Silence speaks louder daily.
No denials about the Zionazis desperate eschatological escalation attempt.
No news of their barbarian super natural beliefs and virgin cow sacrifice.
Plenty of evidence of mass murder of civilians and prisoners with tied wrists.
There is no possible return from any of that – but the Truth must out – was it an s500 did it vaporise the F35 and its payload. Is Blinken the never elected and the bankers, the self selected, begging China to yield! Or else?
I sense some private jets and super yachts and country estate homes suffering some accidental destruction. There’s no hiding thousands of miles away from the human misery and death they cause. Not with hypersonics and satellites and real time info.
The silence is deafening.
b?

Posted by: DunGroanin | Apr 27 2024 10:44 utc | 104

Yowser! Can anyone here confirm this is real, that this is exactly what was said?
Xi Jinping to Blinken:

“Kissinger has not been replaced, and given the new conditions in your country over the last few decades, he never will be…We Chinese must come to terms with this, for it is more beneficial for us to cooperate and pursue prosperity than to embark on a blind alley at the end of which there will only be desolation and regret for you…Chinese companies must be treated fairly and squarely. They are hard-working people. They don’t threaten anyone. Your attitude is incomprehensible to the rest of the world. You advocate the free market everywhere, and when your companies are overtaken in fair competition, you close the market and threaten everyone with sanctions. The world cannot function in this way. It cannot endure without order and harmony. It’s up to you to return to the natural course of things. It’s up to you to decide to break the rules. You alone will bear the consequences. For us, everything is clear. China is sovereign and acts in its own interests. Either you cooperate with us, and that’s a good thing; or you choose confrontation, and that’s not in your interest. This discussion is exhausted and there’s not much more to say. Welcome back, Mr. Blinken.”

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Apr 27 2024 13:03 utc | 106

“Fiat money” is efficient and flexible, supply can quickly adapt to changing needs. It’s well-suited for a modern economy with (essentially) zero or negative growth, so there definitely will be no going back to pre-modern forms. Generally speaking, ‘money’ is simply a unit of accounting society has agreed on. It’s an idea, nothing tangible – equating it with something that’s in limited supply, energy intensive to get and difficult to handle doesn’t make any sense, esp. in the internet age.
The only problem is that the ‘global money’ $ is issued by a single country – such a set-up is bound to be abused sooner or later. “Our money, but your problem” – or is it vice versa, I wonder? The overvalued Dollar is a disaster for anyone trying to manufacture in the US, and thus for wage-earners there. Only shitty service jobs that cannot be offshored remain…(that’s hyperbole, I know)
So a future (global) monetary system will fix this problem, while keeping what’s good & practical about the old system. The most obvious solution would be an IMF reform, converting SDR into a true global reserve currency. Which is very probably China’s & BRICS’ goal, though they have a plan B, of course.
Posted by: smuks | Apr 27 2024 7:01 utc | 98
———————
Well said. I think MMT could be described as fiat money with capitalist characteristics and BRICS are working on a fiat currency with socialist characteristics.
———————
Also it depends on what the currency is used for. Neoliberalism hijacked ‘MMT’ and used the money printing to prop up stocks and real estate rather than for useful and productive projects.
On a more basic level most MMT proponents see it as trying to salvage capitalism rather than a bridge to socialism.
Posted by: financial matters | Nov 12 2023 22:47 utc | 48

Posted by: financial matters | Apr 27 2024 14:29 utc | 108

Posted by: bevin | Apr 27 2024 14:40 utc | 109
Interesting report, thank you.
Slowly, being dragged kicking and screaming in many cases, nation states are entering the classic capitalist fray in that not only are different corporations competing for global market share but now the various models nation states use are competing as well, including their use of subsidies, tariffs and such. Because of course there never is, nor ever shall be, a completely ‘free’ market. All countries have particular strengths and weaknesses, some of which are relatively fixed having to do with local terrain and most of which depend upon the socio-political gestalt and system which are in constant flux making ongoing policy adjustments inevitable, of course with mixed results. But such competition between nations is essentially healthy.
Germany is seemingly losing her ability to remain a world leader in heavy manufacturing having lost access to abundant, cheap energy. I imagine that computer chips is something that suits her better now lest she lose manufacturing altogether, which has almost happened in the States. And the West will soon lose Taiwan, currently the world leader in that sector. Frankly, I find it encouraging this is happening in Germany, not the US: they haven’t completely rolled over!
Though it might all be too little too late: plutocracy was chosen when we made bankers our highest authorities, therefore also the inevitable coarsening of the culture since profit-seeking as a value-system negates higher values which good civilizations strive to cultivate. We have lost our way.

Posted by: scorpion | Apr 27 2024 15:30 utc | 110

Got at!

Posted by: PalmaSailor | Apr 27 2024 15:57 utc | 112

the poster lantern dude shared dimitry orlovs interview with nima alkhorshid..
i highly recommend it… 39 minute video.. he covers china and israel topics as well..
Russia is Done with the US Foreign Policy | Dmitry Orlov

Posted by: james | Apr 27 2024 16:26 utc | 114

SG | Apr 27 2024 9:30 utc | 101
You’re still looking too much at the money side imo. It’s not the tail that wags the dog.
US *real* interest rates were way negative 2 years ago, when inflation was around 10%. The real debt load was thus shrinking. Today’s rates are unsustainably high, which isn’t a problem in the short run – but it might soon become one. Mostly for industry.
SG | Apr 27 2024 16:23 utc | 113
Oh dear…where shall I start taking that apart? So many falsehoods in one paragraph.
Gentle reminder that any country that doesn’t “go green” has zero chances on the global markets.

