[ckaihatsu]

...hello '80s music video!

[QatzelOk]

We absolutely shouldn't give them access to our markets. In fact, we should reciprocate exactly what they do to American companies in China. 51% must be owned by US citizens. Those companies must keep all their data on US servers, the US gets to keep all technology/IP developed, etc. etc. All the same exact regulations they place on foreign companies, we place on Chinese companies.

That was the problem with Trump though, he had no coherent strategy on China, he just did a bunch of stuff to piss them off, but nothing meaningful and lasting.

These look like good ideas that aim at everyone being equal.

But do the elites in the USA seek equality with other nations?

And are the USA and China currently on equal footing, or does one of them dominate the other one? Perhaps the entire COVID disaster was forced onto the USA by its inferior position economically vis-a-vis China. Or perhaps the USA's elites will make more money siding with China than by siding with the country they were born in.

[Atlantis]

These look like good ideas that aim at everyone being equal.

But do the elites in the USA seek equality with other nations?

And are the USA and China currently on equal footing, or does one of them dominate the other one? Perhaps the entire COVID disaster was forced onto the USA by its inferior position economically vis-a-vis China. Or perhaps the USA's elites will make more money siding with China than by siding with the country they were born in.

Conspiracy theories are not useful for explaining anything or for alleviating the very real suffering of people. On the contrary, conspiracy theories destroy the very foundation of a society.

The pandemic is an inevitable result of industrial farming. The number of new viruses will increase in future years and it's just a matter of time before another more deadly virus will kill even more people.

The pandemic tests the ability of our systems of government to cope with problems. Most Western democracies have catastrophically failed because of the currents of populism that spread like wildfires on the vehicle of conspiracy theories.

What does that mean? You are part of the problem, not part of the solution!

[Igor Antunov]

Hmmm, what of Australia, to play ball with China or to go down with the sinking ship, i.e be a shitty little US forward operating base. Decisions decisions. Happy to say the decision has been made. We signed that FTA quick-smart.

[Atlantis]

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, is a loose association of China and 14 other countries in the region. Most are already linked in Asean. Other members include Japan, NZ, Australia, etc., but not the US.

It's undoubtedly a victory for China, which can thank Trump for pulling out off TPP, however, its actual economic benefits are hyped up as is customary when such agreements are signed. Countries that signed RCEP are very different, which precludes a close cooperation. Moreover, there are political tensions between its members, which may torpedo any meaningful cooperation.

It's probably too late for Biden to revive TPP. The damage done by Trump can't be repaired. There are other options for the US to seek cooperation agreements with countries in the region, but it'll be an uphill struggle after the Trump disaster.

[Patrickov]

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, is a loose association of China and 14 other countries in the region. Most are already linked in Asean. Other members include Japan, NZ, Australia, etc., but not the US.

It's undoubtedly a victory for China, which can thank Trump for pulling out off TPP, however, its actual economic benefits are hyped up as is customary when such agreements are signed. Countries that signed RCEP are very different, which precludes a close cooperation. Moreover, there are political tensions between its members, which may torpedo any meaningful cooperation.

It's probably too late for Biden to revive TPP. The damage done by Trump can't be repaired. There are other options for the US to seek cooperation agreements with countries in the region, but it'll be an uphill struggle after the Trump disaster.

It is naive to believe damaging US is a win of China. Not sure about Korea, but Japan, Taiwan, the SE Asia (excl. Cambodia or Myanmar), India, Australia and NZ are going to unite themselves, which I don't think is really a win for China.

[ckaihatsu]

ckaihatsu

...May benefit your life from 0.23% to 0.76%.


= D

[QatzelOk]

Conspiracy theories are not useful for explaining anything or for alleviating the very real suffering of people. On the contrary, conspiracy theories destroy the very foundation of a society.

The pandemic is an inevitable result of industrial farming. The number of new viruses will increase in future years and it's just a matter of time before another more deadly virus will kill even more people.

The pandemic tests the ability of our systems of government to cope with problems. Most Western democracies have catastrophically failed because of the currents of populism that spread like wildfires on the vehicle of conspiracy theories.

What does that mean? You are part of the problem, not part of the solution!

I agree with all the words here that I bolded.

But your pre-formed conclusios that are in the pattern of "the pandemic was meant to" or "the pandemic should tell us to" - provide the human reader with very narrow structures of understanding our current economic-depression-created situation. The reader is "not allowed to think up" his own conclusions - in your text.

To call it "a conspiracyTM" that there is something very big lurking behind "the pandemic" as well as our behind our many current wars and 911s and sanctions - demonstrates a credulousness and lack of curiosity that is dangerous for the quality of human and other animal life.

Sorry. But you replace all other possible narratives with ONE SINGLE narrative (the commercial media one) - propagandistacally repeating the same mistaken narrative that destroyed the environment in the first case. The "we have all the answers" narrative. "The singular lesson of the pandemic" that you provide is the same type of narrow framing of an important current event.

Like is it with COVID, the "science" always proves that dumb humans need some techno product - cars, oil wars, chemical additives, insecticides, vaccines, implanted chips, spying... ALL OF IT is "proven" to be "wise" despite all those ignorant human "conspiracy theories." (that later prove to be true, but then we just accept it like boots-on-the-ground and invent cures for what has been done... again)

Will China's super-elite do any differently? I doubt it. Trillionaires will be trillionaires. Any moral thinking of the elite is probably blocked as "a conspiracy theory" inside their own minds by their own vanity and steroided self-worth.

