Friday 29th of March 2024

war of words, trade and power...

lost in words
War of words: how the United States got lost in Chinese translation


  • US officials accused of manipulating textual nuances in Chinese warfare book to support tough China policy
  • US author accuses China of using a ‘secret code’ in its language to hide a plot to top the US as a world power
As US-China tensions rise, hawks in both countries agree on one thing: America’s understanding of China has been lost in translation.

The sides – which are locked in a trade war – accuse each other of misusing – or misappropriating – the ambiguity of the Chinese language.

Some Beijing officials have accused those in the United States of manipulating the language’s nuances to move American public opinion and decision-making to favour US interests. For their part, however, US hawks have been far harsher in linking the words that Chinese people use for communication to a plot to displace the US as the global superpower.

“The language’s very complexity is like a secret code,” wrote Michael Pillsbury, a White House adviser and author of The Hundred-Year Marathon, a book said to have greatly influenced the Trump administration’s hard-nosed China policy.

 

Read more:

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2169899/ambiguity-chinese-words-sparks-charges-distortion-us-china

it's all clear in chinese...

book

 

With about five times the population of the USA, and 10 times the dedication to industrious manufacture, plus a rigorous plan for the future, it would be inconceivable that China would not surpass the USA in many aspect, including trade. While the USA bombs anyone who does not agree with their CocaDonald's policies and keep little countries in a state of slavery for the benefit of the Empire, the Chinese are ready and willing to share in ways that are mutually beneficial.

stupid warring general concept...

The former US commander in Europe urged NATO allies to ramp up their defense efforts, as the US will not be able to protect Europe from Russia and fight China at the same time.

Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, a former US Army commander in Europe, said Wednesday that the US will likely be at war with China within 15 years.

Speaking before an audience at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland, Hodges said that European countries will have to do more to ensure their own defenses in the face of a "resurgent Russia," because the US will need to focus more attention on defending its interests in the Pacific.

"The United States needs a very strong European pillar. I think in 15 years — it's not inevitable, but it is a very strong likelihood that we will be at war with China," Hodges said.

"The United States does not have the capacity to do everything it has to do in Europe and in the Pacific to deal with the Chinese threat," he added, echoing sentiments previously expressed by US President Donald Trump, who has complained repeatedly that Washington bears most of the NATO burden while European nations are unwilling to boost their defense spending.

 

However, Hodges reiterated that US commitment to NATO is "unshakable," saying that while Trump has questioned NATO's usefulness, Washington still views Europe's security as a key US interest.

 

Read more:

https://sputniknews.com/military/201810251069191525-ben-hodges-war-china-likely/

 

One has to be annoyed at this type of comment by stupid generals. Generals want war. They are bred for fighting wars. Peace is anathema to them. The only problem is than any wars on a global scale which would be if one attacks the Russians or the Chinese would end up with the end of humanity as we know it. full stop. May be humanity is not worth much, but there must better ways to survive than wage war willy nilly...

Where do people in charge find these psycho generals? 

the insane western world...

By  Andre Vltchek

The insanity and vileness of Western anti-Chinese propaganda used to make some of my Chinese friends cry late at night. But things are changing. The lunacy of what is said and written about China (and Russia, of course), in the US and Europe, is now clearly reflecting frustration and the bad manners of sore losers. One could almost be inclined to pity the Western empire, if only it wasn’t so violently murderous.

The Empire’s propagandists are pitying nobody – they are now shooting like maniacs, but without any coherent plan.

Various Western ‘experts’ and journalists cannot really agree on the basics: ‘what is really wrong with China’. But they are paid extremely well to find new and newer skeletons in the huge Chinese closets, and so they are constantly competing with each other, looking for the juiciest and the most scandalous stories. Often it appears that it pays to assume that absolutely everything is flawed with the most populous, and on top of it, Communist (with the ‘Chinese characteristics, of course) country on earth!

