rockits
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Sorry....I was hoping nobody did so my comment didn't offend anyone!
Are you worried yet.
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lozcb
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I read the report regarding a certain chinese Dr Shi Zhengli that had been working on the covid viruses since 2014 in the US , with the express purpose of mutating them , she spent several years in the states at different universities till 2017 when the French contractor who was completeing the Wuahan 4 Laborities terminated their contract because the Chinese were behind schedule and were skimping on the levels of security . she continued her research at Wuhan 4 till present day with a budget supplied from the US of $38 million .......................make of that what you will
D Walker
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He lives in a “posh” suburb on the outskirts of Middlesbrough. With the odd footballer or 3.
Saigon
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In what way ‘odd’ just curious.
D Walker
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You can’t be right to play for the Boro.....
daverichardson
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4 doors down from me a young lad had leukemia and his mam worked at the Riverside (Boro FC) selling refreshments. Anyway one day a car pulls up outside their house and out gets Juninho a very talented Brazilian player who promptly started playing football with said young lad in his back garden. he stayed for about 2 hours and made the lads day (he has since recovered from his illness). So not all footballers are 'odd'
Phil H
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An interesting report now picked up by various media:
US intelligence lays bare how China lied about coronavirus outbreak
A leaked 15-page dossier from the 'Five Eyes' intelligence alliance states China's secrecy over the pandemic is an 'assault on international transparency'.
PH
D Walker
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China come clean. Have a look at the world ometer stats. China and Russia. Positively hardly affected by the virus.
Phil H
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The story, in various forms, has been doing the rounds of late, but this would seem to be a credible report from a particularly well informed source. Then there are reports of China sucking up vast quantities of medical supplies from around the globe, presumably whilst playing down the potential for a pandemic.
Someone somewhere knows exactly what happened, and we might hope that for humanity's sake they would come clean, but I somehow doubt it.
PH
Someone somewhere knows exactly what happened, and we might hope that for humanity's sake they would come clean, but I somehow doubt it.
PH
rockits
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I doubt the truth will ever fully out in this case. Regardless of this it is not healthy to be so reliant on a known corrupt regime. Also one that lacks honesty, transparency and democracy. We should start becoming a little less reliant on China and others to balance reliance with a little more self sufficiency.
It will be difficult but far from impossible. The longer we leave it the harder it will become.
The danger for China now is it will be hard to ever trust them again.
One thing to bear in mind is that a poll suggested 69% would support a boycott of China in various ways. If your business relies or is associated with China I would think long and hard about how this could affect your business. If the boycott becomes real it may cause great pain for some associated businesses.
I looked at Logitech for example. A Swiss company in the main with a majority of their products manufactured in China. I would how much of a problem this might become for some.
It will be difficult but far from impossible. The longer we leave it the harder it will become.
The danger for China now is it will be hard to ever trust them again.
One thing to bear in mind is that a poll suggested 69% would support a boycott of China in various ways. If your business relies or is associated with China I would think long and hard about how this could affect your business. If the boycott becomes real it may cause great pain for some associated businesses.
I looked at Logitech for example. A Swiss company in the main with a majority of their products manufactured in China. I would how much of a problem this might become for some.
lozcb
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I for one will be consiously seeking out products more locally based and will wherever possible refuse to buy Chinese regardless of whether its a UK company/western company operating in China ...........................i'll be happy to become a noisy advocate for buy British and lets start again Backing Britain , initially by dismantling the Anti British BBC and if that makes me racist , then so be it im a racist ,.........ill call myself a nationalist
Wattie
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I like your way of thinking.While out on my bike I solved the whole crisis..
Lockdown....your choice, stay at home, go out...do what you want. If you catch it, tough, was your choice to mingle....
Open everything.
Close the NHS and furlough all the staff.
Sorted....I’ve protected the NHS, and saved the economy......
Just need to convince 2nd cousin Donald to do same in US now.....
We are constantly told that this situation is “war like”.
Politicians have no problem in sending people off to war and to a situation where some die and some survive. To the best of my knowledge more survive, than die.
Open the whole thing up and that situation will prevail. The majority will survive and the economic damage will be less severe.
philw696
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D Walker
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From Bob Stewart FB page, MP & retired Colonel
Two weeks ago, I joined the Westminster based China Research Group (CRG) at its launch. As a consequence of the way the Chinese Government is behaving as it continues its rise as a World power the CRG aims to promote open and fresh debate and thinking about how we in the UK should respond. To be honest though I have been worried about the way China is behaving for some time.
