CHINESE WAY OF LIFE

STEVEN SAHIOUNIE—As much as the Caribbean is considered an “American lake”, the South China Sea is being configured as a “Chinese lake”. As a matter of national security, the South China Sea is absolutely crucial for the Maritime Silk Road. Moreover, China will never accept being encircled and/or “patrolled” by a foreign power in its maritime borders. The ultimate aim is to expel the US Navy from the South China Sea. The US Navy and the Pentagon know very well, after gaming it extensively, that a military confrontation with China – in the South China Sea or Taiwan – will never be a cakewalk and may result in a serious imperial humiliation. In a nutshell, Cold War 2.0 will remain – in different levels, way more rhetorical and heavy on propaganda than yielding military facts on the ground.     

PEPE ESCOBAR—Xiang reminds us that a market economy – including private ownership, free land transactions, and highly specialized mobile labor – was established in China as early as in 300 B.C. Moreover, “as early as in the Ming dynasty, China had acquired all the major elements that were essential for the British Industrial Revolution in the 18th century.” Which brings us to a persistent historical enigma: why the Industrial Revolution did not start in China? Xiang turns the question upside down: “Why traditional China needed an industrial revolution at all?”

GODFREE ROBERTS—Why has the Chinese government failed to convince the American public that China is their friend or at least not their enemy? That is a damn good question, with a surprisingly simple answer. At present, 90% of Americans learn about China through Western media, so it’s hard for the Chinese Government to convince Americans of anything.

GODFREE ROBERTS—CNBC reports that China is testing electronic warfare assets at fortified outposts in the South China Sea. The move allows Beijing to further project its power in the hotly disputed waters. [MORE]. China News reports that several US Growler electronic warplanes went out of control for a few second over the South China Sea then withdrew. According to the pilots, their instruments  became chaotic and the planes could not communicate with the outside world. The United States demanded that China dismantle the electronic equipment immediately, but was ignored

ERIC ZUESSE—Prior to May 11th, many commentators were arguing that Denmark’s measures were unnecessary because up till around May 1st both countries differed ONLY in their policy-approaches (and so those commentators were saying that Denmark would suffer economic harms for nothing, no health-gain). But the result turned out to be the exact opposite: Sweden’s placing the economy above the public’s health turned out to hurt both their public’s health and their economy. It was clear.