Comments on: The Global Handshake http://leesean.net/2008/08/07/the-global-handshake/ The Life of an Artist-Activist-Musician-Nerd Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:15:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: The Real Strauss http://leesean.net/2008/08/07/the-global-handshake/comment-page-1/#comment-42626 The Real Strauss Sat, 09 Aug 2008 08:38:28 +0000 http://leesean.net/?p=979#comment-42626 Press freedoms were part of the contract for China to host the games? How about part of the contract to be a world power? Political transparency is at the heart of any developed world model of government, and countries without it are generally discarded to the garbage heap of failed potential. China has desperately aspired to play in the world superpower sandbox, but controls information to a degree that would make even Soviet Russia blush. Despite the recent upward tick in the sophistication of value-added production in China, the country will always occupy the space below other major world powers in research and development outsourcing, because a government that makes strident but illegitimate claims to legal diligence still can't be trusted to protect intellectual property and trade secrets, an important competitive advantage in business. How's that Maglev project from Shanghai to Hangzhou doing? It's dead, because the German firm didn't want it to be copied. But the government seems to have no problem protecting other information quite well. It may be good enough for China to make hay on a high volume of simpler production rather than R&D, tantamount to the joy of almost reaching climax but without that sticky mess! But China can't eat its cake and have it too, and in its newly-acquired role as world's fastest ascending star, it must accept international scrutiny just like every other major world power. As long as the Chinese people bristle at every critical word uttered about the clandestine motives of a government that is steadily expanding military investment, aiming missiles at neighbors, denying its own glaring human rights abuses, and hell-bent on running roughshod over every universally accepted environmental precaution, the world will cease to take the country seriously enough to accept their place at the superpower dinner table. That America has done all the same wrong things does not excuse anyone else. If China wants to supplant America, it will only do so by concurrently out-manoeuvring it politically and socially, as well as economically. Given America's own problems, the bar is already very low. So China's biggest obstacle is its own pride. And Heather, personal attacks do nothing to raise the level of discourse. There are plenty of pro-China circle-jerks you can enjoy online that won't make any intellectual demands of you. Press freedoms were part of the contract for China to host the games? How about part of the contract to be a world power? Political transparency is at the heart of any developed world model of government, and countries without it are generally discarded to the garbage heap of failed potential. China has desperately aspired to play in the world superpower sandbox, but controls information to a degree that would make even Soviet Russia blush. Despite the recent upward tick in the sophistication of value-added production in China, the country will always occupy the space below other major world powers in research and development outsourcing, because a government that makes strident but illegitimate claims to legal diligence still can’t be trusted to protect intellectual property and trade secrets, an important competitive advantage in business. How’s that Maglev project from Shanghai to Hangzhou doing? It’s dead, because the German firm didn’t want it to be copied. But the government seems to have no problem protecting other information quite well. It may be good enough for China to make hay on a high volume of simpler production rather than R&D, tantamount to the joy of almost reaching climax but without that sticky mess! But China can’t eat its cake and have it too, and in its newly-acquired role as world’s fastest ascending star, it must accept international scrutiny just like every other major world power. As long as the Chinese people bristle at every critical word uttered about the clandestine motives of a government that is steadily expanding military investment, aiming missiles at neighbors, denying its own glaring human rights abuses, and hell-bent on running roughshod over every universally accepted environmental precaution, the world will cease to take the country seriously enough to accept their place at the superpower dinner table. That America has done all the same wrong things does not excuse anyone else. If China wants to supplant America, it will only do so by concurrently out-manoeuvring it politically and socially, as well as economically. Given America’s own problems, the bar is already very low. So China’s biggest obstacle is its own pride. And Heather, personal attacks do nothing to raise the level of discourse. There are plenty of pro-China circle-jerks you can enjoy online that won’t make any intellectual demands of you.

]]> By: leesean http://leesean.net/2008/08/07/the-global-handshake/comment-page-1/#comment-42612 leesean Sat, 09 Aug 2008 03:58:28 +0000 http://leesean.net/?p=979#comment-42612 http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/08/05/china19547.htm http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/08/05/china19547.htm

]]> By: Heather http://leesean.net/2008/08/07/the-global-handshake/comment-page-1/#comment-42584 Heather Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:30:20 +0000 http://leesean.net/?p=979#comment-42584 You are definitely a beast,rubbish You are definitely a beast,rubbish

]]> By: leesean http://leesean.net/2008/08/07/the-global-handshake/comment-page-1/#comment-42579 leesean Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:49:43 +0000 http://leesean.net/?p=979#comment-42579 This Guardian piece sums things up pretty well: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/08/china.humanrights This Guardian piece sums things up pretty well:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/08/china.humanrights

]]> By: leesean http://leesean.net/2008/08/07/the-global-handshake/comment-page-1/#comment-42533 leesean Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:43:38 +0000 http://leesean.net/?p=979#comment-42533 oh yeah, and don't even get me started on the KMT in Taiwan either, that's a whole other bag o' worms and a bag o' blog barf. oh yeah, and don’t even get me started on the KMT in Taiwan either, that’s a whole other bag o’ worms and a bag o’ blog barf.

]]> By: leesean http://leesean.net/2008/08/07/the-global-handshake/comment-page-1/#comment-42532 leesean Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:40:39 +0000 http://leesean.net/?p=979#comment-42532 I have to say, one of the good things I can say about the "rise of China" is that now there is another country besides the US that people can blame for all the evil in the world ;) I have to say, one of the good things I can say about the “rise of China” is that now there is another country besides the US that people can blame for all the evil in the world ;)

]]> By: 52 Faces http://leesean.net/2008/08/07/the-global-handshake/comment-page-1/#comment-42531 52 Faces Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:38:59 +0000 http://leesean.net/?p=979#comment-42531 Oh lord you are so anti-China! 52 Faces, member of facebook group We Rule Tibet...Bitch! AND proud daughter of Taiwan-bred parents (but we are not Taiwanese, hell no) Oh lord you are so anti-China!

52 Faces, member of facebook group We Rule Tibet…Bitch!
AND
proud daughter of Taiwan-bred parents (but we are not Taiwanese, hell no)

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