Posted by: smuks | Apr 27 2024 16:36 utc | 116

SG | Apr 27 2024 16:23 utc | 113
You forgot the lignite.
And you must have missed the smog. I can recall days in London when it was completely dark at mid-day and traffic came to a halt. Breathing was difficult too.
What is weird about the Greens is their inability to locate the root of the symptoms that they identify in capitalism and their, related, enthusiasm for imperialist aggression.
They calculated that the only way to fight the fossil fuel industry was by enlisting rival interests against it and by professing loyalty to the ideology of anti-comunism.
Their predecessors in Europe- the first generation of C20th environmentalists like Henry Williamson and the blood and soil Steiner biodynamicists had made the same Faustian bargain with National ‘Socialism’.

Posted by: bevin | Apr 27 2024 17:07 utc | 118

Overall it seems to me that the West has gone beyond the edge of the known financial Universe, aboard the starship There Is No Alternative (don’t think Iain M. Banks used that for any of his Culture vessels)
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Apr 27 2024 16:30 utc | 115
If it had I’m 100% sure it would be a current (or former) Special Circumstances vessel.
But a name like that I would most likely find it in Neal Asher’s Polity
As for talks about collateral, an empire’s collateral is its empire and the weapons that sustain it.
France only had serious problems heading into defeat, so did Great Britain, so will the US.

Posted by: Newbie | Apr 27 2024 17:18 utc | 120

Posted by: SG | Apr 27 2024 16:23 utc | 113
@scorpion | Apr 27 2024 15:30 utc | 110
Germany is seemingly losing her ability to remain a world leader in heavy manufacturing having lost access to abundant, cheap energy.
That is another myth, which keeps on floating around here. There is a general misconception about what drove up the cost of energy in Germany, and when, and why….
Now in Europe, they have probably the most energy efficient industrial plants in the world, with the only exceptions of Japan and, maybe, South Korea: if they abandon the green scam, as they should, and get back to a sensible energy policy, they could lower their energy prices, even without the help of Russia. With the help of Russia it would be just overkill mode.

Thanks for setting me straight, though am under no illusions viz the green agenda etc. Abandoning gas, albeit ostensibly for geopolitical reasons, is just the next step along this sorry path to industrial and civilizational decline taken for reasons that none of the citizens most affected seem to know or even want to know.
In any case, given the green agenda AND the loss of Russian gas, it does look like Germany is going to stop being a leading heavy manufacturing nation, no?

Posted by: scorpion | Apr 27 2024 17:55 utc | 122

Amazing, the body language is unmistakable, no hiding it, Xi knows he’s on camera, no candid camera on this level, he has the last word whether this telling little clip gets released, the TG comment is on target:
Xi Jinping got tired of Blinken even before meeting him

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Apr 27 2024 18:28 utc | 124

Posted by: Newbie | Apr 27 2024 17:18 utc | 120
Heh, the first unwritten rule of Special Circumstances is: you don’t talk about Special Circumstances!
If I had to self-identify as a Culture vessel I’d definitely be an Eccentric! 😀

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Apr 27 2024 18:53 utc | 126

Posted by: Roger | Apr 27 2024 18:59 utc | 127
Interesting and informative post, thank you.
Genuine question here: in your view, is there any basis to the theory that the US is quietly encouraging Japan to depreciate the Yen in order to try and induce pressure on the Chinese Yuan?

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Apr 27 2024 19:15 utc | 128

@Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Apr 27 2024 19:15 utc | 128
I haven’t heard of that. I think that it is much more the Japanese Central Bank trying to keep short rates near zero while US rates are coming under pressure from the reemergence of inflationary pressures in the US. A 5% of GDP government deficit and an increasing understanding of the Japanese demographic crisis also doesn’t help. A rapid depreciation would be very disruptive so I don’t think that they would risk that if they can. Japan’s trade with China is also nowhere near large enough to provide a big impact to the Chinese economy.
The issue in automobiles is not price, its the suicidal belief of the Japanese car makers in hydrogen instead of batteries that has left them many years behind the Chinese manufacturers. The latter are even moving into the Japanese market.
Given that inflation in China is very low (annually 0.1%) compared to the US and Japan, there is some argument for an upward revaluation of the Yuan. Given that China is moving up the added value curve that should not be too much of an impact to China. It could be a significant inflationary kick for other countries like the US though given how many goods are exported from China. The US may get what they wished for then find that they should not have wished for it.

Posted by: Roger | Apr 27 2024 20:02 utc | 130

Mexican Economy Faces Its “With U.S. Or Against U.S.”
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/04/mexico-faces-its-youre-with-us-or-against-us-moment-vis-a-vis-china.html
Excellent medium-length article on the stresses in the US-Mexico-China relationship. China is setting up factories so as to export into the US markets duty-free. US is pushing back and has got Mexico to impose many new tariffs on Chinese goods. Meanwhile, many Mexican manufacturers are being driven out of business by Chinese manufacturers flooding market with subsidized lower priced equivalents and those still standing welcome such tariffs. Etc.

