![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
It's definitely slowing, that's obvious, but the pivotal question of the century is whether it's the inevitable slowdown of a developing country with a manufacturing based economy transitioning into a newly developed country with a service based economy, or the prelude to China falling into the middle income trap.
In scenario A, China's best years are still ahead of it, especially if innovation in biotechnology and artificial intelligence reduces the economic impact of a high dependency ratio.
Edited by CaptainCapsase on Mar 10th 2019 at 7:27:21 AM
For the sake of Chinese people I really hope it's option A.
"Sandwiches are probably easier to fix than the actual problems" -Hylarn
In the name of being honest
China's main advantage right now is logistical/infrastructural, so manufacturers that don't rely on that have mostly shifted to lower-income countries like Vietnam and Bangladesh. It would be nice to shift to a tech-based economy, and the government is clearly looking to facilitate it through measures like scientist repatriation incentives and the formation of tech hubs like Shenzhen. But the start-up market is still highly volatile right now, with a lot of investment going into duds (I still haven't gotten my ofo deposit back, for one). The top players like Alibaba, Tencent, Huawei and ZTE all seem to be doing alright, but a single MegaCorp can only provide so many jobs.
I'm curious about whether there's a housing bubble shaping up as well. There's been a few articles in the news about ambitious developments in the heartlands that ended up housing precisely zero people, and that can't be terribly good.
Echoing hymn of my fellow passerine | Art blog (under construction)
China's national champions also face significant difficulties expanding into western markets because of the generally negative perception of China and its government in said markets. That also makes it difficult to attract top talent from abroad, and along with China's pervasive censorship has a chilling effect on innovation, though not to the degree that idealistic western commentators expecting political liberalization from China believed it would.
That's also a scenario where China holds considerable sway over international institutions and is militarily superior to the United States in the local theaters, and thus capable of asserting its territorial claims by force*. Of course, the alternative is even uglier if you ask me.
* Though I consider it extremely unlikely that China would actually invade Taiwan without them crossing Beijing's red line of formally moving towards independence.
Edited by CaptainCapsase on Mar 11th 2019 at 11:34:29 AM
China database lists 'breedready' status of 1.8 million women
Victor Gevers, a Dutch internet expert from the non-profit group GDI.Foundation, found the insecure data cache while searching for open databases in China. He posted a series of screenshots of it over the weekend.
The database, whose server is in China, included fields labeled in English for sex, age, education, marital status, as well as a column titled “Breed Ready”, which could be a poor translation of Chinese terms to describe whether a woman has children or is of child-bearing age, observers noted. It was taken down late on Monday afternoon local time, according to Gevers.
The data breach is alarming in the context of official concerns over China’s falling birthrates. Women rights advocates and critics of China’s use of strict family planning rules worry about how far the government will go to encourage more women to have children.
It is not clear whether the database is related to a dating app, a government registry, or another organisation or company. Gevers, who also identified a database maintained by a surveillance company tracking at least 2.5 million residents in Xinjiang, said he was still taking samples and working on verifying the data.
“More than this, we don’t have at the moment. Our primary concern is that it gets secured ASAP,” he told the Guardian.
The average age of women in the database was 32, with the youngest being 15, he said. Almost 90% of included entries were described single and 82% were listed as living in Beijing.
The database also included fields labeled “political” and “hasvideo” as well as links to what appear to be Facebook profile pages. Facebook is blocked in China and can only be accessed through virtual private networks.
The researcher said he and others were contacting some of those whose profile pages were linked to see if they were aware of the database or had registered such information.
In a thread titled “Is this the prologue to The Handmaid’s Tale?” on the discussion forum Douban, Chinese internet users likened the database to the television show based on a future where women are forced to reproduce.
“This kind of database is very indicative and frightening,” said one user, adding: “I’m a pessimist and the fact that stories like The Handmaid’s Tale exist means the signs are already there.”
