On the Nature of Things | Forum

In one photograph, six female sailors in camouflaged uniforms pose on a breakwall with a greenhouse in the background. Another picture shows a female sailor – or naval officer, it’s not clear – standing by a stone plinth reading “Awe-inspiring South China Sea”

“Plenty of facts show that, in 2014, the U.S., a self-proclaimed human rights defender, saw no improvements in its existent human rights issues, but reported numerous new problems,” said the Chinese report, published Friday by the information office of China’s State Council, the country’s Cabinet. “While its own human rights situation was increasingly grave, the U.S. violated human rights in other countries in a more brazen manner.”

America’s record remained blotted by rampant gun crime, racial discrimination, the pernicious influence of money in politics, widening income and social inequality, and state infringements of individual privacy, according to the State Council’s latest yearly assessment.

By Beijing’s reckoning, the U.S. also violated human rights abroad through the use of torture, mass electronic surveillance of foreign governments and citizens, and frequent military drone attacks that have inflicted civilian casualties.

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“We couldn’t help but have humility when we have seen what we have seen in the last year in terms of racial discord and unrest. So we approach this with great self-awareness,” Mr. Kerry said. “But we also understand that when human rights is the issue, every country, including the United States, has room to improve.”

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http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/67 ... o-china-xi


"Xi Jinping is trying to convince his country’s 1.3 billion people that the way to re-establish Chinese greatness is to undermine the United States and enhance China's influence at our expense," Rubio said, according to prepared remarks.

"He is asserting control over the East and South China Seas, through which more than half of global commerce passes each day."

"Under Xi Jinping's rule, China has intensified its campaign to push America out of Asia," Rubio said.

"China aims to make it so costly and difficult for America to get involved in the region that we won’t bother. In short, China is doing everything it can to make the 21st century a Chinese Century."

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Endovelico wrote:Dedicated to those who wonder how it was...

This means that China’s overall debt-to-GDP ratio is continuing its steady upward march (see chart). Debt was about 160% of annual output in 2007. Now, China’s debt ratio stands at more than 240%, or 161 trillion yuan ($25 trillion), according to calculations by The Economist. It has risen by nearly 50 percentage points over the past four years alone, with slowing growth only serving to magnify indebtedness.

A rapid increase in debt in a short space of time has historically been a good predictor of financial trouble, from Japan in the 1990s to southern Europe in the 2000s*. But there is no level that automatically triggers crises. Since most of China’s debts are held within the government-controlled bits of its economy (state-owned firms are the biggest debtors and state-owned banks their biggest creditors), the country has the means to avoid an acute crisis. It can, in effect, roll over bad loans as they come due or abstain from calling them in. However, although that spares the economy short-term pain, it leaves it with a chronic ailment. Ever more credit is needed to sustain growth. Loans that should have gone to sprightly companies with promising new ideas go instead to corporate zombies.

Typhoon wrote:CCP is trying to go hipster:

m91zBt94Ll0

Simple Minded wrote:

Typhoon wrote:CCP is trying to go hipster:

m91zBt94Ll0

Catchier than "I love NY!" but not as good as the classic:

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

The leaders of Taiwan and China formally meet for the first time since 1949.

An hour later they want to meet again.

Typhoon wrote:

The leaders of Taiwan and China formally meet for the first time since 1949.

An hour later they want to meet again.

Heracleum Persicum wrote:

Typhoon wrote:

The leaders of Taiwan and China formally meet for the first time since 1949.

An hour later they want to meet again.

One by one they comet back to DaDi


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Typhoon wrote:

Heracleum Persicum wrote:

Typhoon wrote:

The leaders of Taiwan and China formally meet for the first time since 1949.

An hour later they want to meet again.

One by one they comet back to DaDi


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Missed the joke.

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Typhoon wrote:For Chinese tourists, Japan's reality doesn't match Party views

China took another step to boost the yuan’s global usage, saying it will start direct trading with the Swiss franc, as the nation pushes its case for reserve-currency status at the International Monetary Fund.

Heracleum Persicum wrote:

Typhoon wrote:

Heracleum Persicum wrote:

Typhoon wrote:

The leaders of Taiwan and China formally meet for the first time since 1949.

An hour later they want to meet again.

One by one they comet back to DaDi


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Missed the joke.

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Understand

takes time to kick in

Chinese think in 100 yrs terms .. for China next yr means within next 100 yrs

Where will US be in 100 yrs ? ? .. that is what Taiwan must ask .. the answer is obvious, that is why Ma Ying-jeou shook hand with Xi Jinping (look how happy they are), am sure with American encouragement, wisely.

Lately, seems Abe too climbing down from sable rattling, wise move .. China was never an aggressive nation, not so Japan

Heracleum Persicum wrote:

Typhoon wrote:For Chinese tourists, Japan's reality doesn't match Party views

Chinese tourist feel at home in Japan .. they think Japanese Chinese (my Chinese very knowledgable friend in Vancouver said so)

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