Posted by: scorpion | Apr 27 2024 20:16 utc | 132

@Roger | Apr 27 2024 20:02 utc | 130

The issue in automobiles is not price, its the suicidal belief of the Japanese car makers in hydrogen instead of batteries that has left them many years behind the Chinese manufacturers. The latter are even moving into the Japanese market.

The issue is exactly price and policy. Without generous subsidies none would buy electric cars, not even in China. China is just producing the cheapest batteries and the cheapest electric cars, for a number of reasons, which goes from cheap labour to the control of the commodities (graphite) needed for the manufacturing of batteries. However electric cars are not and cannot be a complete substitution for cars with combustion engines, and China is years, probably decades, behind in combustion engines technology compared to Japan or Europe. That means that hybrid vehicles and PHEV vehicles from China have no chance on the global market.
On top of that, Japan is actually still the leader in car batteries (not by price obviously, but by quality) and Japanese carmakers have already announced the introduction of solid state batteries.
Japanese carmakers do not believe that all electric vehicles are not the future of mobility, they know it, because they know electric car technology better than anyone else.

Posted by: SG | Apr 27 2024 21:04 utc | 134

Posted by: SG | Apr 27 2024 21:04 utc | 134
A year ago I saw a convincing video about a new type of meltdown proof nuclear power station in Japan whose electrical output is used to make water-electrolyzed hydrogen tanks which can power existing combustion engines with simple adaptation. A few such stations could power the entire population. No idea if they are going forward with this. But the Japanese are a high quality, innovative technical people going back millennia.
I don’t know where their uranium comes from but I suspect having to import that to fuel a few power stations for decades at a time leaves them much less dependent on foreign suppliers for energy than continuing to use gasoline or having to import and process huge amounts of lithium, or whatever else they can finally come up with for batteries – salt paste or whatever.
The rush to batteries seems like another decision that has little to do with economic or logistical necessity. Very little about this current modern world makes sense. Hydrogen does, but for some reason the elites are against it. Perhaps because ordinary people would learn how to make their own electrolysis-derived hydrogen from water thus compromising centralized / monopolistic supply chains and elite control of energy.

Posted by: scorpion | Apr 27 2024 21:26 utc | 136

@Posted by: SG | Apr 27 2024 21:04 utc | 134
Wow, you sound like a member of the Toyoda family! Deeply out of touch with the reality in China, where the full EV supply chain has been perfected and is being optimized. EV (BEV, EREV and PHEV) sales have already gone over 50% of car sales in China (where EV sales are growing at 30%+ per annum), and BYD especially is bringing out new models specifically priced as ICE vehicle replacements. At the low end they are using Sodium Ion batteries and are already implementing semi solid state and solid state batteries.
You seem to be making the same mistake with Chinese car manufacturers as the US did in the late 1970s/early 1980s. EVs completely remove the competitive advantage of ICE manufacturers (the engineering of an ICE). Japan is the leader in car batteries?!!! That is utterly disconnected from reality. Here are the global market shares of car batteries for Jan-Feb 2024:
CATL (China) 38.4%
LG Energy Solution (South Korea) 13.7%
BYD (China) 13.1%
Panasonic (Japan) 6.7%
Samsung (South Korea) 5.6%
Sk On (South Korea) 4.5%
CALB (China) 3.8%
Gotion High-Tech (China) 1.9%
Eve Energy (China) 1.8%
SVOLT (China) 1.8%
OTHERS 8.6%
Global EV battery market share in Jan-Feb 2024: CATL 38.4%, BYD 13.1%
That’s at least a 60.8% share for China (some of the OTHERS are also Chinese), 23.8% South Korea and 6.7% Panasonic. Panasonic was the supplier to Tesla and had the chance to become dominant but its conservativeness and its close relationship to Toyota made it drop the ball. A very good article on this:
Rising with Tesla, Falling to Toyota: The Panasonic Battery Chronicles
BYD is already starting to sell significant amounts of vehicles in Australia, and Geely with its Volvo and Polestar brands and SAIC with its MG brand are very successful in Europe. So please put away any ignorant biases and do some research on the actual realities of the global EV market. You can even use my research to help get up to speed
Chinese EVs From Strength to Strength.
The Chinese manufacturers are also moving rapidly up market, for example with the BYD Denza and Yangwang brands. And both Huawei and Xiaomi have made significant entries, with the recent Xioami SU7 easily outdoing the Model 3. The Japanese manufacturers have signed their own death sentence, with likely a protectionist/anti-Chinese reprieve in Japan and the US. Just like Tesla that is rapidly losing market share in China and coming under intense pressure in Asia and Europe.
Chinese vehicle purchase subsidies were eliminated at the end of 2022, it is the US that is throwing government money at EV’s, along with the Europeans. The Chinese supply chain now no longer needs subsidies to be competitive with ICE vehicles. Let that sink in. A good article on this:
Life after subsidies for China’s EVs
BYD to slash EV prices even more with new platform as it looks to crush ICE car sales

