On Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 2:15:36 AM UTC, gera...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 2:10:26 AM UTC, gscion wrote:
> > Have you no conscience?”
> > That is being asked of those who speak up for China.
> >
> > Whenever China is brought up for discussion, many would stereotypically think of its Communist government and failures such as the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution and the crackdown on protests in Tiananmen Square. These had caused many deaths and should rightly be questioned. But associating only those failures with China and its Communist government would be most unfair and ignorant.
> >
> > For a fairer and more knowledgeable assessment of Communist China, one should also consider the historical background which led to Communism in China and the achievements of China under the Communist regime, especially in the past 40 years.
> >
> >
> > Historical background to Communism in China.
> > For many centuries, the Chinese lived under feudalism, where a privileged and powerful few owned most of the land while the masses were landless. Relationship between the landed and the landless was one of lord-serf or master-slave.
> >
> >
> > As if this was not bad enough, then came the Western capitalists and imperialists. What started off as trade turned into a calamity for China. During the Qing Dynasty, the British began to trade with China. Brits took a great liking to Chinese tea until Britain suffered a huge trade deficit with China. To address the trade imbalance, Brits traded with addictive opium. Addiction spread to Chinese through all walks of lives – from ordinary people to soldiers to high officials. Qing government confiscated and burned British traders’ opium. This started the first Opium War which led to a series of wars with more Western nations, all of which China lost. The Qing government were forced to sign unequal treaties where China had to compensate the Western victors with territories and silver.
> >
> >
> > From then on, Western capitalists and imperialists continued to ravage and plunder China. The US, with its own history of fighting off British colonialism to gain independence, was initially sympathetic towards China. But when it saw the other Western imperialists bit off more and bigger chunks of China, it too sank its teeth into the easy meat which was China. Coastal areas were occupied as “concessionaries” while heartless capitalists made profits out of the opium addictions of Chinese. China turned from a strong and prosperous nation to a very weak, poor and sick one. It was referred to as “The Sick Man of Asia’. The people lived in abject poverty. The Chinese became downtrodden people, existing in a miserable state to such an extreme that many Westerners considered them sub-humans. Before China could get rid of the Western imperialists, its Asian neighbor, Japan, joined in the plunder, bringing more miseries to the Chinese.
> >
> >
> > The women had it worst. Young girls were given away as child brides to the rich or sold to brothels. Many had to turned to prostitution to survive.. They became cheap sex fodders who later became diseased with STDs and outcasts of society.
> >
> >
> > The Chinese yearned for a solution which could get them out of their plights. Any ideology which promised landownership to the masses would seem attractive.
> > A Chinese Christian, claiming to have divine power, promised the people exactly that. He led them into the Taiping Rebellion against the Qing Court. It was crushed with much lost of lives. Those who survived the rebellion still able-bodied became the victims of the slave trade. They were sold and shipped to various part of the world as slave laborers, to as far away as Peru.
> > Then there were some Chinese who claimed that their bodies could withstand bullets. The Qing Imperial Court organised them into a fighting force. These led to the Boxer Rebellion, an attempt to drive out the foreign imperialists. It was brutally crushed by combined foreign powers. Peking (old name for Beijing) was occupied, the Qing Imperial Court and its luxurious palaces were ransacked, with many precious antiques stolen and shipped out of China. These failed rebellions threw the Chinese into more miseries.
> >
> >
> > The people finally rose up in mass revolt and the Qing Dynasty ended in 1911. This was followed by regional warlordism, when China was broken into independent regions, each with a warlord who called the shot. Sun Yat-sen founded the Kuomintang Party (KMT) to try to re-unite China.
> >
> >
> > Then came World War I. China fought on the winning side. Many Chinese were recruited by their Western colonial masters to fight in Europe. Many died there without seeing their homeland again. When the War ended in 1918, not only did the colonies of the winning Western Powers in China remained, China had to give up its German-held territories to the Japs. A Chinese uprising against this was brutally suppressed.
> >
> >
> > Under those circumstances who could blame the Chinese for feeling that the world was too unfair to them. There were no human rights or justice to speak of, simply because they were weak. The Chinese were desperately looking for the salvation which would deliver them out of their miserable existence in this world.
