It isn't just GOOGLE


Quote:

U.S.-Chinese relations have become tenser in recent months, with the United States threatening to impose tariffs unless China agrees to revalue its currency and, ideally, allow it to become convertible like the yen or euro. China now follows Japan and Germany as one of the three major economies after the United States. Unlike the other two, it controls its currency’s value, allowing it to decrease the price of its exports and giving it an advantage not only over other exporters to the United States but also over domestic American manufacturers. The same is true in other regions that receive Chinese exports, such as Europe. What Washington considered tolerable in a small developing economy is intolerable in one of the top five economies. The demand that Beijing raise the value of the yuan, however, poses dramatic challenges for the Chinese, as the ability to control their currency helps drive their exports. The issue is why China insists on controlling its currency, something embedded in the nature of the Chinese economy. A collision with the United States now seems inevitable.

http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20100329_china_crunch_time?utm_source=GWeekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=100330&utm_content=readmore&elq=22b40070a47041e187444a7108de8aad

Will you be ready when it comes?

If they raise the Renmin bi it will impact Chinese exports in a major way, and at least short-term, we'll have a lot more Chinese tourists who can suddenly afford to come here.

The low valuation is one of the reasons for their success.

I doubt that number of Chinese tourists (from mainland) would increase dramatically as affordability is not the only issue there. The country's communist government fears an exposure of its citizens to information available outside of the great wall as Google filtering saga has shown.

tallowood wrote on Mar 31^st, 2010 at 9:20pm:

I doubt that number of Chinese tourists (from mainland) would increase dramatically as affordability is not the only issue there. The country's communist government fears an exposure of its citizens to information available outside of the great wall as Google filtering saga has shown.

True. But as the Chinese become more affluent, attempts to limit the people's access to all the world will become increasingly quixotic and futile.

tallowood wrote on Mar 31^st, 2010 at 9:20pm:

I doubt that number of Chinese tourists (from mainland) would increase dramatically as affordability is not the only issue there. The country's communist government fears an exposure of its citizens to information available outside of the great wall as Google filtering saga has shown.

We already have a lot of Chinese tourists here in Queensland. I don't know what the numbers are like compared to Japan.

http://au.china-embassy.org/eng/ly/t57286.htm


Quote:

In 2002, 190,000 Chinese visitors travelled to Australia, representing 4 per cent of all of its inbound tourism. It was the first country to be granted ADS status by China.

Just walking around Southbank in Brisbane when I visit, I hear more obvious tourists speaking Chinese (and also Korean) nowadays than Japanese.

Assuming that all these tourists are from mainland we can see that this number is less then drop of water in ocean comparing to total population of mainland China. I also would bet that they passed the ideology check.

Anyway financial analysts believe that Chinese currency is undervalued as much as 20-40% and also that increase of the value by 7% would have dramatic effect on Chinese exports, which would translate into unemployment and massive social disorder, which Chinese government is very afraid of.

I know an old couple who take in Asian students learning English and the few mainland Chinese students they have had were all ideologically "sound" and most were the children of Communist Party seniors (not the top leadership, but significant regional seniors).

Meantime USA government is also under political pressure.


Quote:

... President Barack Obama faces intense political pressure to label China, in a semi-annual report slated for April 15, as a currency manipulator for keeping the yuan artificially weak, making it hard for U.S. firms to compete. Not mentioning the currency policy in the USTR report could upset congressional Democrats who want the Obama administration to pressure Beijing on the issue, said Scott Lincicome, a trade lawyer with White & Case in Washington. ...

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/03/31/us/politics/politics-us-trade-usa-china.html

Information flaw control in China is ridiculous.


Quote:

...Dylan had been blocked by the Chinese government. ... Permits for musicians to play on the mainland have been tightly controlled since Bjork, the Icelandic singer, enraged the authorities in Shanghai two years ago by shouting out "Tibet! Tibet!" at the end of her song: Declare Independence. The Culture ministry said Bjork's performance had "hurt the feelings of the Chinese people".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/bob-dylan/7553165/China-blocks-Bob-Dylan-concerts.html

China Crunch.

