tonbridgebrit

Okay, from the OP "Kurt Tong, the former U.S. consul general in Hong Kong, said it was difficult to craft responses that did not hurt Hong Kong or the United States more than they hurt China. "

This comment is hilarious. So, the strategy is to do something that will hurt China more than it hurts Hong Kong or the USA.

And indeed, there's almost nothing that can achieve this goal.
What is the main reason for Hong Kong being a prosperous place ? Okay, companies in Hong Kong buy/import goods that are made in mainland China. The goods are then re-exported/re-routed to America,Europe and the rest of the world. This generates a profit for the Hong Kong company involved. Hong Kong companies also import goods from America and the rest of the world, and then they re-export/re-route the goods into mainland China. This also generates a profit.

So, being a trading post for mainland China. And this was happening prior to 1997, and happens today. This is the rock on which Hong Kong's economy is built on. And now what ? Is America going to slap serious taxes and quotas on goods moving from Hong Kong to America ? Is the US government going to restrict US goods leaving America for Hong Kong ?  It's absurd to carry out these ideas.


What next ?  How about the US government will restrict the American exports of soy beans and other food products to  China ?  Yeah, go and hit American farmers ?  How about the US government gives a lecture to the Australians ? Tell Australia to massively reduce it's exports of coal and iron ore to China ? How about telling Thailand to reduce the number of Chinese tourists entering Thailand ? The last option is even more absurd than the other two options.

9 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

Right on target.  The haters don’t realize they play right into CCP’s hands.  And instead of holding CCP to task on HK, on Mekong depletion, on South China Sea and Spratly Islands, and the Belt & Road financial trap—it always degenerates to their despise of the current administration.  Look at the big picture, folks.

You're raising the issue of the Spratly Islands. Well, the case of the Paracel Islands is the same.

Now, you guys do realise what's actually happening ? Okay, it's this. China claims ownership of the islands, and Vietnam also claims ownership, and Philipinnes also claims some of the islands.

Now, the important thing is, where does Washington (as in, the US government) stand on this ?  Washington is staying neutral on this. As in, the US government is NOT saying "we're supporting Vietnam's claim on the islands" .  And the US government is also NOT saying "we back China's claim, on ownership of the islands" .
Why is the USA staying neutral with regards to who owns the islands ? It's because, America knows that China's claims are just as reasonable as Vietnam's claims. And that's bearing in mind that islands like the Falklands and Diego Garcia are owned by nations that are very far away from the islands.

10 hours ago, Morch said:

 

You're "outraged". Alright. Now, about that recent Chinese move regarding HK...?

Okay, about China's move regarding Hong Kong.
 

Let's look at the overall picture.  Last year, for months and months, Hong Kong was brought to a standstill by the demonsrtrations, and a load of people threw petrol bombs and bricks at the Hong Kong police. Anybody can actually criticise Beijing for allowing the riots to continue over such a long period. As in, Beijing should have clamped down on the violence in a bigger way, and sooner.

Notice the hypocrisy of some of the anti-China brigade.  As in, in the USA, BLM do mass protests, and when bricks and petrol bombs are thrown, well, people demand serious action from the US government. But in Hong Kong, rioters throw bricks and petrol bombs, and when riot police arrest a few of them, well, that's called 'police brutality' .  How many bricks and petrol bombs have been thrown in America ?  How many bricks and petrol bombs did Hong Kong police have thrown at them ? A lot more than in the USA.

So, Beijing clamping down on the rioters/demonstraters is not actually surprising. By the way, the Hong Kong riots have been  far less energetic in 2020, compared to 2019. Why is that ? Well, yes, the Covid bug has caused a lot of Hong Kong people to not take part. But there is speculation regarding another reason. The Hong Kong guys you see wearing metal helmets, and throwing bricks and petrol bombs, they're (supposedly) mainly a bunch of 'paid for' rioters. And basically, their wages have not been paid in the last few months. That's why they've mainly stopped their rioting.