Between 9 – 12 June last year I visited Beijing as part of a NATO parliamentary delegation. Although Beijing was utterly clean and modern it was also soulless and I felt very sorry for the people I saw in the street. On 11 June I went to the
China Institute for International Studies and there we were hosted by Professor Jin Ling and a team of presenters. The briefing said very little of note so I asked a question about the Chinese justification for taking over islands such as the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos in the South China Sea when there was no historical justification for it and international arbitration had ruled against China. That set the cat amongst the pigeons and a Mr Xu Longdi, introduced as a ‘researcher’ (was he?) objected quite angrily – especially when I used the words ‘colonialisation and imperialism’ in respect of the takeover of such islands.
I was particularly interested in the People’s Liberation Army’s huge expansion and felt that its primary objective in modernisation and reorganisation was retaking Taiwan in a military campaign. Sadly, I am afraid to say that my impression was that this could happen very soon too.
After a few days there I was pleased to leave Beijing and do not expect to go back there – even if I was to be granted another difficult to obtain visa, which I deem very unlikely.
This year, on 14 April I wrote about my extreme concerns with the way the Chinese Government has dealt with the outbreak of Coronavirus. It took 44 days for the Chinese authorities to declare a pandemic and the Government there tried really hard to silence whistleblowing local doctors and scientists. The Chinese authorities did not even lockdown Wuhan until 23 January by which time the virus had well escaped elsewhere from there.
It is very clear that the Chinese Government is doing its best using an aggressive media as well as social media campaign involving platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to shift culpability from itself. The latest iteration of this was in late April, when the Deputy Chinese Ambassador to London, Chen Wen (photograph), took to the airwaves on BBC Radio 4’s ‘World at One’ to try and defend her Government’s actions and record during the crisis. Comrade Chen refused to accept that there should be an internationally independent investigation into the origins of Coronavirus and rejected absolutely that the Chinese authorities were in the slightest bit at fault. She was utterly unconvincing and yet I am sure there will still be some in our country that accept what she said at face value. How sad is that?
Again, on 14 April, I wrote that I want the Chinese authorities to be held to account. I don’t know quite how we would do that but it would be honest at least if they themselves accepted their responsibility for the Worldwide COVID-19 pandemic we are suffering right now. They do not. The way the Chinese authorities have mishandled Coronavirus should disabuse us of any possible lingering belief that the Chinese regime could be a responsible World player. It is not, and it will not be whilst the current autocratic and oppressive regime holds sway over the unfortunate 1.4 billion people who live there.
So back to the CRG, whilst issues like Coronavirus, Huawei and other current topics will undoubtedly form part of the debate, the Group is also aiming to consider longer term challenges such as Chinese industrial policy, its development, ownership and regulation of technologies and the effects of Chinese soft and hard power. I am particularly interested, of course, in Chinese military expansionism.
The way China has handled the Coronavirus has most definitely been a catalyst for politicians like myself to look more carefully at the way the authorities in Beijing are viewing and inter-acting with the rest of the World. For me the Coronavirus crisis has underlined the urgent need for a better understanding of China’s place in the World, and a re-think about how we engage economically and diplomatically with Beijing.
China has 1.4 billion people, thus containing over 18 per cent of earth’s human population. It also possesses what seems to me an expansionist, somewhat aggressive foreign and military policy and the money to pay for it. Under such circumstances, Coronavirus crisis apart, we had better get real on what China is up to and quickly.
Two weeks ago, I joined the Westminster based China Research Group (CRG) at its launch. As a consequence of the way the Chinese Government is behaving as it continues its rise as a World power the CRG aims to promote open and fresh debate and thinking about how we in the UK should respond. To be honest though I have been worried about the way China is behaving for some time.
Between 9 – 12 June last year I visited Beijing as part of a NATO parliamentary delegation. Although Beijing was utterly clean and modern it was also soulless and I felt very sorry for the people I saw in the street. On 11 June I went to the
China Institute for International Studies and there we were hosted by Professor Jin Ling and a team of presenters. The briefing said very little of note so I asked a question about the Chinese justification for taking over islands such as the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos in the South China Sea when there was no historical justification for it and international arbitration had ruled against China. That set the cat amongst the pigeons and a Mr Xu Longdi, introduced as a ‘researcher’ (was he?) objected quite angrily – especially when I used the words ‘colonialisation and imperialism’ in respect of the takeover of such islands.
