quite.