> >
> >
> > They learned about Communism and its victory in Russia, their big northern neighbor. Here was another ideology which promised land for the masses, power for the working class, and a more equal society for all. What could be more appealing to the Chinese in those days? Communism took root in China with the formation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1921. There was an uneasy alliance with the Kuomintang Party. Those in the KMT looked down upon the Communist as brigands. In 1927, the alliance broke up and the Kuomintang mounted a campaign to pursue and slaughter Communists throughout China. Many Communists were caught unprepared and lost their lives.
> >
> >
> > The KMT adopted a strategy of encirclement-and-elimination in fighting the Communist. Wherever there was a concentration of Communists, the KMT would try to encircle and eliminate them. One large concentration had to escape encirclement by mounting on a Long March. This was an epic journey of thousands of kilometers made mostly on foot, with little food. It crossed raging rivers, climbed over snow-covered mountains and trekked over quicksand-like marshes, all the while being pursued and attacked by the KMT. Only a small proportion of those who started the journey reached their destination of Yan’an. From there, they were joined by other communist groups from various parts of China. Many Chinese, having heard of the fighting spirit and heroic battles of the Long Marchers, made their own journeys to Yan’an to join the Communist cause. The numbers of Communists there swell and they were able to mount a war of attrition against the Japs.
> >
> >
> > While the KMT was occupied with eliminating the Communist, the Japs were occupying more of China. In 1937, Japan carried out its open invasion of China, doing it with extreme atrocities. This meant more deaths and unimaginable sufferings for the Chinese. Mass executions by firing squads. Mass rape of Chinese women. Babies were thrown into the air to fall into the bayonets of rifles held up to catch them. Living Chinese were used as live specimens in inhuman biological experiments.
> >
> >
> > The KMT was so hell-bent on eliminating the Communist that it continued to fight the Communist while ignoring those cruel Japs invaders. One KMT general was so fed up with all these that he kidnapped the leader of the KMT and forced him to join forces with the Communist. This started another uneasy alliance between the two, when they occasionally fought against each other while fighting jointly against the Japs.
> >
> >
> > Then came World War Two. After the Japs attacked Pearl Harbor, Japan became the common enemy of US and China. US supplied war materials to the KMT to fight the Japs while keeping a wary eye on the Communist. After the Japs had officially surrendered, the Americans held back the Communist from Japs occupied territories until the the KMT could arrive to take over command..
> >
> >
> > Attempts in negotiation between the KMT and the Communist to rule China failed. In the ensuing civil war, even with massive US military aid to the KMT, the CPC managed to drive the KMT out of China to the island of Taiwan..
> >
> >
> > On 1st Oct 1949, atop the Tiananmen Square, the CPC declared the formation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a new China. After more than a century of turmoil with mass sufferings and deaths, peace returned to China. After more than a century of being downtrodden, the Chinese stood up again. They became their own master with a bright future to look forward to.
> >
> >
> > How and why did the Chinese Communist survived great ordeals and triumphed against great odds? Because they had strong faith in Communism as the savior of China and they had the support of the masses. They were kept afloat by their faith and a sea of people. Why did the people support them? Firstly, their ideology was appealing to the masses who had suffered long and hard under feudalism followed by foreign capitalism and imperialism. Secondly, the Communist were principled and disciplined in their conduct and dedicated to their cause.
> >
> >
> > China under Communism
> > Foreign imperialists were all driven out. One British warship which had the temerity to continue to sail along the Yangtze River were blown out of the water.
> > The Chinese became the master of their own house again.
> > Women who had to survive on immoral livings were re-educated and re-skilled to become useful members of society again.
> >
> >
> > The initial thirty years of new China were not glorious. Before China could settle down to build up a new nation, it had to go to war in Korea in 1950. Precious resources and manpower were diverted to that war. After a cease fire was reached in the Korean War in 1953, China was in a hurry to develop itself. Normal paces would not be fast enough. It had to take leaps. Hastiness led to experiments in socialism like the Great Leap Forward which turned into failures, resulting in hardships and many deaths. Then the country was thrown into political chaos by the Cultural Revolution, with more sufferings for the people. Under such a non-conducive environment, Chinese science and technological still made impressive progress. The Atomic Bomb and the Hydrogen Bomb were exploded within less than three years of each other. Intermediate range missiles were developed. A satellite was launched into space.