Posted by: Roger | Apr 27 2024 21:56 utc | 138

A few posts here have been provocative for thinking.
The first quotes Mearsheimer noting that the Soviets did not bomb civilians (a waste of time) and focused on defeating the Wehrmacht. This policy continues essentially in Ukraine. One has war aims—so one pursues them rationally. In the west the goal is not to defeat an enemy and neutralize a threat; it is rather to intimidate everyone, especially allies, and create phantom enemies in parts of the world slated for capital investment (markets, resources, etc). The military is not a ‘defense force’ but part of the state-apparatus which supports capital investment. Understanding how and why wars are fought since the 16th century requires historical materialism, and will explain why any coming confrontation between NATO/Europe/USA and Russia will favour the military rationalist: in Russia the economy serves Russia, not the other way round (which is, of course, what Capital demands).
The second quotes(?) Xi Xingping, lamenting the absence of a Kissinger. It sent me on a line of tangent about the core of America’s intellectual base after WW2. Put bluntly, the USA rode on the back of a European intellectual and scientific exile community. From Horkheimer and Adorno to Martin Oswald all the way to Einstein et al. America’s universities between 1935 and 1985 were underwritten by an immigrant brains-trust that was avant-garde (left-leaning) in both its thought and politics. These immigrants believed in America. I’m not able to speak to the post-1989 situation, but I suspect (and could therefore be completely wrong) that the US attempted to sustain this from other sources (post Soviet Russia, India, E Asia?) but without the total social and political framework. In the 1950s the US made good on the New Deal; our epoch is characterized by the utter absence of an accord between the working class, capital and the state—for very good historical reasons (the vacuum of ‘really-existing socialism’). Thus scientific and intellectual emigration to the US is completely mercenary, in the service of predatory neolib finance, big tech and big pharma. Nothing to believe in here except KPIs and stock prices. What this means is that the USA has no substantial internal self-generating intellectual or scientific base, and never really had one, except for the brief moment when it was a social democracy (i.e., when it invested in broad-based free education via the GI Bill, etc).
The USA really is a fascinating country, perhaps the country most riddled with schizoid contradictions in world history, lurching from soaring examples of democracy and power-sharing (Tocqueville) to delusions of aristocratic grandeur (Hearst Castle) to the most predatory and abject exploitation (business as usual). No wonder we feel as though the very ground on which we walk is unstable.

Posted by: Patroklos | Apr 27 2024 22:29 utc | 140

Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Apr 27 2024 17:26 utc | 121
Hmm, don’t quite see how this relates to my post #117.
A society can use metals as money. It can also use tea leaves, or tree leaves. The question is what properties you want your money to have. Using something relatively scarce favours the holders of money vs. those who want to ‘work with it’ (borrow to invest) – the former can charge a price for doing absolutely nothing. (Seems there was a huge debate in 19th C US, gold currency vs. gold/ silver currency.)
Don’t quite see how a metal-based minimum wage could change these basic workings of capitalism.

Posted by: smuks | Apr 27 2024 22:46 utc | 142

…Thus scientific and intellectual emigration to the US is completely mercenary, in the service of predatory neolib finance, big tech and big pharma. Nothing to believe in here except KPIs and stock prices. What this means is that the USA has no substantial internal self-generating intellectual or scientific base, and never really had one…
Posted by: Patroklos | Apr 27 2024 22:29 utc | 140
Excellent post and analysis, thank you.

Posted by: Menz | Apr 27 2024 23:01 utc | 144

(USA) No wonder we feel as though the very ground on which we walk is unstable.
Posted by: Patroklos | Apr 27 2024 22:29 utc | 140
Thanks for your comment. schitzoid rings true to me. and totalitarian as well today.
I appreciate John mearsheimer too, even if I don;t always like how he sees things, he provides excellent support for all his arguments opinions.

Posted by: Lavrov’s Dog | Apr 27 2024 23:10 utc | 146

@Posted by: Roger | Apr 27 2024 21:56 utc | 138
Tesla cut prices by about 5% more on its Model 3 and Y in China a week ago, which with previous price cuts and special offers (low priced insurance etc.), means that it is probably losing money on every Model 3 and Y is sells in China. So much for it being the efficiency leader and having better margins than its competitors, many of whom are still making good money at lower prices than even the latest ones from Tesla. The company’s sales in China were catastrophic at the beginning of April so they had to do something fast, we will see if it is enough to maintain sales shortly. Toyota sales in Chin are dumping hard.
Tesla cuts prices across its entire lineup in China
China EV insurance registrations for week ending Apr 21: Nio 2,990, Tesla 5,160, BYD 59,470

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) saw 5,160 insurance registrations in China last week, down 17.17 percent from 6,230 in the previous week

In the first week of April, Tesla sales were only 1,880. Thats 13,270 sales with only about a week left in the month. The first month of the previous quarter Tesla sold nearly 40,000 cars in China.
Toyota is being squeezed out of the world’s largest auto market as the shift to EVs heats up
Toyota’s latest BEVs use BYD batteries. Mitsubishi suspended all business in China and Honda saw sales drop 20% last year. Even in the US, the majority of people moving to BEVs are moving from a Toyota or Honda vehicle.

Posted by: Roger | Apr 27 2024 23:34 utc | 148

@ Roger | Apr 27 2024 23:07 utc | 145 who wrote
”
The Central Bank is owned by the state, so government debt held by the central bank is a debt to itself.
”
In the US the Central Bank (Federal Reserve) has 12 regional banks that are owned privately as is the case in many countries Central Banks.
All the discussion about MMT is worthless unless you say who runs finance, public or private.
We are in a civilization war right now about this subject….China has a totally public controlled system of finance and the West is mostly privately controlled.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Apr 27 2024 23:56 utc | 150

Pity b hasn’t told us the precise nature of his medical problem. This community might be able to make useful suggestions to him.