China will end extreme poverty by 2020, but do not look for cheers and applause from Berlin, Paris, London and Washington. China is far ahead of all the large countries on earth in building a so-called ‘ecological civilization’, but who is willing to notice? China is constructing public parks, boardwalks and playgrounds, the biggest on earth, but who cares? The Chinese government is introducing sweeping educational reforms, while flooding the entire nation with concert halls, museums and theatres. But that’s not worth mentioning, obviously!

Western propaganda tries to discredit China literally from both ‘left and right’, sometimes accusing it for being too Communist, but when it is suitable, even for ‘not being Communist enough’.

The New York Times ran a cover-page story on October 5, 2018, “Unlikely foe for China’s leaders: Marxists”. For this highly sarcastic piece, a reporter visited the Chinese city of Huizhou, from where he wrote about a group of over-zealous young Marxists who are demanding things to be as they were in Mao’s days:

But the Huizhou activists represent a threat the authorities did not expect.”

Seriously? A threat? China is moving towards Communism, again, under the current leadership. We are talking about democratic, socially-oriented Communism. But let us not argue with the official U.S. newspaper. It is definitely not a pro-Communist publication, but they had to show some sympathy (by running a cover story!) to a small bunch of over-zealous ‘opposition’ Marxists, just to spread doubts among the readers, suggesting that the Chinese government is not that Red, anymore.

The next day (Saturday-Sunday edition, October 6-7, 2018), the same New York Timespublished two cover stories on China. One was along its usual anti- Chinese and anti-Russian conspiracy lines “Will China hack U.S. mid-terms?”, but the other basically contradicted the story from the previous day, accusing Beijing this time of cutting the wings of private companies: “Beijing is pushing back into business”, with a sub-title:

Government flexes muscle as private companies that built economy lose ground.”

‘Wherever it can hurt China, just write it’, could be the credo of thousands of European and North American journos: ‘as long as the news about or from China is bad, really dark and negative, anything goes!’

Too much Communism, or too little… As far as the West is concerned – China can never get it right! Because… simply because it is China, because it is Asia, and because it waves the red flags.

And so, The New York Times ran two totally contradictory stories. An editorial blunder, or a pre-meditated attempt to inflict maximum damage, by kicking ‘left and right’?

*

It is, of course, fun, to follow this propaganda trend, ‘from a safe distance’ (meaning: ‘not believing a word of what it says’). But what is happening is not a joke; what is being done can actually be deadly. It can trigger, unexpectedly, a chain of events that could truly hurt China.

‘An explosion’ could originate in Taiwan, in Southeast Asia, or from the PRC territory itself.

Look at Brazil, look at Venezuela! Look at all those Color Revolutions, Umbrella Revolutions, ‘Springs’ from Europe to Arab countries. And look at China itself: who triggered; who sponsored the so-called Tiananmen Square events? There is clearly enough evidence, by now, that it was not some spontaneous student rebellion.

The West has convinced several countries such as the Philippines, that they should confront China, through various territorial claims in which, honestly, almost no serious Filipino historian or political scientist is ready to believe (unless he or she paid royally from abroad). I talked directly to several top historians and political scientists in Manila, and I got a clear picture of whom and what is behind those territorial claims. I wrote about it in the past, and soon will again.

China is too big to tolerate dangerous subversions from abroad. Its leadership knows well: when the country is in disarray, hundreds of millions of human beings suffer. To preserve the nation’s territorial integrity is essential.

*

So, what is China really; in a summary?

It is a Communist (or you may call it a socialist) country with thousands of years of a great and comparatively egalitarian history. It has a mixed economy but with central planning (government tells the companies what to do, not vice-versa). It is clearly the most successful nation on earth when it comes to working on behalf of, and for the benefit of its citizens. It is also the most peaceful large nation on earth. And here are two more essential points: China is at the forefront of saving the world from the looming ecological disaster. And it has no colonies, or ‘neo’-colonies, being essentially an ‘internationalist’ state.

Its political system, economy, culture: all are diametrically different from those in the West.