Sounds like a good name for a confectionery bar.

A tasty selection of Shanghai's finest beetles and roaches, carefully roasted then covered in rich creamy milk chocolate.

Mmmm... derrishous...

I think the China cat is out of the bag. The authorities can slow it down, but they can't stop it. Remember, this is a country of humble people who occasionally turn on their leaders and eat them. About the only thing that could actually stop the march of freedom and democracy in China is a return to grinding poverty.

freediver wrote on Apr 5^th, 2010 at 12:36pm:

About the only thing that could actually stop the march of freedom and democracy in China is a return to grinding poverty.

Which, ironically, the Chinese Communist Party are determined to eradicate (poverty, that is).

For communists, they are actually doing a remarkable job. But there is a limit to how far they can take it without giving up control.

freediver wrote on Apr 5^th, 2010 at 12:45pm:

For communists, they are actually doing a remarkable job.

Maybe they're doing it by dismantling communism and replacing it with good old fashioned Confucian authoritarianism.

Are you confusing economic and political models?

What are economic and political models in China?

Economic is the choice between communism and capitalism, or the progression along the spectrum in between. Political is the choice between democracy and dictatorship, and between freedom and oppression.

As for what they actually have, the seem to be in a state of flux. 'Interesting times'.

freediver wrote on Apr 5^th, 2010 at 8:39pm:

Economic is the choice between communism and capitalism, or the progression along the spectrum in between. Political is the choice between democracy and dictatorship, and between freedom and oppression. As for what they actually have, the seem to be in a state of flux. 'Interesting times'.

Well, they've moved rapidly towards capitalism since Deng Xiaoping's reforms.

As for the political... Well, for the Chinese, in Confucian terms, its just a matter of understanding "The Party" as a metonym for "The Emperor".

Do they really move towards capitalism or is it another NEP?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Economic_Policy

tallowood wrote on Apr 5^th, 2010 at 9:53pm:

Do they really move towards capitalism or is it another NEP? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Economic_Policy

Who knows... Time will tell.

Although its hard to imagine China's 'Little Emperor' generation giving up their affluence without a fight of civil war proportions.

Quote:

...A Chinese report says the China Iron and Steel Association has urged the boycott in protest at what it claims is a price monopoly by Anglo-Australian firms Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, and Brazil's Vale. It follows agreement by other key Asian buyers to accept price increases for three-month deals of up to 100 per cent. Trade Minister Simon Crean says such a call is contrary to China's status as a market economy....

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/05/2864493.htm

tallowood wrote on Apr 6^th, 2010 at 11:11am:

Quote: ...A Chinese report says the China Iron and Steel Association has urged the boycott in protest at what it claims is a price monopoly by Anglo-Australian firms Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, and Brazil's Vale. It follows agreement by other key Asian buyers to accept price increases for three-month deals of up to 100 per cent. Trade Minister Simon Crean says such a call is contrary to China's status as a market economy.... http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/05/2864493.htm

Seems it going to take some time for the Chinese to understand a market economy.

However, its hard to imagine mainland Chinese capitalists resenting the central government's using its clout to try and drive down import prices.

I believe we'll see a lot more of this kind of chauvinism from the Chinese.

The move by the China Iron and Steel Association may actually threaten Chinese economy.