[ckaihatsu]

I heard the coronavirus emerged from the caged animals conditions in the bush meat market -- seriously.

[Atlantis]

@QatzelOk, your theorizing is neither here nor there.

Let's not beat about the bush, the problem is populism, period.

The problem are conspiracy theories. Theories invented for political aims that are obviously false, for example:

- flat-Earth theories,
- climate change deniers,
- pandemic deniers,
- Chemtrails,
- Jewish world conspiracy, ...

We know what the latter was used for. Most of these conspiracy are spread by the far-right spectrum partly funded by big oil. That's a fact.

I don't know what drives people like you to grasp at conspiracy theories. Is your life so grey and boring that you need to feel to be party to some sort of elitist knowledge the rest of humanity is too dumb to understand? Real life is far more fantastic than any of your conspiracy theories. You are wasting your life.

[QatzelOk]

Let's not beat about the bush, the problem is populism, period.

The problem are conspiracy theories. Theories invented for political aims that are obviously false, for example:

- flat-Earth theories,
- climate change deniers,
- pandemic deniers,
- Chemtrails.
-****
Real life is far more fantastic than any of your conspiracy theories. You are wasting your life.

The "populism" that you list above is all the result of extremely rich billionaires defending gigantic industries. The Roman Catholic Church made "flat earth" a mandatory belief. Oil companies made "climate change denial" a Christian duty.

The creators of this kind of pseudo-populism are the same group of powerful actors that have taken control of our governments in Liberal Capitalist countries like USA-Franc-etc. Before that, the priests made our "populist" propaganda for us.

What would really, truly be a "popular" demand would be income equality, global health care, guaranteed housing, GMO removal, land restoration, etc.. This is what un-propagandized humans really want when they are left alone to reflect.

You seem to be mistaking the false populism that is a product of an elite... for *the real thing* which is a product of the common sense of the working class. Of normal, average people talking to one another about important things.

To get to that "common sense" will take a lot of effort since we are so distracted today by media, work, and the false consciousness that our media propaganda gives us. But there is very little real "popularism" in the rich capitalist countries today. It's all just fake. People reacting - sometimes violently - to capitalist propaganda.

Real populism means sweeping away the propagandists,

[noemon]

The "populism" that you list above is all the result of extremely rich billionaires defending gigantic industries. The Roman Catholic Church made "flat earth" a mandatory belief. Oil companies made "climate change denial" a Christian duty.

The creators of this kind of pseudo-populism are the same group of powerful actors that have taken control of our governments in Liberal Capitalist countries like USA-Franc-etc. Before that, the priests made our "populist" propaganda for us.

What would really, truly be a "popular" demand would be income equality, global health care, guaranteed housing, GMO removal, land restoration, etc.. This is what un-propagandized humans really want when they are left alone to reflect.

You seem to be mistaking the false populism that is a product of an elite... for *the real thing* which is a product of the common sense of the working class. Of normal, average people talking to one another about important things.

To get to that "common sense" will take a lot of effort since we are so distracted today by media, work, and the false consciousness that our media propaganda gives us. But there is very little real "popularism" in the rich capitalist countries today. It's all just fake. People reacting - sometimes violently - to capitalist propaganda.

Real populism means sweeping away the propagandists,

What is the antidote QatzelOk?

[Beren]

What is the antidote QatzelOk?

You still don't know?

[QatzelOk]

What is the antidote QatzelOk?

Why do you think a simple pill will solve problems that have taken thousands of years to mestatisize?

We got to where we are by buying into 'miracle pills' as solutions to complex, layered problems.

What does "economic recovery" mean when the world economy is toxic? Are we just discussing this subject as if we are still living in the 19th Century? Is that where the normal Western mind lives? Is that the era in which our "populism" has been stationned (parked) for the last few centuries?

China has spent most of the last few centuries DEFENDING itself against being destroyed and absorbed by Western capitalism. So perhaps we should look more at Western behaviors before judging the imperfect results or its nontheless impressive social accomplishments.

[noemon]

How do you propose we tackle these problems? Not looking for a pill, just human conversation.

[ckaihatsu]

How much does the pill cost?


= D

[Local Localist]

How much does the pill cost?

$14.95 (US). Just give me your bank details.

[ckaihatsu]

China has spent most of the last few centuries DEFENDING itself against being destroyed and absorbed by Western capitalism. So perhaps we should look more at Western behaviors before judging the imperfect results or its nontheless impressive social accomplishments.

Actually, with *this* line, you're just tacitly supporting bureaucratic-elitism, or Stalinism.

China's ruling class, the CCP, is *not* progressive, but at least it's centralized and fairly decisive, so in terms of *statism* it's the only game in town around there, and *splinter* movements (Uighurs, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc.) would only embrace the *West*, so they're even *less* progressive than the holding pattern that is China.

No, China shouldn't be *invaded* geopolitically, but it's still *capitalist* itself, not unlike the West.

[ckaihatsu]

$14.95 (US). Just give me your bank details.

Bro, I'm so there.


x D

[QatzelOk]

Actually, with *this* line, you're just tacitly supporting bureaucratic-elitism, or Stalinism.

No, I'm not. Not at all.

I'm just saying that the existence of rabid capitalist hegemony (especially UK - USA) has severely limited the agency of every nation on earth, including China.

And that when noticing flaws in these "other" nations, one should always consider which of these may be attributed to the abuse and threats from the Hegemon of the moment.