Let's look at the overall picture. Hong Kong's economy is basically dependent on mainland China. Surely, we all know this ?  As in, goods are made in China, Hong Kong companies import/buy those goods and then re-export/re-route the goods to America and the rest of the world. Hong Kong also imports goods from the rest of the world, and re-exports/re-routes the goods to mainland China. It's best for Hong Kong that they simply stop these riots and demonstrations. And that's bearing in mind that the riots where mainly done by the 'paid for' rioters.

2 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

Pompeo and Trump are an affront to all nations.

An abomination to America and planet earth. That's what they are.

Telling the media that 3 million Hong Kong Chinese might be allowed to live and work in Britain might be a dangerous PR stunt. The Beijing government might respond by having an attitude of "So you want to give 3 million Chinese the right to live and work in Britain, well, we (China) can give you an extra 10 million Chinese if you're willing to take them" .      ????

14 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

 

So what do we do. The only thing we can do, try to help as many people as possible.

 

Kudos to the British for offering residency to pre 97 BNO's, although they should have done that back in 97, but thats good.

 

Yes, helping the people of Hong Kong would be great. Offering residency to the pre 97 BNO's ???

Well, I myself don't have a problem with the British government doing this. But will the government actually allow roughly 3 million Hong Kong Chinese to enter and work in Britain ? I really doubt it. Lots of people in Britain simply don't want anymore coloureds to come into Britain. I mean, if people don't want lots of Eastern Europeans to come into Britain, and them Eastern Europeans are actually white, well, they're certainly not going to want a load of coloureds to come in.

19 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

Two years ago, while dining at a restaurant on Bar Street, Siem Reap, I noticed a table of eight young Chinese men seated next to my party.  Objectively, they were all quite ugly.  They had a well-dressed, attractive young Chinese lady to translate dinner orders.  She was constantly on her phone.

We paid our bill and left.  Later, I think I figured this out.  The ugly Chinese men had paid for this trip to Siem Reap to find Cambodian wives to bring home.  Those marriages usually end quickly with tragic results.

So, Chinese men are turning up in Cambodia, marrying Cambodian women, and taking the women to China. And these marriages end quickly with tragic results ??
Well, I simply say that there are a number of British and Australian men who marry women in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philipinnes, and take the wife back home to Britain or Australia. And yes, sometimes, there's a quick divorce and pain.

20 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Especially if you have 34 million males you need to dispose of:

 

Out of China’s population of 1.4 billion, there are nearly 34 million more males than females — the equivalent of almost the entire population of California, or Poland, who will never find wives and only rarely have sex.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/world/too-many-men/

You are being hilarious.    ????
Okay, sometimes, countries fight wars because whatever war suits them. That's partly true.

Now, why would China want to fight a war against America ? Because, according to you, China has got an excess of males, these men need to be disposed of.   ????

Okay, what about America ?  Why would America want to fight a war against China ? Well, America has a massive trade defict with China, it runs to billions every month. China's huge surplus with America is what's allowing China to purchase a huge amount of US government bonds. The US bonds are basically debt that America owes to China. So, the US in the long-term, has to finance this giant debt with China. And the debt is getting bigger every month, as America continues to import far more than it exports to China. And so, the US government might want to fight a war with China, win the war, and have the debt declared null and void. Do you see what I mean ?


Now then, you've put up China's reason for fighting a war against America. I've put up the conventional reason as to why America wants to fight a war against China. Which reason do you think is more realistic ??   ????

42 minutes ago, OZinPattaya said:

 

Got ten times more confidence in the East Indians, who actually know how to pull a trigger, than in all of the UK and Europe combined.

Them East Indians ?  You've got confidence in them ?  Look , they're not going to fight a war against China.
What about the West Indians ? Them people. They're not going to fight a war against China. Why on earth would they do such a thing ? Why on earth would anybody want to fight a war against China ? There's no reason for it.

22 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

In times of economic disaster war has traditionally been the answer.

There's that massive trade deficit that America has got with China. So, fight a war against China, the US government thinks that America is certain to win, that way, clear the deficit.

As in, China has a vast amount of US government bonds. It's a problem for America, and winning a war against China will solve the problem.

2 hours ago, OZinPattaya said:

America obviously has internal issues now, so I'm waiting with bated breath for the UK and Europe to rise to the China threat. Which is tantamount to waiting for Hell to freeze over.