Quote:

CISA claims the mills could afford to boycott their main suppliers because China has two months' worth of ore stockpiled. Never mind questions of how efficiently and quickly that stockpile could be moved to where it's needed most, or the supply safety margin China's mills require given already stretched infrastructure constraints, the idea of a boycott that only delays inevitable purchases for a few weeks at the risk of disrupting supply of an absolutely vital raw material is simply absurd.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/dark-cloud-for-iron-ore-lining-20100406-rnj6.html

tallowood wrote on Apr 6^th, 2010 at 12:00pm:

The move by the China Iron and Steel Association may actually threaten Chinese economy. Quote: CISA claims the mills could afford to boycott their main suppliers because China has two months' worth of ore stockpiled. Never mind questions of how efficiently and quickly that stockpile could be moved to where it's needed most, or the supply safety margin China's mills require given already stretched infrastructure constraints, the idea of a boycott that only delays inevitable purchases for a few weeks at the risk of disrupting supply of an absolutely vital raw material is simply absurd. http://www.smh.com.au/business/dark-cloud-for-iron-ore-lining-20100406-rnj6.html

Looks like they picked a bad product to quit buying. ;D

China is lacking energy seriously.
They must go to find oil, coal ...
This is threaten to nextdoor country as Vietnam, Philippines

micronews wrote on Apr 6^th, 2010 at 1:06pm:

China is lacking energy seriously. They must go to find oil, coal ... This is threaten to nextdoor country as Vietnam, Philippines

Welcome micronews. Hope you enjoy your time here.

They want coal... we got coal! All good!

micronews wrote on Apr 6^th, 2010 at 1:06pm:

China is lacking energy seriously. They must go to find oil, coal ... This is threaten to nextdoor country as Vietnam, Philippines

Chinese do it in Africa already and also it loves Iranian oil.

NorthOfNorth wrote on Apr 6^th, 2010 at 1:26pm:

micronews wrote on Apr 6th, 2010 at 1:06pm: China is lacking energy seriously. They must go to find oil, coal ... This is threaten to nextdoor country as Vietnam, Philippines Welcome micronews. Hope you enjoy your time here. They want coal... we got coal! All good!

Shen Neng 1 could break up any time to pollute GBR. How good is that?

tallowood wrote on Apr 6^th, 2010 at 9:04pm:

NorthOfNorth wrote on Apr 6th, 2010 at 1:26pm: micronews wrote on Apr 6th, 2010 at 1:06pm: China is lacking energy seriously. They must go to find oil, coal ... This is threaten to nextdoor country as Vietnam, Philippines Welcome micronews. Hope you enjoy your time here. They want coal... we got coal! All good! Shen Neng 1 could break up any time to pollute GBR. How good is that?

So, what's your point? We shouldn't dig up coal/drill for oil?

NorthOfNorth wrote on Apr 7^th, 2010 at 7:02am:

tallowood wrote on Apr 6th, 2010 at 9:04pm: NorthOfNorth wrote on Apr 6th, 2010 at 1:26pm: micronews wrote on Apr 6th, 2010 at 1:06pm: China is lacking energy seriously. They must go to find oil, coal ... This is threaten to nextdoor country as Vietnam, Philippines Welcome micronews. Hope you enjoy your time here. They want coal... we got coal! All good! Shen Neng 1 could break up any time to pollute GBR. How good is that? So, what's your point? We shouldn't dig up coal/drill for oil?

No, my point is that not all is good as claimed above.

tallowood wrote on Apr 7^th, 2010 at 9:32am:

No, my point is that not all is good as claimed above.

"All good" is a turn of phrase (used in the Australian vernacular) in this instance referring to the availability of Australian coal and for any nation wishing to buy coal. Nothing more.

That was my point about using words that don't relate to reality.

Here is another example.


Quote:

Just as in January, computer hackers based in China are being accused of cyber espionage and the Chinese government is denying involvement and calling the charges groundless. In January, the targets were Google, dozens of other companies, and the e-mail accounts of human rights activists. Following revelations about the incident, Google said it would stop censoring search results in China, a decision that led the company recently to redirect queries from mainland China to Google servers in Hong Kong. This time, the targets are the Indian Ministry of Defense, the United Nations, and the Office of the Dalai Lama, among other organizations. ...

http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/vulnerabilities/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=224201577

tallowood wrote on Apr 7^th, 2010 at 11:25am:

That was my point about using words that don't relate to reality. Here is another example.