> >
> >
> > After those initial falterings, the Chinese found their firm footings. Achievements in the past 40 years have been most impressive.
> >
> >
> > A brief list.
> >
> > Economy
> > The Chinese economy has seen decades of rapid growth, making it the second largest in the world, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.
> >
> >
> > Industry
> > The speed of industrialisation of China is unparalleled in the history of humankind. China has become the Factory of the World producing a wide range of goods which make modern living affordable to masses around the world..
> >
> >
> > Commerce
> > China is leading the world in Electronics Commerce, conducting huge volumes of businesses online.
> > Chinese can buy things off the streets using mobile phones instead of wallets of cash and cards.
> >
> >
> > Trade
> > China is an important trading nation of the world. Chinese-produced goods are traded around the world. They sell so well that many countries, especially the US, have huge trade deficits with China. For this, China becomes the punching bag of the US.
> >
> >
> > Education
> > Eliminates mass illiteracy and nurture homegrown talents.
> >
> >
> > Health
> > From “The Sick Man of Asia”, China today is a nation of healthy citizens. Public health service is affordable and good.
> >
> >
> > Safety
> > Crime rate is low. Public safety is excellent. Ordinary people in China go about their daily business without fear that someone would appear suddenly to shoot at them.
> >
> >
> > Infrastructures
> > Large number of infrastructures built across the whole nation.
> > New Industrial parks with modern factories, new commercial centers with gleaming tall buildings.
> > Highways and high-speed rails which criss-cross the country, running from low plains to high plateaus, tunneling through mountains which stand in the way.
> > Bridges across ravines, valleys, canyons, rivers and seas.
> > Underground rail systems in cities.
> > High-tech communication systems which connect up the country and connect it to the rest of the world.
> > Modern seaports and airports with advanced automation.
> > Dams across big rivers to generate electricity.
> > Canals to divert water from flood-prone rivers to drier parts of the country.
> >
> >
> > Science and technology
> > Advances in science and technology, some of which are world leading.
> > 5G wireless communication, AI and robotics, quantum communication, genetic science and engineering, agricultural science to increase yield of crops.
> > Advanced material like graphene.
> > Advanced machinery.
> >
> >
> > Defence
> > Mighty military to defend and secure the nation’s border.
> > Advanced fighter jets, battleships and missiles.
> > UAVs.
> >
> >
> > Clean energy
> > Develop clean energy sources such as thermal, wind and solar.
> > Working on a fusion reactor.
> >
> >
> > Re-forestration
> > Turn large swathes of desert into green arable land and forests.
> >
> >
> > Space exploration.
> > Utilises outer space for the benefits of the masses with weather forecasting, communication to remote areas, worldwide navigation system, earth observation and resources monitoring.
> > Send Chinese to space.
> > Send spacecrafts to orbit, land and rove on the moon.
> > Provide satellite launching services for other nations.
> >
> >
> > The status of women
> > The status of Chinese women has been much improved. In China today, many women are highly educated. They excel in many fields. They can run their own businesses or pursue careers and occupations in many fields. They drive high-speed rail, fly passenger planes, fly fighter jets, even fly to outer space. They play important roles in the governance of China as Ministers of the nation.
> >
> >
> > Sharing China’s development with the rest of the world.
> > China shares its development capability with other parts of the world through a Bridge Road Initiative (BRI). Many countries, especially those from less developed part of the world, are participants of the BRI. The BRI has helped to develop the economies of these countries, creating many employment opportunities for their people.
> >
> >
> >
> > Such a brief list of its achievements can only do disservice to China. The achievements of China over the past forty years are plenty and impressive. When it is considered in comparison to the West, it is awesome. It takes China only forty years to reach the level of development that the West takes centuries to reach. The growth of China does not only benefit itself but also the rest of the world. As China continues to grow and progress, with no end in sight, the best is yet to come for the Chinese and people all over the world.