Posted by: Lysias | Apr 28 2024 0:10 utc | 152

Posted by: Lysias | Apr 28 2024 0:10 utc | 152
b referred to a “necessary medical procedure.” Given that his 60th birthday is now History, and the insinuation was that the procedure was routine and simple, my guess is insertion of one or more stents in one or more blood vessels for stroke-prevention.
The medication for reducing the risk of blood clots has various inconvenient and inconsistent side-effects.
But it’s just a guess.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 28 2024 1:23 utc | 154

@ Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 27 2024 23:19 utc | 147
that hasn’t gone un noticed.. hard to know just why though… b might have wanted to open the forum up, but clearly he is in recovery mode and hopefully all is well.. as for lysias question – again, it’s up to b if he wants to comment on that and for us to respect his privacy until he does… again – hopefully all is well and he is doing okay (with a slower recovery back to where he was before?)… that is my prayer..

Posted by: james | Apr 28 2024 1:35 utc | 156

Some 4 years ago, because I was suffering from atrial fibrillaion, I was put on the blood-thinner Eliquis (aka apaxiban) which caused such severe blood loss that it could have killed me. Fortunately, I pointed out to the doctors the problem, and they took me off Eliquis and scheduled me for a surgical option. They inserted into my heart a so-called “amulet”, a device which has so far prevented a stroke. ” Watchman” is another name for a device which can be inserted into the heart to prevent stroke.
If that is indeed b’s problem, I hope this information helps him.

Posted by: Lysias | Apr 28 2024 1:40 utc | 158

Addendum to #157

No More: National rallies against gender based violence were held in Sydney, Hobart and Adelaide on Saturday, with more due to be held across the country on Sunday, calling for greater action, including calls for a royal commission, to address the epidemic of women killed in violent attacks.
It comes as the federal attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, rejected the idea of holding a royal commission into domestic violence, saying that it should be dealt with via cooperation between the federal government working with state and territory governments.

You see what I mean?
* “Gender based violence”—wrong, not gender-based. This is a symptom, not a cause.
* “Epidemic of women killed in violent attacks”—wrong: clinicizing it by calling it an ‘epidemic’ conveniently makes it a pathology, an anomaly. But it’s not anomalous, it’s what happens when neoliberalization strips out all social frameworks and substitutes pay-as-you-go rent-seeking.
* “rejected the idea of holding a royal commission into domestic violence”: well of course he would, because this would come as close as one could get these days into identifying the ruinous site of western sociality corrupted by the emptiness of global social media pastiche as the main cause. Various social services figures would give evidence that lack of support to families, housing insecurity, unemployment, falling wages, retail gouging and inflation, chronic debt, failing public schooling and healthcare, vanishing social institutions, and radicalized religion (itself a fascistic reaction to loss of meaning) and ultimately utter hypocrisy in relation to democracy and human rights domestically and internationally are the problem.
Instead men will be banned.

Posted by: Patroklos | Apr 28 2024 1:51 utc | 160

Patroklos | Apr 28 2024 1:51 utc | 160
Both those posts are very much what I have been thinking about with this self destructive cult belief or ideology that has taken a strong hold on the western world.
Part of this is that males are supposed to be like steers, geldings, neither male nor female.
Sexual equality can only be based around the strengths and weaknesses of each the testosterone based male character and the estrogen based female character. In general, each have their own separate strengths and weaknesses.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Apr 28 2024 2:19 utc | 162

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Apr 28 2024 2:19 utc | 162
What saddens me is that intelligent analysis can provide a solution. Women don’t need to die, but we will continue down this path, like a man treating his headache by bashing his head against a wall, wondering why it’s only making it worse…

Posted by: Patroklos | Apr 28 2024 2:46 utc | 164

Posted by: Patroklos | Apr 28 2024 1:51 utc | 160
(Neoliberalization is the problem)
Bullseye!
In Oz successive ‘liberal’ govts reduced the Top Marginal Tax Rate from 90% to ~64% during the ’70s and ’80s. They also abolished Death Duties and the Universal Old Age Pension and made expenses on Private Rental Housing tax deductible for Landlords. They also sold off large swathes of Govt-owned Public Housing and closed down the State Housing Commissions.
Thus not surprising that 80% of politicians in Federal, State and Local Govt in Oz are Housing Landlords.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 28 2024 3:16 utc | 166

Below is a ZH posting title with a sub-heading that is not reflected in the detail of the posting
Americans Are Increasingly Negative About China
Sub-heading only on ZH main page
…so propaganda works!?
The Gallup poll results in the posting show that propaganda does/has worked in America….are we surprised?