The meaning of words is dependent on many things including the sense in which they are used within local colloquialisms. It is true that immigrants, for whom their vernacular is not that of their new homeland, will have trouble understanding the way in which some words are used.

NorthOfNorth wrote on Apr 7^th, 2010 at 2:05pm:

tallowood wrote on Apr 7th, 2010 at 11:25am: That was my point about using words that don't relate to reality. Here is another example. The meaning of words is dependent on many things including the sense in which they are used within local colloquialisms. It is true that immigrants, for whom their vernacular is not that of their new homeland, will have trouble understanding the way in which some words are used.

So GBR was crashed by immigrant ship because they did not used local colloquialisms. How vernacular is that  :D

Should we blow a passage through that pesky reef to accommodate them even more?

tallowood wrote on Apr 7^th, 2010 at 2:58pm:

NorthOfNorth wrote on Apr 7th, 2010 at 2:05pm: tallowood wrote on Apr 7th, 2010 at 11:25am: That was my point about using words that don't relate to reality. Here is another example. The meaning of words is dependent on many things including the sense in which they are used within local colloquialisms. It is true that immigrants, for whom their vernacular is not that of their new homeland, will have trouble understanding the way in which some words are used. So GBR was crashed by immigrant ship because they did not used local colloquialisms. How vernacular is that  :D

Do you think it was caused by a misunderstanding of English language instructions or had the relevant Australian Marine Safety authorities issued instructions in Australian colloquialisms or was there some other reason like, say, Australian authorities not providing a pilot vessel and/or personnel to commercial vessels?

NorthOfNorth wrote on Apr 7^th, 2010 at 3:25pm:

tallowood wrote on Apr 7th, 2010 at 2:58pm: NorthOfNorth wrote on Apr 7th, 2010 at 2:05pm: tallowood wrote on Apr 7th, 2010 at 11:25am: That was my point about using words that don't relate to reality. Here is another example. The meaning of words is dependent on many things including the sense in which they are used within local colloquialisms. It is true that immigrants, for whom their vernacular is not that of their new homeland, will have trouble understanding the way in which some words are used. So GBR was crashed by immigrant ship because they did not used local colloquialisms. How vernacular is that  :D Do you think it was caused by a misunderstanding of English language instructions or had the relevant Australian Marine Safety authorities issued instructions in Australian colloquialisms or was there some other reason like, say, Australian authorities not providing a pilot vessel and/or personnel to commercial vessels?

No, I don't think so. That is why I don't understand what words game have to do with it.

tallowood wrote on Apr 7^th, 2010 at 3:29pm:

No, I don't think so. That is why I don't understand what words game have to do with it.

I'm not sure why we're discussing this, but it was you who commented on my use of a colloquialism.

Actually I was talking about Chinese boat crunching Australian GBR as it seems symbolic the way they use shortcuts.

It was more of a collision than a crunch.

Quote:

China's trade balance turned red in March with the country's first monthly trade deficit in six years, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said Saturday. China exports were valued at 112.11 billion U.S. dollars in March, up 24.3 percent year on year, while the imports surged 66 percent to 119.35 billion U.S. dollars, resulting in a deficit of 7.24 billion U.S. dollars. The deficit was China's first since it posted a 2.26 billion deficit in April 2004, according to a report released by the GAC.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-04/10/c_13245008.htm

Looks like they're digging in for a war of resistance against revaluing the currency.

China will be the first gay superpower:

Gendercide: China's shameful massacre of unborn girls means there will soon be 30m more men than women
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1265068/China-The-worlds-new-superpower-beginning-century-supremacy-alarming-surplus-males.html

I think the answer is quite obvious - financial incentives.

freediver wrote on Apr 12^th, 2010 at 7:58pm:

I think the answer is quite obvious - financial incentives.

For what? Give you double child support for girls? Support the next generation of Chinese women who wish to take two husbands? Money for gay marriage? WHat?