I was particularly interested in the People’s Liberation Army’s huge expansion and felt that its primary objective in modernisation and reorganisation was retaking Taiwan in a military campaign. Sadly, I am afraid to say that my impression was that this could happen very soon too.
After a few days there I was pleased to leave Beijing and do not expect to go back there – even if I was to be granted another difficult to obtain visa, which I deem very unlikely.
This year, on 14 April I wrote about my extreme concerns with the way the Chinese Government has dealt with the outbreak of Coronavirus. It took 44 days for the Chinese authorities to declare a pandemic and the Government there tried really hard to silence whistleblowing local doctors and scientists. The Chinese authorities did not even lockdown Wuhan until 23 January by which time the virus had well escaped elsewhere from there.
It is very clear that the Chinese Government is doing its best using an aggressive media as well as social media campaign involving platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to shift culpability from itself. The latest iteration of this was in late April, when the Deputy Chinese Ambassador to London, Chen Wen (photograph), took to the airwaves on BBC Radio 4’s ‘World at One’ to try and defend her Government’s actions and record during the crisis. Comrade Chen refused to accept that there should be an internationally independent investigation into the origins of Coronavirus and rejected absolutely that the Chinese authorities were in the slightest bit at fault. She was utterly unconvincing and yet I am sure there will still be some in our country that accept what she said at face value. How sad is that?
Again, on 14 April, I wrote that I want the Chinese authorities to be held to account. I don’t know quite how we would do that but it would be honest at least if they themselves accepted their responsibility for the Worldwide COVID-19 pandemic we are suffering right now. They do not. The way the Chinese authorities have mishandled Coronavirus should disabuse us of any possible lingering belief that the Chinese regime could be a responsible World player. It is not, and it will not be whilst the current autocratic and oppressive regime holds sway over the unfortunate 1.4 billion people who live there.
So back to the CRG, whilst issues like Coronavirus, Huawei and other current topics will undoubtedly form part of the debate, the Group is also aiming to consider longer term challenges such as Chinese industrial policy, its development, ownership and regulation of technologies and the effects of Chinese soft and hard power. I am particularly interested, of course, in Chinese military expansionism.
The way China has handled the Coronavirus has most definitely been a catalyst for politicians like myself to look more carefully at the way the authorities in Beijing are viewing and inter-acting with the rest of the World. For me the Coronavirus crisis has underlined the urgent need for a better understanding of China’s place in the World, and a re-think about how we engage economically and diplomatically with Beijing.
China has 1.4 billion people, thus containing over 18 per cent of earth’s human population. It also possesses what seems to me an expansionist, somewhat aggressive foreign and military policy and the money to pay for it. Under such circumstances, Coronavirus crisis apart, we had better get real on what China is up to and quickly.
Wack61
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rockits
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Great article Dave.....thanks.
Funny think is China won't have the money long term when most of the world shuns them.
To be a world superpower and to be number one or up there surely you must need to engage.the whole world and be all things to all countries. They are clearly too selfish, self centered and trustworthy to be this. You could apply half of this issue to the US but at least they have half of it right it seems.
I guess it also depends on who sides, engages or partners with China. If nobody does they could be screwed.
China is the world's biggest nett exporter. It wouldn't take that much of a change in sentiment to dramatically shift this. It will happen a certain amount but could it happen enough? Maybe?
I reality if we look at it I think they need the rest of the world more than the rest of the world needs China.
Funny think is China won't have the money long term when most of the world shuns them.
To be a world superpower and to be number one or up there surely you must need to engage.the whole world and be all things to all countries. They are clearly too selfish, self centered and trustworthy to be this. You could apply half of this issue to the US but at least they have half of it right it seems.
I guess it also depends on who sides, engages or partners with China. If nobody does they could be screwed.
China is the world's biggest nett exporter. It wouldn't take that much of a change in sentiment to dramatically shift this. It will happen a certain amount but could it happen enough? Maybe?
I reality if we look at it I think they need the rest of the world more than the rest of the world needs China.
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