Look at Russia, china and Iran and then you explain us in how far change-by-trade has worked good for us. It worked for them no doubt. But not for us. We won oursleves three ever more powerful and ruthlessly acting enemies that without change-by-trade doctrine would not be where they are now.

I have boiled it down to two question

1. How eager is China in their effort to take Taiwan ?
and if this is true then:
2. What type of response can we expect from our politicians ?

These are the most important questions.

Markus

Xi Jinping is all mouth and no trousers, the outrage by celebrities and citizens alike from all over the world will be China's undoing, it will be economic Armageddon for China and they know it.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/fede...03-p57ogv.html


https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/05/c...hnk/index.html


Still, the Australians seem to really try to get the Chinese out of Port Darwin.


I wish Europeans would do similarly with Chinese beachheads in Europe. As far as I am concerned we already are at war with china, just short of the dropping-bombs level. Trade, finances, economic dependencies, cyberwar,m economic espionage, theft of business informations. And still Europeans stick their heads into the sand .


Appeasement, indifference, optimistic "hope" - the traditional recipe for utmost desaster.

Nationalistic sentiment can unleash its own dynamic that the man at the helm than no longer controls. I do not rule caculöated war. But I also do not rule out war that is not wanted, but happens due to this situational self-dynamic, or accident. The Chinese behaviour has become extremely aggressive. And they do not leave it just to words anymore.
And not underestimate this: in their view they claim what is their legitimate historical heritage anyway. China has always seen itself as the navel of the Earth, the centre of things, the focus of all human civilization. In their thinking we owe to them to accept their claim for dominance.
Very feudal a selfunderstanding.

Whichever way it ends up going to we will probably find out within the next five to ten years.

Thankfully I'm too old for conscription but my kids aren't.

Sometimes even a blind hen can find a grain.
Die Zeit writes:



The investment agreement between the European Union and China has been postponed for a longer period. Work on it could only be resumed once the relationship with the leadership in China relaxes, leading MEPs assume. The deepening of economic relations between the EU and China aimed at with the agreement will thus be postponed for an indefinite period of time. The background to the tensions are, among other things, Beijing’s measures against EU parliamentarians. -

In March, the EU imposed sanctions on four party and regional representatives from Xinjiang Province for cracking down on the Muslim Uyghur minority. In response to the EU sanctions, Beijing for its part imposed sanctions on EU politicians and scientists, including Reinhard Bütikofer, the EU-Green China expert, and Michael Gahler, the CDU MEP. Beijing's reactions to elected representatives and independent scientists were disproportionate compared to the more symbolic measures taken by the EU. -

According to Bütikofer, China's leadership has "grossly miscalculated" the sanctions against EU representatives. It was a "personal embarrassment" for President Xi Jinping, who had made Europe and the trade agreement a top priority in December. Xi did not achieve his goals, despite the active help of Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and French President Emmanuel Macron, said Bütikofer. -

The agreement was staged by Merkel and Macron without proper consultations with other EU countries, says the chairman of the trade committee in the EU parliament, Bernd Lange (SPD). It should be enforced "with the crowbar". The agreement is now in the fridge, he sees "little chance" that something will change in the next two years - "especially not as long as the sanctions against colleagues continue to apply". -
-----------

What now is important is that this stupid treaty does not get revived later on and the usual EU gangsters like Merkel, Macron et. al. do not conspirate behind locked door in some hidden backroom again to play foul once again. The EU has a well-established tradition to do like this: if the head sof sates do not get their will by the rules, then they do what they must to get it by bending and even breaking the rules.

Any further Chinese aggression may help in achieving this goal, I hope. But then, I also know that politics often only has a short-term memory, and that its real name of the game is, in Monopoly-style, "Opportunismy".

It has always been that way with those two...quite sickening really.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/t...asion-n1266216


I do not really agree with that opportunistic "optimism".

I agree that if Xi wants to create a legacy, he must not necessarily pick Taiwan, but could also choose to start a war with Japan over the known disputed islands. China could take them in a surprise coup and then dig itself deeply in, making it very difficult if not impossible for Japan to kick them out (since Japan's military also is untested and not really in top shape anymore, and limited in numbers). Any internatonal sanctions and sentiment against China could then help the regime to strengthen its position with the people at home.

https://translate.google.com/transla.../27172172.html

When you have a criminal regime of barbars and hijackers in place, such things can happen. I also remind of the laws regarding HongKong that put every foreign travel at risk as well.

Businessmen and private tourists alike should boycott travels to China. Western states should mull legislation that makes it clear that everybody doing so does so at his own risk and that his nation's government will and must not do anything to get him unlocked and released again. The Chinese blackmailing must be interrupted this way. If you think you must go to China - do it at your own damn risk. No political concessions by your nation must be undertaken to get you out again if you are the lucky winner of a special Chinese hospitality.

I think we should and must also end the access of Chinese students to Western universities. There is no chnage coming from trade or tourism or student exchnage, it only strengthens the Chiense reiogme,l does so since severla decades. Has not worked with Russia as well, the cold war seems to be as cold again as it ever was. Its a know-how-drain and a transfer of expertise to a hostile regime. And the regime in Bejing abuses this option systematcially. Student exhcnage to them is an state-ordered intel operation.

So, with this now I think I can forget any idea about travelling to China myself. Would be a dumb move form my side, when the NSA can track every keyboard button press I do, then the Chinese services can probably do something like that as well. Not that I ever wanted to go there...

"Touristen sind eine lustgesteuerte saudämliche Meute." (a former history teacher from my schooldays on travels to exotic places in natural habitats - and he said that already in the early 80s :) )

Uyghur imams targeted in China's Xinjiang crackdown

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-56986057

China has invested heavily in Africa, and it goes on..
"Sierra Leone sells rainforest for Chinese harbour"

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...fishmeal-plant

We must thank EU to very weak deal in trade and any economic stimulus, but each country have a responsible to act accordingly in that way, however it's too late for that to have impact in current situation.

The thugs in Beijing show again what beautiful new black leather gloves they have.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57328868

I fear the South China Sea is already as good as lost to the Chinese.