Posted by: psychohistorian | Apr 28 2024 3:46 utc | 168

@patroklos
You’re on a roll today. Thanks for stimulating fare.
Meanwhile, back at nakedcapitalist, a deep-dive article into Chinese Thought reviewing a seminal book recently translated into English: Hui Wing’s “The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought”.
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/04/are-you-ready-to-dive-deep-into-chinas-intellectual-odyssey.html

Contents:
Editor’s Introduction
Michael Gibbs Hill
1. Heavenly Princi­ple and the Propensity of the Times
Translated by Jesse Field
2. Heavenly Princi­ple and the Centralized State
Translated by Jesse Field and Matthew A. Hale
3. The Transformation of “­Things”
Translated by Mark McConaghy
4. Classics and History (1)
Translated by Minghui Hu
5. Classics and History (2)
Translated by John Ewell
6. Inner and Outer (1): The Concept of Ritual China and Empire
Translated by Anne Henochowicz and John Ewell
7. Inner and Outer (2): Empire and Nation-­State
Translated by Dayton Lekner and William Sima
8. Confucian Universalism and the Self-­Transformation of Empire
Translated by Craig A. Smith

Introduction to the Article:

By Lynn Parramore, Senior Research Analyst at the Institute for New Economic Thinking.
The need to understand China is obvious, but how to go about it? The lack of Chinese philosophy education in the U.S. presents a serious challenge, compounded by daunting barriers of language, stark cultural contrasts, and disparities in worldview. Concepts may not align neatly with Western philosophical frameworks, requiring a subtle understanding to grasp fully or even perceive the differences.
Anyone who sets out to comprehend China’s complexity confronts an intricate tapestry woven with threads of continuity, bursts of disruption, and variegated patterns. China’s history is filled with paradoxes, merging timeless traditions with the dynamism of transformation. From ancient cultural legacies to the ebb and flow of centralized governance over two millennia, China embodies a profound reverence for its heritage. Yet invasions, dynastic shifts, and revolutions have continually reshaped China’s socio-political and intellectual landscape, showcasing its adaptability. This invites exploration of the interplay between tradition and innovation, enriching our understanding of Western and Chinese thought.
If you’re ready to set forth, the contributions of Wang Hui, one of China’s most prominent intellectuals, are indispensable. After twenty years, English speakers can finally access his magisterial The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought, which provides a comprehensive exploration of China’s intellectual traditions, emphasizing their diversity and interconnectedness. Avoiding teleological narratives, he traces developments in Chinese thinking from antiquity to the present, highlighting key philosophical movements and their impact on Chinese society and governance. Wang argues for a contextual understanding of Chinese thought, viewing it as a dynamic dialogue between tradition and innovation, shaping China’s cultural identity and its interactions with the world.

Posted by: scorpion | Apr 28 2024 3:49 utc | 170

Posted by: Roger | Apr 27 2024 21:56 utc | 138
thanks for that overview. Have tried replying but never goes through. No idea why since no links. Anyway, thanks.

Posted by: scorpion | Apr 28 2024 3:53 utc | 172

Is any barfly aware of a Chinese equivalent of en.kremlin.ru?
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 27 2024 3:13 utc
**********
Try these:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/
and the State Council
http://english.www.gov.cn/
Both are official sites of the CPC, and the transcripts seem to be honest and reliable – and also timely (the report of Blinken’s visit is on the MFA website already).

Posted by: General Factotum | Apr 28 2024 4:57 utc | 174

@ Peter AU1 | Apr 28 2024 4:12 utc | 173 with personal report on effects of propaganda……you are not alone
Tis easier to fool a man that convince them they have been fooled….Mark Twain
I remain hopeful that something will come along to break the spell….

Posted by: psychohistorian | Apr 28 2024 5:17 utc | 176

Posted by: General Factotum | Apr 28 2024 4:57 utc | 174
(Chinese equivalent of en.kremlin.ru)
Thank you GF. I have noted your recommended links which seem to be precisely what I was seeking. While I was waiting for inspiration I found some China related news links in b’s MoA Blogroll and Links list.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 28 2024 7:38 utc | 178

GOOD SUMMARY OF STUNNING ULTIMATUMS BY BLINKEN TO CHINA END OF TRIP
Blinken demands China ditch Russia. Ukraine cauldron. Istanbul deal leaked. WSJ, Putin didn’t do it
Alex Christoforou
“This whole thing was planned …”
SEE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvwxg-o_cM8
BLINKEN LATE FOR MEETING – XI JINPING NOT HAPPY –
https://t.me/s/llordofwar/336920
I think this is the worst the relationship has been …. no greeting at airport by MFA only local Mayor, and no officials went with Blinken to the airport when he departed – no one. I have a feeling maybe the Chinese are now going to stop playing these childish games with the US. see Blinken’s comments before leaving China vs what he said to their Face.
——————————-
Antony Blinken press conference IN CHINA before departing home:
“This Is What I Told China’s President Xi And Foreign Minister Wang Yi”
SEE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbNgWppRfDE
BLINKEN Interview with BBC in China before departing
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned Washington will act if China does not stop supplying Russia with items used in its assault on Ukraine.
Speaking to the BBC in Beijing, the US’s top diplomat said he had made clear to his counterparts they were “helping fuel the biggest threat” to European security since the Cold War.[A US SECURITY THREAT TOO]
He did not say what measures the US was prepared to take. BUT READY AND PREPARED TO ACT
SEE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgEn28ITJpQ
——————————-
COMPARE WITH China MFA website:
2024-04-26 via MFA what Xi said:
China and the United States should be partners rather than rivals; help each other succeed rather than hurt each other; seek common ground and reserve differences rather than engage in vicious competition; and honor words with actions rather than say one thing but do another. He proposed mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation as the three overarching principles for the relationship. They are both lessons learned from the past and a guide for the future.
China is committed to non-alliance, and the U.S. should not create small blocs. While each side can have its friends and partners, it should not target, oppose or harm the other.
what Blinken said to Xi/Wang
The U.S. does not seek a new Cold War, (Lying)
does not seek to change China’s system, (Lying)
does not seek to suppress China’s development, (Lying)
does not seek to revitalize its alliances against China, (Lying)
and has no intention to have a conflict with China. (Lying)
The U.S. adheres to the one-China policy. (Lying)
It hopes to maintain communication with the Chinese side, (Lying)
follow through on what the two presidents agreed in San Francisco, (Lying)
seek more cooperation, avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations, responsibly manage differences, and achieve stable development of U.S.-China relations… (yes, more Lying)
SEE
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/202404/t20240426_11289925.html
And they obviously know he was lying, right? And not for the first time.