 

I can't even recall the UK or Europe indulging in strong language against China. They cannot even summons the initiative to make verbal threats. Shockingly, China is not terribly concerned what the UK or Europe has to say about the matter.

You call yourself OZinPattaya, are you actually from Australia ?  Stop having a pop at Britain and Europe. Since when has Australia been in the anti-China brigade ?
Australia exports massive amounts of coal and iron ore to China. Supposedly, you're more likely to see Chinese people in Melbourne and Sydney than in London. How many Chinese students are there in Australia ?

You should look at yourself BEFORE you start critising other people.

On 6/24/2020 at 5:50 AM, Kerryd said:

The Chinese started this, deliberately. 
They moved something like 8,000 troops into the area after decades of basically ignoring it. They then started building fortifications, which is what lead to the confrontation between them and the Indian troops

Thanks for putting this up. Okay, the map you've put up, we can see that the problem is on a bit of land that is in Kashmir.
Now, India and Pakistan have had a confrontation going back decades over who actually owns Kashmir. As in, does Kashmir belong to Pakistan or India ?  And basically, most people outside of India and Pakistan don't really care about who owns it. As in, let them fight their wars, and winner takes it. And if they want to fight a war once every two decades, well, that's up to them.

Now, China is also involved. As in, China itself claims ownership over a small bit of Kashmir.  But, as far as I know, India claims ownership over all of Kashmir. And I think Pakistan also claims ownership over all of Kashmir. By the way, Pakistan is almost fully aligned with China in the Kashmir dispute. As in, there isn't really a problem between Pakistan and China. The problem is between Pakistan and India, and also India and China.

So, China is claiming only a small bit of Kashmir. I say with a grin, why is it, people don't want to side with either Pakistan or India in the Kashmir dispute. But, but as soon as China is involved over a small bit, then most people are against China.   ????

By the way, what about Britain, and when Britain conquered the entire area ? How about we look at some old maps, from the 1800s. How about, land that Britain had under the British Empire, that land can be disputed by Pakistan and India. And all land in that area that Britain did not take, well, that land does not belong to India, or Pakistan ?  So, land that was not part of British India in the 1800s, well, that shouldn't be land that belongs to India today ?   ???? 

On 6/24/2020 at 7:58 AM, Eric Loh said:

Rather the reverse is happening with the RCEP promoted by China. 16 countries from ASEAN, Australia, NZ, SK, Japan, China and India (with some agreement modifications) will sign the trade pact this year. China gain after Trump pulled out of the TPP. No countries or allies following Trump’s isolation policy. 

Yes, correct. There's no such thing as governments across the world organising a collective boycott of Chinese goods. But the anti-China brigade, they want to feel that there IS an international boycott. They're hoping that an international boycott will happen.

And anyway, even if most of the world joins in on a boycott of Chinese goods. We know though, that there will be one country that will always buy Chinese goods. And that country is, is, is Thailand !!!!     ????

On 6/22/2020 at 9:15 PM, OZinPattaya said:

They did a lot more than you've done, right. Squatting on your hindquarters being a key-board commando while stuffing your face with meat pies?

I wrote about a bunch of silly Indians making a bonfire using Chinese goods, and how they should have sent the Chinese goods to England, and got paid for it. You responded by putting up the above post.

What if I AM sat at home, eating meat pies and doing nothing else ?

In Britain and Australia, and it's the same in America, we're not seeing any groups of people burning Chinese goods and trying to organise a boycott of Chinese goods. Okay, go on a Black Lives Matter protest, youngsters turn up at a rave, or people go to the beach, people are doing these things.

But being in a group, a protest, and burning Chinese goods ? That would look really stupid, right ? That's why nobody in Britain, Australia, or America, is doing this. Who in their right mind wants to go on a march, an anti-China march, through the city centre ? Surely, nobody ??

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Give it a miss. Though I'm stuck in the UK currently, 200 baht for a pint in my local is daft

200 baht for a pint at your local ???  It's not.  It's normally £3.50 or less for a pint. That's a lot less than 200 baht.  Where is this pub that you're talking about ?    ????