Whatever their disincentives are for having more than one child, they should do the opposite for girls.

Allowing people who have a girl to have another child is also a good idea, but they shouldn't limit it to one.

I believe that FD is right about financial incentives on individual level but at which stage of going from bottom to top do they start in China?
Also where do microeconomics become macro?


Quote:

China accounted for 8% of the world economy in 2009, while using 18% of global energy, 44% of steel and 53% of cement, according to the Economic Planning Agency. Pollution surged as China's economy more than tripled in the past decade, spurring concerns that a deteriorating environment may lead to social unrest. Premier Wen Jiabao has called the country's pollution situation "grim" and pledged to limit emissions from coal-powered generators, cement and steel producers and to ensure water quality. The National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce will meet next week to discuss the new regulations aimed at luring "good foreign companies" to invest in China. China doesn't welcome foreign companies that aren't energy efficient, says the Agency. But unless China can become more efficient in its use of resources, there will simply be a limit to the growth it can attain. And with the costs of pollution and environmental degradation mounting many see China's growth strategy as one of the most unsustainable in the world.

http://csr-asia.com/index.php?id=13531

Should Australia invest loooong term with China?

Quote:

Should Australia invest loooong term with China?

For idiots, abundance reigns supreme.
China are not the idiots that the Indians are. India will hold some sway due to pure weight of numbers and the disrespect that they display in regards to the lives of their fellow countrymen.
We should not let Indians into this country. They are a different brand of dirty evil.

Soren wrote on Apr 12^th, 2010 at 10:40am:

China will be the first gay superpower: Gendercide: China's shameful massacre of unborn girls means there will soon be 30m more men than women http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1265068/China-The-worlds-new-superpower-beginning-century-supremacy-alarming-surplus-males.html

I always did think there was something camp about these brightly coloured dancing dragons at Chinese New Year.  ;D

freediver wrote on Apr 13^th, 2010 at 7:07am:

Whatever their disincentives are for having more than one child, they should do the opposite for girls. Allowing people who have a girl to have another child is also a good idea, but they shouldn't limit it to one.

Surely you cannot be serious, the fact that China has a gender imbalance is a good thing, and the fact that 30 million less women will be available for breeding, is a good thing.
A one child policy is a good thing.

Incentives for chinese, the largest mass of humans on the planet, to breed more, is freakin insane.

Now if we could get the indians to stop breeding like rabbits on viagra, then the world would be a better place.

The whole Brady Bunch ideal of big families is just an anachronistic ideal from a different era, where population pressures were not stretching every service to breaking point.
In this day and age, their should be a disincentive to having large families, especially in countries like china, and india, where population growth is becoming a global problem.

I think China has their population well and truly under control.

freediver wrote on Apr 18^th, 2010 at 8:37am:

I think China has their population well and truly under control.

A nation of only-children... a nation of egos that have never known the moderating effect of sibling competition.  :o

Oh no! They are turning into greedy, selfish westerners!

freediver wrote on Apr 18^th, 2010 at 10:11am:

Oh no! They are turning into greedy, selfish westerners!

Oh no.... Much worse than that... Imagine the blind zeal of self-loathing that drove the Cultural Revolution, reversed, then expressed through the minds of 1 billion only-children.

Imagine it flipped on it's head and rotated 45 degrees so that it becomes totally unrecognisable.

freediver wrote on Apr 18^th, 2010 at 10:54am:

Imagine it flipped on it's head and rotated 45 degrees so that it becomes totally unrecognisable.

Imagine it as raw chauvinistic zeal magnified in a society with a manufactured psychology as a result of enforced single-child families. Has there ever been a society whose population naturally prefers a single child to multiple?

Quote:

Has there ever been a society whose population naturally prefers a single child to multiple?