China has millions of things to say about how this planet should be governed, how it should be marching forward, and what is true democracy (rule of the people).

Now honestly: does Western mainstream, which manufactures ‘public opinion’ all over the world, allows many Chinese (PRC) patriots, Communists, thinkers, to appear on television screens, or to write op-eds?

We know the answer. Almost exclusively, it is the Westerners who are, (by the Western rulers), entrusted with the tremendous task of ‘defining what China is or isn’t’. And what the entire world is or isn’t.

If China says that it is ‘socialist with Chinese characteristics’, they say ‘No!’ with their perfect Oxford accents. And their arrogance from telling the greatest civilization on earth what it actually is or isn’t, gets accepted because of the fact that most of them are white, and they speak perfect English (paradoxically, still a seal of trustworthiness, at least in certain circles).

The West never hears what the Chinese or Russians think about the world. While the Chinese and Russians are literally bombarded by what the West thinks about them.

Even Chinese people used to listen to such ‘false prophets’ from the ‘civilized West’. Now they know better. Same as the Russians know better. Same as many in Latin America know better.

The spread of Western propaganda and dogmas used to appear as a battle, an ideological combat, for Chinese and Russian brains (if not for hearts). Or at least it appeared as such, to many naïve, trusting people.

Now it is all much simpler and ‘in the open’: the battle continues, but the frontlines and goals have shifted. How?

What is taking place these days, is simply an enormous clash between Western imperialism plus its propaganda, versus the determination of the Chinese and Russian people to live their own lives the way they choose. Or to put it into even simpler terms: the battle is raging between Western imperialism on one side, and democracy with ‘Chinese and Russian characteristics’ on the other.

West is bashing China and Russia ‘left and right’, literally. But it is definitely not winning!

First published by NEO – New Eastern Outlook

 

Read more:

https://off-guardian.org/2018/10/27/desperate-west-bashing-russia-china-...

 

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the not the gulf of mexico stand off... in nutsos...

the silk purse strings...

The Silk Road and Israël


by Thierry Meyssan


Beijing continues unceasingly to develop its « Silk Road » project. China’s vice-President, Wang Qishan, has undertaken a tour of the Near East which took him to Israël for four days. According to the agreements which have already been signed, within two years China will control the major part of Israël’s agro-food industry, its high technology and its international exchanges. A free trade agreement should follow, and the geopolitics of the whole region will be turned upside down.

The visit of Chinese vice-president Wang Qishan to Israël, Palestine, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates is aimed at developing the « New Silk Road ».


In the autumn of 2013, China made public its project for the creation of maritime and especially terrestrial communication routes across the world. It unblocked colossal sums of money and began to realise its plan at a rapid rate. The main axes will cross either Asia or Russia towards Western Europe. But it is also planning routes across Africa and Latin America.


The obstacles to the New Silk Road


The project is going to meet two obstacles, one of them economic, the other strategic.


From the Chinese point of view, this project is aimed at exporting its products according to the model of the ancient « Silk Road » which, from the 2nd to the 15th century, linked China to Europe via the Ferghana Valley, Iran and Syria. At the time, this concerned transporting products from town to town, so that at each stage they were exchanged for other goods according to the needs of the local merchants. However, today, on the contrary, China hopes to sell directly to Europe and the world. But their products are no longer exotic wares (silks, spices, etc.) but identical to those of the Europeans, and often of superior quality. The commercial route has been transformed into a super-highway. While Marco Polo was dazzled by the silks from the Far East without their equivalent in Italy, Angela Merkel is terrified at the idea of seeing her automobile industry destroyed by her Chinese competitors. The developed countries are therefore going to have to do business with Beijing, and at the same time, protect their industries from economic shock.


By massively exporting its production, China will take over the commercial place that the United Kingdom - at first alone, then with the United States - has occupied since the industrial revolution. It was specifically to maintain this supremacy that Churchill and Roosevelt signed the Atlantic Charter and the United States engaged in the Second World War. It is therefore probable that the Anglo-Saxons will not hesitate to employ military force in order to hinder the Chinese project [1], just as they did in 1941 when faced with the German and Japanese projects.