> >
> >
> > So, is it unconscionable to speak up for such a China while it is constantly being disparaged and demonised? Is it immoral to speak out against irrational Sinophobia?
> Looking back at the past 40 years, the US realises that it is losing out to China in economic growth and development. China is on the way to replacing the US as the No. 1 nation in the world. This has a profound effect on the American psyche. The US begins to look at China as its chief competitor and rival, even its Enemy No. 1. The current US President, Donald Trump, considers it his top priority to stop China from overtaking the US. “Not on my watch”, as he puts it. His close supporters are pushing him on with religious zeal. His ex-strategic adviser, Steve Bannon, believes that Trump being the US President is a Divine Intervention to stop the rise of China. In their many speeches on the China threat, both Trump and his Vice-President Mike Pence invoke the blessings of God in carrying out their duties.
>
>
> Instead of striving to be better, the US turns bitter. Instead of “what can we learn from China”, it’s “what’s wrong with China”. Then a list of Chinese “sins” is produced.
>
> Unfair trade practices
> Theft of intellectual property
> Forced technology transfer
> Military and industrial espionage
> Threat to the current world order
>
>
> Instead of realism and pragmatism, the Trump Administration is resorting to idealism to compete against China.
>
> Recently, US Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, said this:
> "There is no moral equivalency between China and the United States and anyone suggesting it ignores history" .
>
> That’s how great the Americans feels about their ideas, ideals and values. They get a sense of moral superiority over others from these. They dare claim that these are universal, when life in the universe beyond earth has yet to be discovered.
>
> They challenge China globally with their four core values of Freedom, Human rights, Democracy and the Rule-of-Law.
>
> The Americans promote these as binary values, like the 0’s and 1’s in computers, i.e., either you have them in full or you do not have them at all. They con the world to believe that in the US, these can all be had in full while in China they don’t exist at all. The truth is that China too has these values, only in different ways and styles and to different degrees. This is true not only for China but also many other countries.
>
>
> Americans perception of their own moral superiority has blinded themselves to the stark realities facing their society and nation.
>
>
> The USA of today.
>
> Economic growth is low and slow.
>
> Infrastructures are old, unreliable decrepit, endangering those who use them. Renewing them is difficult. Long term, large scale infrastructural projects either cannot be started or if started, cannot be completed or completed way beyond schedule.
>
> Press freedom? That means the Press is free to generate fake news. Its own President has called out the US Press as Enemy of the People.
>
>
> Political freedom only results in precious human resources of the nation being wasted in political bickering.
> One party runs the government while another tries to bring it down at all cost.
> The nation’s leader has to spend time on fighting off non-stop insidious plots to topple his leadership instead of running the country well.
>
> Crime rate is so high that prisons are overflowing. Criminals have to be let off to go home while being monitored by electronics means.
> Across the country, people get shot and killed almost daily. The atmosphere everywhere is so tense that a large “pop” sound in a crowded area will cause a stampede.
>
> Drug addiction is pandemic.
>
> Sex is promiscuous, done through every hole possible, including the shit hole.
>
> Inequality is extreme. While the super-rich people, including their pets, live super-luxurious lives, there are homeless everywhere, especially in the cities.
>
> Biggest military spending in the world. This enables it to pursue a ‘might is right’ foreign policy. In this policy, regimes unfriendly to the US or its staunch allies are toppled. The world is conned to believe that this is done in the spirit of humanitarianism. The reality is that it results in inhuman sufferings. These are crimes against humanity which have been left unpunished.
>
>
> The USA is a nation in decline and decay. It is afflicted with political, economic and social problems of all sorts. Majority of the people are suffering. Yet the Americans, especially the politicians, still feel morally superior.
>
> Have they no conscience?
Where are the conscience of people in countries with Democracy, Freedom and Human Rights?
Look what have happened in these countries under the COVID-19 pandemic.
US, India, Brazil
One strongest, one largest and one staunch supporter of Democracy. Between them, coming to 80 millions infected, 1.5 millions dead. The dead were treated in most undignified ways. In India, remains of the dead were partially buried on river banks, dumped into rivers, eaten by dogs.