Posted by: Lavrov’s Dog | Apr 28 2024 9:49 utc | 180

@Roger | Apr 27 2024 21:56 utc | 138
First things first.

Chinese vehicle purchase subsidies were eliminated at the end of 2022, it is the US that is throwing government money at EV’s, along with the Europeans. The Chinese supply chain now no longer needs subsidies to be competitive with ICE vehicles. Let that sink in.

For being someone that claims to have researched the issue, you are mixing up things again and again. The Chinese government flooded with subsidies the EV carmakers, and that ended in 2022. However subsidies, or if you prefer, incentives for buyers, like those in Europe and elsewhere, are still in place in China. In 2023 China introduced a new $72 billion tax breaks package for buyng EVs. So to recapitulate: China has subsidies for buyers, like those in EU or USA, it had subsidies for makers, which are illegal under EU law and are the reason why Chinese EV cars could be sanctioned in the EU, and its government was a huge buyer of those cars, unlike those of the EU.

Japan is the leader in car batteries?!!! That is utterly disconnected from reality. Here are the global market shares of car batteries for Jan-Feb 2024:

You are mixing up market share and technological achievements. Chinese batteries are cheaper, that is well known. That does not mean that they are also the most technological out there.

The Chinese manufacturers are also moving rapidly up market, for example with the BYD Denza and Yangwang brands. And both Huawei and Xiaomi have made significant entries, with the recent Xioami SU7 easily outdoing the Model 3. The Japanese manufacturers have signed their own death sentence, with likely a protectionist/anti-Chinese reprieve in Japan and the US. Just like Tesla that is rapidly losing market share in China and coming under intense pressure in Asia and Europe.

As soon as the German Federal Constitutional Court deemed illegal the subsidies for BEVs, in December 2023, the sales of BEVs in Germany fell: they did not slow down, they fell! In March the sales of BEV fell in all the EU and the marketshare was down from a meager 13.9% in 2023 to a ludicrous 13%. Now the German government has to stop subsidies for electric busses and trucks: “the Government used to subsidize the purchase of heavy-duty vehicles with alternative drives so to cover about 80 percent of the price difference compared to a diesel vehicle”. In many places in the EU there are still generous subsidies, but that is not enough to sustain the scam: in Italy they have up to €13,000 of tax breaks for buyng a new BEV, but the BEV market share fell in March and the petrol car market share (pure petrol, not hybrid) rose (hybrid cars surged)!
As I already said to you, there are some reasons why China chose to bet on electric vehicles, but those reasons are not equally valid for everyone else.
– Chinese-made combustion engines are quite poor.
– Chinese megacities had (have) a huge problem with air quality (see point one for an aggravating factor).
– Chinese megacities have no problem (like any modern megacity) with the availability of electricity.
– China has access and control over some core resources for electric batteries.
So they achieve to be competitive and independent in the mobility market, thanks to the fact that they have what they need to build those cars and they are not technologically behind as with combustion engines, and on top of that, they reduce the heavy smog of their megacities.
All those strong points for China are not strong for others, who have not big smog problems, who have not access nor control over the needed natural resources, who already have a very mature and efficient combustion engine technology.
Bonus: https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2023-china-ev-graveyards/

Posted by: SG | Apr 28 2024 10:57 utc | 182

I suggest people to donate money to b if they can.
That would be a nice help for the period after this operation.

Posted by: vargas | Apr 28 2024 11:35 utc | 184

It seems that China (contrary to what I expected) refused Blinken’s orders.
Already today, a huge way of anti Chinese propaganda is actual on MSM.
Fore example look at http://www.yahoo.com.
Can somebody explain how this mechanism works? Just after a day “journalists’ are ready to produce huge amounts of propaganda. How is that synchronized? To me it is a wonder how they manage to synchronize propaganda with the political movement of the leadership of The West.
PS. This Blinken looks like an evil person.