Plenty. But for some reason they never lasted very long.

freediver wrote on Apr 18^th, 2010 at 11:26am:

Quote: Has there ever been a society whose population naturally prefers a single child to multiple? Plenty. But for some reason they never lasted very long.

Can you name some?

For example, there was the incredible shrinking tribe of the Amazon, that was not around long enough to make a name for itself.

freediver wrote on Apr 18^th, 2010 at 1:26pm:

For example, there was the incredible shrinking tribe of the Amazon, that was not around long enough to make a name for itself.

Yep... them's the ones.

freediver wrote on Apr 18^th, 2010 at 10:11am:

Oh no! They are turning into greedy, selfish westerners!

Make that "greedy, selfish GAY westerners". They are killing girls, either by aborting them or by infanticide at a great rate, so in some regions boys comprise 70% of [primary school classes. Way to go.

Soren wrote on Apr 18^th, 2010 at 6:30pm:

freediver wrote on Apr 18th, 2010 at 10:11am: Oh no! They are turning into greedy, selfish westerners! Make that "greedy, selfish GAY westerners". They are killing girls, either by aborting them or by infanticide at a great rate, so in some regions boys comprise 70% of [primary school classes. Way to go.

So China's "Little Emperor" problem may turn out to be the problem of a glut of big Queens... Well, they did want a lower birth rate... Be careful what you wish for ;D

The Chinese are good when they get out of China. A country full of Chinamen, on the other hand, is buggered - see China.

Selling a lot of shoddy merchandise to pasty faced fat western suburbanites already up to their ears in debt is not a long term proposition. Other than what you see in $2 shops, China has nothing to offer to the word - no ideas, no hope, no new way of living or organising your country, nothing but cheap plasic sh!t. Whatever China is offering, it is hope-less.  

Is China Putting the Brakes on Its Solar Program?


Quote:

Despite the fact that China led the world in clean energy investments last year, the Chinese government is now backing away from ambitious plans to plant megawatts of solar in the country...

The Japan Syndrome
China's teetering on the verge of its own lost decade, and a meltdown in Beijing would make Japan's economic malaise look like child's play.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/09/30/the_japan_syndrome?page=full


Remembr when Japan's domination of the world economy was heralded as a fait accompli? But the bubble burst. Now it's China's turn.

China is clearly the next superpower.

China abort more than half of Australians population each year.

Fantastic hu!

:)...  China are far from what we should strive to become.

They have had thousands of years to achieve what we have superseded in as little as 200 years.

China as a role-model?

I think not.

8-)

I agree. Clearly, they are not exemplary and worthy of imitation. Half the size of the population of Australia is too small a figure. They should aim for the termination of at least sixty million undesirables per annum. I was one of the advisors of Beijing on the implementation of the one child policy. I recommended that they integrate it with a scheme similiar to William S. Shockley's designs for the intervention to the troubling fertility rates presented by the American Negro population, but they were clearly too lacking in vision to take heed.

Dr. Brocolli wrote on Oct 10^th, 2010 at 2:08am:

I agree. Clearly, they are not exemplary and worthy of imitation. Half the size of the population of Australia is too small a figure. They should aim for the termination of at least sixty million undesirables per annum. I was one of the advisors of Beijing on the implementation of the one child policy. I recommended that they integrate it with a scheme similiar to William S. Shockley's designs for the intervention to the troubling fertility rates presented by the American Negro population, but they were clearly too lacking in vision to take heed.

*bites lower lip*

Aaaargh... ;)

But honestly, that's over 13 million legally and recorded aborted  foetuses per annum, (they suspect the figure is much higher)  ...therefore one must ask exactly what's going into our Yum Cha down in Sydney's Chinatown restaurants.

Waste not want not.

 :D... pork roll, anyone?

Special baby fried rice perhaps?

I think the dead foetuses should be harvested for their stem cells, which have an interminable quantity of applications and uses for experimental purposes.

just imagine Aust currency drops and the Yuan raise in value then we just can't afford any expensive bad quality products "made in China"