Others were less surprised and wondered whether the information could be related to a Chinese dating website Jiayuan, which was hacked by a security researcher aiming to highlight the site’s vulnerabilities in 2015. One user on Douban wrote: “To tell the truth, this kind of data is everywhere.”
In the name of being honest
So... eugenics dystopia, surveillance dystopia, environmental dystopia. Choose your flavour.
China thanks Kazakhstan for support on Xinjiang de-radicalization scheme.
Critics say China is operating internment camps for Uighurs and other Muslim peoples who live in Xinjiang, although the government calls them vocational training centers and says it has a genuine need to prevent extremist thinking and violence.
Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi said after meeting Kazakh Foreign Minister Beibut Atamkulov in Beijing that China’s de-radicalization measures in Xinjiang had been very effective, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement late on Thursday.
The steps had “vigorously protected local security and stability and made an important contribution to promoting regional peace and stability”, Wang said.
They also gave a “useful reference for the international community in cracking down on violent terror forces and banishing extremist thought”, he said.
“We appreciated the Kazakh government’s understanding and support for China’s position, and we will never let any person or any force damage the friendship and mutual trust between China and Kazakhstan,” Wang said.
The government of the Central Asian nation has avoided criticizing China’s Xinjiang policies but has negotiated the release of some two dozen people with dual Kazakh and Chinese citizenships detained in China.
Kazakh police this month detained a Chinese-born activist who has campaigned on behalf of ethnic Kazakhs in China.
Xinjiang is home to a sizeable Kazakh minority, some of whom have also ended up in the de-radicalization facilities, rights groups say.
China has been stepping up a push to counter growing criticism in the West and among rights groups about the program in Xinjiang, which borders Central Asia.
That has included inviting foreign diplomats and reporters to visit on well-chaperoned tours, including a Reuters reporter in January.
China has denied all accusations of rights abuses in Xinjiang and says it has a genuine need to ensure security there, where hundreds have been killed in unrest in recent years blamed by Beijing on Islamist militants and separatists.
Wang said China and Kazakhstan should strengthen their cooperation in the human rights field and ensure people do not try to “politicise” the issue, China’s Foreign Ministry said.
Oh, bother.
It's a regular Neopolitan dystopia. Like Neopolitan ice cream, except instead of being a delicious desert it's a horrifying oppressive cultural erasure.
Edited by M84 on Mar 29th 2019 at 4:47:53 PM
Disgusted, but not surprised
My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare
Come to think of it, it’s as if the PRC and ROC are trapped in a feedback loop where each side responds to the other by doubling down on their system of governments. Taiwan has arguably the healthiest democracy in Asia in spite of being one of the youngest ones in the world, so China compensates by acting so despotically that Reality Is Unrealistic.
Organized Canine Bureau Special Agent
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/330488/the-old-chinese-vs-the-new-chinese/
I found this article in the Inquirer (Philippines) as an interesting view on why the new Chinese are moving elsewhere...
"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"
Organized Canine Bureau Special Agent
Got this from my old man after an episode where my mom got mad at my second older brother for not watching himself after having bad stomach.
General Secretary Xi Calls on the People of China to Learn New Twenty-Four Filial Piety:
- 1.Call your parents regularly to say hello.
- 2.Remember your parents' birthdays and ages.
- 3. Inform your parents of your safety when you are traveling.
- 4. Listen to your parents patiently.
- 5. Understanding Your Father's Silence.
- 6. Understand parents' thrifty habits.
- 7. Try to visit your parents during the holidays.
- 8. Help your parents with the housework in your spare time.
- 9. Encourage parents to participate in fun activities.
- 10. Do your best to follow your parents' advice in family matters.
- 11. Respect your parents' lifestyle, go to bed early and get up early.
- 12. Spend more time walking with your parents.
- 13. Be proud of your parents.
- 14.Take care of your parents' health.
- 15. Listen to them about the past.
