Weekend reading

Two complementary stories from the South China Morning Post warn of the dangers of believing your own censored, history-rewriting, lie-spinning, think-tank-banning, self-glorifying, philandering-Internet-czar-infested propaganda machine: Beijing reshuffles info/cyber bosses to improve the nation’s image, and how did China mis-read US trade intentions?

One possible solution to the former problem is to consolidate all the Xi Jinping Blah-Blah Thought variants, of which there are 11 (can you name them all?) Sinologist Francesco Sisci addresses the latter with a broad sweep through China’s international relations back to the late 1980s (worth reading just for the recap of the last 30 years).

This week in China Spreading Friendship and Gaining Influence Across the World…

Mysterious and missing CEFC oligarch sells lots of real estate, including at Trump World Tower, Manhattan. But fear not – CEFC still has (for example) the Czech Republic, and for the time being, the silence of Patrick Ho, about whom new factoids have emerged (nothing exciting, but plenty of offshore/CCP ambience). A look at former US officials now lobbying for the Panda. And elsewhere in Beijing’s party-state-industrial complex, ZTE’s ties to military and sanctions-busting entities. On the Belt and Road Win-Win front, two vassal states are coming along nicely – Cambodia land of casinos and Laos the high-speed rail hub-zone.

On a (pretty much) non-China note, a long piece probably getting to the truth of what happened to Otto Warmbier, brain-dead US hostage in North Korea.

Closer to home, a somewhat snarky (could there be any other?) report from a Hong Kong Young Leaders gathering. And as Hong Kong merges with the oppressive Mainland, will it make sense for NGOs to move to Taiwan?

A different sort of merging-with-mainland – Hong Kong’s disappearing islands.

And Welcome to the Mid-Levels. (Where is this – under the Escalator? Need to get the Central and Western Concern Group to turn it into a heritage conservation shrine-cum-Korean-tourists-selfie-site.)

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9 Responses to Weekend reading

  1. China and the Chinese must be prevented from going on the loose. They must be kept under control with a firm hand.

    This has been the central tenet of Western thinking, thinking like yours and all at the FCC, the Foreign Office, CIA and MI6 for decades.

    So calm down dear! It’s all for the best. And even better, most of the Chinese like it this way. Not that you would think of asking them what they like or want.

    Stop projecting phony values where they are not needed or desired please. It’s been a ten-year long-playing record and it’s getting very scratchy indeed. Go digital.

    Pip, pip!

  2. dog likes walk says:

    Here’s a cool Vox Borders video: “China is erasing its border with Hong Kong”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQyxG4vTyZ8

  3. Stanley Lieber says:

    The GQ article on Otto Warmbier was enlightening. Thanks for the link.

  4. Knownot says:

    “[The government must] resolutely and without ambiguity [uphold Chinese sovereignty]. Any speech or acts to advocate Hong Kong independence will not be condoned and most certainly will face supppression.”

    Carrie Lam – SCMP – 26 July

    Once, Hong Kong was British
    ‘In perpetuity’.
    Now it is Chinese.
    No ambiguity.

    According to the law,
    Being fair and rational,
    We shall move against
    Hong Kong National.

    Independent thought
    Shall be resolutely
    Ended.
    Absolutely.

    We never can condone
    Proponents of secession.
    After due surveillance
    They certainly face suppression.

    Their actions may be mild;
    Their motives are illicit.
    They may be peaceful now;
    Their violence is implicit.

    I did not speak like this
    Before I was elected.
    But now I undertake
    To do as I’m directed.

  5. reductio says:

    “Improving the nations image” – this after issuing a deadline for removing references (explicit or implicit) to Taiwan as an independent state on airline websites, and after bullying Palau because they support Taiwan.

  6. Old Fishmarket Close says:

    A fine bit of versification, Knownot.

  7. Old Fishmarket Close says:

    Sorry, versifying. It’s Friday…

  8. Mary Melville says:

    The DAB silly season is still in full swing, now it wants to eradicate mating frogs.
    https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2157093/ecologists-left-hopping-mad-after-hong-kong#add-comment

  9. Knownot says:

    Old Fishmarket Close –

    Thank you very much.

    ‘Versification’ . . . ‘versifying’ . . . Not many people would be aware of the difference.

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