The Globalist Podcast, Wednesday, August 23: Monocle’s Asia editor brings us the latest on Thailand’s new prime minister. Plus, we hear about the new party set to shake up Dutch politics, India’s imminent moon landing and a roundup of business news.
Tag Archives: China
Preview: Foreign Affairs Magazine- SEPT/OCT 2023
Delusions of Détente
Why America and China Will Be Enduring Rivals
With U.S.-Chinese relations worse than they have been in over 50 years, an old fairy tale has resurfaced: if only the United States would talk more to China and accommodate its rise, the two countries could live in peace. The story goes that with ample summitry, Washington could recognize Beijing’s redlines and restore crisis hotlines and cultural exchanges. Over time and through myriad points of face-to-face contact—in other words, reengagement—the two countries could settle into peaceful, if still competitive, coexistence.
The End of the Russian Idea
What It Will Take to Break Putinism’s Grip
In June 17, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin staged a special ceremony on the St. Petersburg waterfront to mark the anniversary of three flags: the flag of the Russian Federation, otherwise known as Peter the Great’s tricolor, formally unfurled in 1693; the imperial Russian flag, introduced by Tsar Alexander II in 1858; and the Red Banner, the Soviet Union’s hammer and sickle, adopted by the Soviet state 100 years ago and later used by Joseph Stalin. Putin watched the event from a boat as the National Philharmonic and the St. Petersburg State Choir performed the national anthem, which, thanks to a law Putin enacted in 2000, has the same melody as its Stalin-era counterpart.
News: BRICS Summit In South Africa, Australia Buys Tomahawk Missiles
The Globalist Podcast, Tuesday, August 22: We discuss the Brics summit in Johannesburg, the US sale of Tomahawk missiles to Australia and why Georgians are frustrated with Russian business owners.
Also, the latest developments in technology, a round-up of the news from Zürich and the backlog of ships in the Panama Canal.
Opinion: Germany Falters In EU, China’s Bitter Youth, Language Lessens With AI
‘Editor’s Picks’ Podcast (August 21, 2023) – Three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, is Germany once again the sick man of Europe? Also, China’s disillusioned youth (10:50) and why AI could make it less necessary to learn foreign languages (17:35).
Opinion: China’s Youth Has Sacrificed Freedoms, Now Learn To “Eat Bitterness”
For generations, the Chinese Communist Party has held on to power partly through an implicit bargain with its citizenry: Sacrifice your freedoms, and in exchange, we’ll guarantee ever-rising living standards.
That deal has not held up for today’s youths.
Until quite recently, China’s young people seemed poised to take on the world — and many of them appeared to believe they would. They’ve shown a streak of hyper-nationalism, stoked by the country’s leadership and reinforced by China’s growing economic and geopolitical strength.
China’s Gen Z came of age, after all, in the wake of the country’s accession to the World Trade Organization and amid a rapid rise in incomes.
President Xi Jinping has said young people must learn to “eat bitterness” (an idiom that roughly means to toughen up by enduring hardship). Today’s youths, leaders say, are not too good for manual labor or moving to the countryside — experiences Xi and his generation once had to endure.
China’s resilience after the financial crisis, particularly relative to the sluggish recovery across most of the West, suggested China and its citizens had nowhere to go but up. Political dysfunction in many of those same Western democracies, expertly exploited by Chinese propaganda, reinforced this perception.
News: U.S., Japan & South Korea Trilateral Summit, Spain Political Alliances
The Globalist Podcast, Friday, August 18: The US, Japan and South Korea gather for unprecedented trilateral talks, Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, makes a deal with the Catalan separatist party and World Cup fever takes over Brisbane ahead of Sunday’s final.
Plus: the latest papers from Zürich, a roundup of the climate news with Monocle’s Edmonton correspondent, Sheena Rossiter, and the rise of Brazilian wine.
Previews: The Economist Magazine – August 19, 2023
Why are China’s young people so disillusioned?
Xi Jinping wants them to focus on the party’s goals. Many cannot see why they should
The crowd did not seem excited to see George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. When Wham! became the first Western pop group to perform in Communist China, the audience was instructed to stay in their seats. It was 1985 and, despite appearances, the young people in attendance were in fact joyous. The country around them was by no means free, but it was starting to reform and open up. Over the next three decades the economy would grow at a rapid pace, producing new opportunities.
China’s defeated youth
Young Chinese have little hope for the future. Xi Jinping wants them to toughen up
In the southern city of Huizhou an electronics factory is hiring. The monthly salary on offer is between 4,500 and 6,000 yuan (or $620 and $830), enough to pay for food and essentials, but not much else. The advertisement says new employees are expected to “work hard and endure hardship”. The message might have resonated with Chinese of an older generation, many of whom worked long hours in poor conditions to give their children a brighter future. But many of those children now face similar drudgery—and are unwilling to endure it. “I can’t sit on an assembly line,” says Zhang, a 20-something barista with dyed-red hair at a local tea shop. He scoffs at the idea of making such sacrifices for so little gain. The job at the tea shop pays just 4,000 yuan a month, but he enjoys chatting up customers.
News: Maui Wildfire Relief, US-Iran Talks On Drones In Russia, China Economy
News: China Minister Visits Russia, Thailand Political Gridlock, Swiss Cantons
Review: Taiwan’s Strategy To Repel Chinese Invasion
Video timeline: 0:00 Taiwan’s current strategy 1:38 The problem 4:15 Taiwan’s reliance on allies
In the east, Taiwan’s rugged mountain terrain also helps create a natural shield in the event of an attack. But China’s PLA activity on the island’s east has thrown that strategy into question. WSJ takes a look at how serious China’s threats to Taiwan’s east coast are and explores whether the island needs to change its defense strategy.
Boomers Daily 