5 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Here's a warning shot from China's propaganda mouth piece:

 

Confrontation with China 'suicide' for Indian economy https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1192450.shtml

Do you really reckon this is Chinese propaganda ?  Do you reckon that India will be better off when fighting a trade war with China ?

I'm going to say, forget India, let's look at Europe. I reckon that even Europe will be more harmed than China, if Europe was to carry out a trade war with China. What about the USA ? Will America win a trade war aginst China ?

By the way, there are media outlets in America and other countries who reckon that China will definitely lose in a trade war with them. Are all those newspapers and publications propaganda ?

So a bunch of silly Indians made of bonfire out of Chinese goods in Delhi.  They should have put the goods into a container and sent it here to England. They would have been paid for the stuff, instead of setting it alight and wasting it.

20 hours ago, Dumbastheycome said:

 

Yet without  border incursion somehow  China hands silently back 10 Indian participants.

Yes, China silently handed back 10 Indian participants.  The media through out the world has reported about the 10 Indians. But the media in China, they have said nothing about handing over these Indians.

Why is that ?  I think Beijing is trying to de-escalate the whole incident. Revealing the full extent of this incident to the Chinese people, talking about how China captured 10 Indian soldiers, this will simply cause a number of Chinese people in China to demonstrate and show their sense of nationalism for China. Beijing does not want to see Chinese people burning Indian flags in Chinese cities.

18 hours ago, Morch said:

 

Many regional countries regard them as the bully on the block.

 

Many? Do tell. Certainly not on par with China's issues with it's own neighbors.

By the way, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Who are these three countries siding with ?  Surely, you accept that they're far more aligned with China rather than India ?  And the Philippines ?  Surely, Duterte is good friends with Beijing ? You accept that ?

18 hours ago, Morch said:

 

Many regional countries regard them as the bully on the block.

 

Many? Do tell. Certainly not on par with China's issues with it's own neighbors.

 

Let's have a comparison between India and China, and how they get on with their neighbours.

India. India is constantly having a dispute with Pakistan about their border. India's confrontation with Pakistan is far greater than India's dispute with China. India doesn't actually get on with Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a Muslim country, was previously called East Pakistan. India's dislike towards Bangladesh (East Pakistan) is almost as great as it's dislike towards Pakistan (West Pakistan) .  Does India get on with Sri Lanka ?  I'm not sure about that.  And then Nepal. Nepal has been in the news in the last few weeks. There's a dispute going on between Nepal and India. India basically, is not happy because Nepal has taken China's aid and loans, yes, Nepal is siding with China.

What about China ? Is there a fight between China and Mongolia ? No.  Is there a fight between Russia and China ? No, the cnfrontation between Washington and Russia is far greater than any confrontation between Russia and China. Actually, Putin is friends with Xi Jinping. Is there a dispute between China and North Korea ? No, North Korea is actually secretly backed by China. What about China and Afghanistan ? China has not sent soldiers into Afghanistan. Russia, they sent soldiers into Afghanistan back in the 1980s, America sent soldiers into Afghanistan after 9/11 .  But China, China has never sent soldiers into Afghanistan. So, which one of China's neighbours has a problem with China ?
Vietnam ? You do realise, Vietnam's memory of the Vietnam War (the war where they fought America) is still there. That dispute over ownership of the Paracel Islands, well, nobody has died yet.

So, I hope you can see, India has fought more wars, had more people killed, and greater disputes with it's neighbours, when compared to China.

On 6/20/2020 at 1:24 AM, PatOngo said:

I hope the Indians whoop their aggressive expansionist Chinese butts!

What are you trying to say ?

Modi has already said "Nobody has intruded into our border, neither is anybody there now, nor have our posts been captured" .  So, India is actually declaring that no Chinese soldiers entered into India's territory. How can China be called "expansionist" when none of their soldiers entered into India ?

You're hoping that India will win a war against China ?  Well, how about, let the two them fight a war. The important thing is, is that America and NATO do not send soldiers to fight in this war. Surely, none of us wants to see American soldiers, in India, fighting alongside Indian soldiers, fighting the Chinese soldiers ?