Posted by: vargas | Apr 28 2024 11:49 utc | 186

Posted by: snake | Apr 28 2024 10:42 utc | 181
https://japan-forward.com/nuclear-hydrogen-reactor-japans-next-generation-earth-friendly-energy/ (2020)
https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/2021/03/hydrogen-production_facility.html (2021)
https://www.hydrogeninsight.com/production/japan-plans-hydrogen-production-with-next-generation-nuclear-reactor-using-heat-and-only-minimal-electricity/2-1-1621135 (April 2024)
Top three results from “Japanese nuclear to hydrogen power station” search. Am no scientist.
Remember reading about Garrett’s carburettor in the 1930’s. An inventor who gave US highways the ‘cat’s eyes’. From a search for ‘Garrett’s carburettor”:
http://rexresearch.com/hyfuel/garrett/garrett.htm
Supposedly by simply altering a carburettor with his gizmo this man could drive an existing combustion engine on the hydrogen gas generated.
The entire ‘water car’ idea is widely regarded as a hoax violating the first and second law of thermodynamics, though such laws are broken daily by natural processes such as plant and bacterial growth. Either the notion is indeed a fraud or maybe it threatens the centralized delivery of electrical power. I think the truth is probably in the middle. Even if gizmo’s like Garrett’s and Meyer’s work, power grids will still be needed. One guy on Youtube built his own backyard particle accelerator (his profession) and has been running his car for years solely on solar-power generated hydrogen from water electrolysis; he shows the whole process from beginning to end.
A major obstacle these days is the unproven belief about Co2 which insists on only carbon neutral approaches. As it happens, both nuclear and hydrogen electrolysis fit that bill. That said, I suspect far more money should go into boosting combustion engine efficiency, but fuel companies of course aren’t interested and corporations dictate where research dollars go. (Perhaps not in China?)
Had a mechanic friend who won races in Toronto back in the 70’s by using fuel vapour somehow. Probably many such tricks would help. But because Co2….

Posted by: scorpion | Apr 28 2024 12:27 utc | 188

Posted by: vargas | Apr 28 2024 11:49 utc | 186
“ Can somebody explain how this mechanism works? Just after a day “journalists’ are ready to produce huge amounts of propaganda. How is that synchronized? To me it is a wonder how they manage to synchronize propaganda …”
Ah – you finally know what question to ask! You are learning to see not just with your eyes grasshopper – just some friendly patronising.
You could do a search in MoA’s archives about Narrative Control and Propaganda in Western Media. You could learn about the the 6 ‘independent’ mega corporations with cross ownership structures who own 80% of the media industrial complex in the western world. Which ensures editorial control.
Or you could go directly to the purpose of the two major ‘News Agencies’ that are staffed and controlled by senior western Intelligence apparatchiks – the Mockingbirds poison nest – Reuters and AP – who by the minute disseminate the Narratives which appear as carpet bombing /Astro turfing in the whole of the controlled media 24/7/365 in the world as it by magic!
Look up that ‘Propaganda Multiplier’ and go read some of Caitlin Johnstone’s writing gs on Narrative control.
One thing is for sure dear poster – alleviate yourself and others from the naïveté of suddenly seeing that Santa Claus is just daddy with a beard! How do kids get so far without realising the LIE right in front of their otherwise open eyes?

Posted by: DunGroanin | Apr 28 2024 12:47 utc | 190

P.S. right on cue
‘ 🇷🇺 Konstantin Gabov, a Reuters producer was arrested in Moscow.
He is accused of collaborating with extremists.
@MyLordBebo | Boost us! | X ‘

Posted by: DunGroanin | Apr 28 2024 14:03 utc | 192

@ Aleph_Null | Apr 28 2024 14:27 utc | 193
For you, Wittgenstein helps you understand how to read …
Not exactly – much more important is how to interpret ‘dialogue’ – and to really interpret dialogue – and gain some access to the meanings of said dialogue – then one needs to get into the context – into the lifeworld that one wishes to understand – and only within such a lifeworld/context can one gain real insight…. dialogue here is viewed as ‘action’ – and actions can be strategic, latently strategic, or genuinely communicative.
So, with Said, we agree on ‘contextualisation’ – which of course, helps with both reading in historical context … and … to interpret briefings and dialogue with the likes of Blinken, Genocide Bibi, or Nozy Biddy down the street ….
Appreciate the genuinely communicative chat ….

Posted by: Don Firineach | Apr 28 2024 14:50 utc | 194

@ vargas | Apr 28 2024 15:13 utc | 195
read this to answer some of your questions…
The Propaganda Multiplier
It is one of the most important aspects of our media system, and yet hardly known to the public: most of the international news coverage in Western media is provided by only three global news agencies based in New York, London and Paris.
The key role played by these agencies means Western media often report on the same topics, even using the same wording. In addition, governments, military and intelligence services use these global news agencies as multipliers to spread their messages around the world.

Posted by: james | Apr 28 2024 15:23 utc | 196

The practice these days is to do the surgery, and then throw you out of hospital after only a day or so, leaving you to convalesce at home. It’s cheaper, and more economic use of hospital resources. I know because it’s just happened to me. The psychological effect on the patient will be first a burst of optimism that you’re able to go home, and then subsequently a realisation that recovering from an operation doesn’t really happen so quickly, and you need time to get yourself together, particularly if you’ve had a general anaesthetic. This explains what’s happened with b, and is not a sign that things are not going well for him. Also, he lives alone, I believe – maybe he’s gone to stay with a relative.
Posted by: laguerre | Apr 28 2024 7:03 utc | 177
Thank you, laguerre! We wish you and b and all who are convalescing in this manner a good if not speedy recovery this Orthodox Palm Sunday, for which the following is sufficient:
By raising Lazarus from the dead before thy Passion
Thou didst confirm the universal resurrection, O Christ God!
Like the children with the palms of victory,
we cry out to Thee:
O Vanquisher of death:
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord!
Be well, b !!

Posted by: juliania | Apr 28 2024 15:37 utc | 198

thanks laguerre and juliania… lets hope b recovers quickly…

Posted by: james | Apr 28 2024 15:54 utc | 200