Already in 2013, the Pentagon published the Wright plan, which programmed the creation of a new state straddling Iraq and Syria in order to cut the Silk Road between Baghdad and Damascus. This mission was carried out by Daesh - China therefore modified the layout of its route. Beijing finally decided to build the route through Egypt, and invested in the doubling of the Suez Canal and the creation of a vast industrial zone 120 kilometres from Cairo [2]. Similarly, the Pentagon organised a « colour revolution » in Ukraine in order to cut the European route, and stirred up trouble in Nicaragua in order to prevent the construction of a new canal linking the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.


Despite the unprecedented importance of Chinese investment in the New Silk Road, we have to remember that in the 15th century, China launched a formidable navy in order to secure its markets. Admiral Zheng He, « the eunuch with three gems », fought the pirates of Sri Lanka,built pagodas in Ethiopia and made the pilgrimage to Mecca. Notwithstanding, on his return, for reasons of interior politics, the Emperor abandoned the Silk Road and burned his ships. China then withdrew into itself. So we should not imagine that, from the Chinese point of view, the current project is a pre-ordained success.


In the recent past, China invested in the Middle East with the sole idea of ensuring its supply of oil. It built refineries in Iraq which were inconveniently destroyed either by Daesh or by the Western Forces who were pretending to combat the Islamists. Beijing also became the main buyer of Saudi Arabia’s « black gold ». It also constructed in the Kingdom the gigantic oil complex of Yasref-Yanbu for 10 billion dollars.

 

Read more:

http://www.voltairenet.org/article203672.html

 

playing monopoly on a multipoly board...

In the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission's annual report for the US Congress, legislators will be called upon to extend measures put in place to counteract a purported threat of Chinese global expansion, contending that Beijing threatens Washington's national security and economic interests, as well as those of its allies.

A congressionally-appointed commission has published a report targeting Chinese expansion, ahead of the meeting between US President Trump and Chinese President Xi at the G20 summit in Argentina.

The United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission (US-China Commission) advises the US Congress on issues of national security, trade and economic relations with China. While preparing the 525-page paper, the experts visited Japan and Taiwan. US-China Commission members didn't manage to obtain visas to conduct research in China.

The report says that China is looking to change the world order to facilitate the promotion of its interests. It called on Congress to insist that special services investigate the growing access of China to countries participating in the "Belt and Road Initiative" for America's security. The Commission has also recommended that Congress establish a foundation to provide aid to countries that are susceptible to Chinese economic or diplomatic pressure. In particular, they want to provide the countries of the Indo-Pacific region with digital communication, infrastructure and access to energy resources.

Beijing considers these allegations to be unwarranted and biased, and sees these charges as an attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the country.

Li Kai, an expert from the Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, has outlined in a written interview with Sputnik that the logic of the report is deeply flawed.

"The United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission's report is an example of a biased opinion of the Westerners towards China. This misunderstanding is a result of the long-term demonization of China. No matter what the PRC does, in the West, it is interpreted as an evil plan. This concept is deeply rooted. The report states that the US will create a foundation to intrude in China's projects abroad and neutralize its influence. From my standpoint, this initiative is shortsighted in terms of logic and rationality."

READ MORE: US-China Trade War Can Strengthen National Unity, Trump Says

"The initial intention of China to promote the Belt and Road Initiative is connected to the surplus of economic capacity inside the country, especially in the sphere of infrastructural construction. Demands for these services in China are close to being fully satisfied, and the country is hoping to export its strong construction capacities to other countries and contribute to the satisfaction of global demand in this sphere. Internal overcapacity is what most developing countries really need. If some countries lack funding, China is willing to offer them loans. It's a win-win strategy for China and the rest of the world."

Read more:

https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201811181069902177-prc-usa-trade-war/