- 16. Don't blame your parents for cooking.
- 17.Don't get mad at your parents.
- 18. Always compliment your parents on their merits.
- 19. Buy things for your parents regularly.
- 20. Occasionally casting a baby in front of your parents.
- 21. Telling Happy Things To Your Parents
- 22. Always take your parents on a trip
- 23. Always clip your parents' nails, wash your hair and feet.
- 24. Try not to spend your parents' money.
I’m not surprised that Xi wants to do this, being the “doting” parent.
Of course it’ll be very different from Chinese who lived their lives not in China.
I’m all for respecting the elders. But I think parents should be the first teachers on this and not the state.
"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"
Same. Most of this advice here is pretty sound, honestly. Although what does "casting a baby" mean?
Edited by TheWildWestPyro on Apr 6th 2019 at 5:54:20 AM
In the name of being honest
You summon a Human (Newborn) for +1 Bloodline Continuity and +50% to Filial Piety, at the cost of a -500 debuff to HP for 18 years and -250,000 in-game credits.
Echoing hymn of my fellow passerine | Art blog (under construction)
and I'm also confused by "don't blame your parents for cooking". Like, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be thankful... unless of course said cooking ends up being a safety hazard due to any number of possible reasons a kitchen is a danger zone.
That said, most of it sounds like pretty sound advice.
My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare
How helpful it is of the CCP to interpret the phrase “nanny state” literally. ![[lol]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lol2v12_4863.png "[lol]"){kind=small}
Organized Canine Bureau Special Agent
Great. I'm being reminded of my times playing Magic.
Probably meant to ensure that you don't blame them in case you get food you didn't like.
Edited by Ominae on Apr 6th 2019 at 8:48:17 AM
"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"
Oh, bother.
Chinese culture is big on filial piety.
Disgusted, but not surprised
Oh, bother.
One mainlander who moved to Hong Kong in that article seems to think that it's mainlander tourists' shitty behavior that has contributed to Hong Kong people being somewhat unfriendly towards mainlanders in general.
While I'm not sure he's correct, it is true that mainland Chinese tourists have a rather bad reputation.
Edited by M84 on Apr 12th 2019 at 4:09:55 PM
Disgusted, but not surprised
I will be entirely honest with you; he is very, very correct in terms of that particular relationship.
There's plenty of well-educated mainland Chinese, but you see those kids going to high school in America as soon as they're able, or continuing to be intellectuals back home. The ones who visit Hong Kong are too often the boorish, unruly tourist crowd.
This has led to a lot of conflict since Day One and has never ceased. Add on the previous cases of stuff like mainland moms heading to Hong Kong to give birth, the milk powder smuggling, and recent stuff like prices rising wildly thanks to big tourist spending, and you get a lot of resentment.
Edited by TheWildWestPyro on Apr 12th 2019 at 2:57:27 AM
Oh, bother.
Tourists. Is there anything they don't ruin?
This is why I don't really enjoy going on tours myself. I know that even if I don't mean to do it, I'm probably doing some damage to the places I am visiting.
Edited by M84 on Apr 12th 2019 at 4:14:46 PM
Disgusted, but not surprised
Organized Canine Bureau Special Agent
A G&M opinion piece regarding Chinese relations with Canada.
"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"
Organized Canine Bureau Special Agent
This happened in Easter when some of the unofficial churches are being shuttered by Public Security.
"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"
Like reflections in the glass!
I noticed an Op-Ed on CNN about how China has benefited from Trump and similar people undermining democracy.It also mentions the Belt and Road imitative.
Edited by MorningStar1337 on Apr 29th 2019 at 5:06:24 AM
Organized Canine Bureau Special Agent
CFR has a Belt and Road country tracker.
"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"
China's economy has definitely slowed down. Which tbh isn't really good news for anyone given the way the global economy works. Especially Taiwan.
Disgusted, but not surprised