Come on Peter, you know it was Britain that drove the Opium trade.
"the traffic that developed in the 18th and 19th centuries in which Western countries, mostly Great Britain exported opium grown in India and sold it to China. The British used the profits from the sale of opium to purchase such Chinese luxury goods as porcelain, silk, and tea, which were in great demand in the West.
Anyway, the lat time the British sent boat ( H.M.S. Amethyst) up the Yangtze it sidn’t work out too well. Plus they’ve put a bloody great dam on it so you probably can’t get a gunboat up anymore.
We considered incorporating a cruse on the Yangtze when planning a holiday back im 2004, before the dam was built, but all the cabins were two berth. My wife and daughter would have been fine but I would have had to share. We went somewhere else
Anyone of British origin needs to be very careful of criticising China, since their not very distant ancestors were ruthless drug pushers, officially backed by the navy, as you point out. The monstrous damage done to the Chinese people is a debt that has never been repaid.
China is making rapid progress. When they are able to feed all their people, they may be able to afford the luxury of living as we would like.
Meantime, undernourished Chinese are busy making medicines for over-fed Westerners to cure the illnesses caused by a lifestyle of excess. If we keep buying from them, they might be able to divert some of their energy into making medicines for their own people that are more effective than parts of endangered animals.
I don’t disagree with anything you say Mike. But you’re talking about the people. I’m talking about the Regime. The Regime is ruthless, probably more so with its own people than (currently) abroad.
Not far from it Peter.
Grown ups know that they have to take responsibility for their actions and going back into history does not acknowledge the state of affairs that face us now.
The world will demand an investigation into the Covid outbreak. It has to take place to learn the lessons to prevent it happening again.
China might be able to keep its own people in a state of verbal lock-down but the rest of us need answers.
Touché! So having broken that promise, I will add one more line.
Several member of my family are Chinese or of Chinese origin. Their standards of morality and personal hygiene are indistinguishable from those of any educated Westerner. But they have the advantage of living in rich countries and can afford such luxuries.
I agree Mike, My criticism of the Chinese regime in no way condones or defects from the bad behaviour of others. I don’t mince my words about them ether. In fact, I’m totally even handed in my Victor Medrew tirades.
I tend to go at it in bursts and I switch between the iPad, the laptop and the desktop. You can tell when I’m using the iPad because my fingers press all the wrong virtual keys
But, you’re right. I better go and find something useful to do.
The GDP of China is second only to the USA . It is the second richest country in the world and the wealth inequality that exists there is entirely due to the policies of its government.
It keeps its people poor in order to make cheap products to sell to the rest of the world.
If the Chinese people are “undernourished” it is China’s doing and buying more of their products will only line the pockets of the rich rather than benefiting the poor.
"GDP measures the monetary value of final goods and services—that are bought by the final user—produced in a country in a given period of time (say a quarter or a year).
Total GDP can also be broken down into the contribution of each industry or sector of the economy.) The ratio of GDP to the total population of the region is the [per capita GDP] and the same is called Mean Standard of Living.
GDP is considered the world’s most powerful statistical indicator of national development and progress"
*** But not of individual wealth within the nation. ***
Don’t see how one’s values can be threatened by China. Seems to me the perceived threat of China should serve to strengthen them, unless they are built of straw to begin with.
Fair enough Mike. Perhaps this is a better measure as it effectively takes account of the standard of living. Using the IMF estimate for 2020 it puts France 25th, the UK 27th and China 67th. It’s not a poor country any more by any measure.
I attach an interesting article about increasing wealth in China as well.
Izzy x
I know I’ve said this before. Western consumers are just as culpable as their governments for helping the rise of China to become an economic superpower. I’m hoping that in the aftermath of the CV pandemic we see a shift away from the flood of cheap crap produced in Chinese sweatshops/factories to a situation where consumers insist on better quality products that are made either in their own country or at least in Europe.
Looking at my wife’s new iPhone I have to say Tim that some of the “cheap crap” they produce is of excellent quality. I need a dual SIM so no iPhone for me, instead a Chinese designed and manufactured One Plus which is an excellent price and superb quality. It’s only Android that lets it down but their bloatware free implementation is one of the best.
