"It does hinge on the Belt and Road, need to have the road to invade, and that road into and through Afghanistan is not completed. The government was overthrown, and now China is playing paddy-cake with the Taliban, actually more than paddy-cake. China has a new weapon in their arsenal for the time being and they are developing it; it is a case of “because we can”.
Do you think it's possible that Biden was told to leave the billions of dollars of equipment in Afghanistan for this reason? To weaponize them against Chinese advancement?
doubt it, Biden in my opinion bungled the whole affair, along with all of his predecessors. The US institutions are in bed with the Chinese, the ties with the Wuhan Lab and financing, just so many dots there to connect.
Fascinating analysis. China / de-Islamification. Makes absolute sense. Just export the Uyghurs giant prison camps and the use of arbitrary mass detentions.
Question, Announced in 2013, we are 10 years into the Belt and Road initiative. Is the steam running out?
Nearly a decade after its inception, momentum behind China’s sweeping Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) appears to be slowing as lending slumps and projects stall—forcing Chinese President Xi Jinping to again rethink a floundering initiative that he once hailed as his “project of the century.”
After doling out hundreds of billions of dollars, experts say China’s lending for BRI projects has plummeted, largely a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic and the country’s own economic slowdown. Support has also waned as partner countries drown in debt and fractures emerge—literally—in projects, fueling uncertainty about the future of the sprawling initiative. In 2022, 60 percent of China’s overseas lending went to borrowers in financial distress, compared to just 5 percent in 2010, said Bradley Parks, the executive director of the AidData research group at the College of William and Mary.
One of the issues that are coming to the surface with Chinese investments in foreign countries is the attitude of the Chinese. Worse than the so called Ugly American. Strings are attached that tend to strangle the borrowing countries. Local national workers are treated very badly by the Chinese companies. These I imagine are getting noticed. Also much of the work being done is done by Chinese contractors. Corruption runs deep in China and with their contractors. The Cheng Du/Yushu earthquake exposed this. They take short-cuts with materials, do not adhere to code and the results show when things are stressed. In Cheng Du newly constructed buildings collapsed en mass. What a third party found out was contractors systematically took shortcuts, this with local officials looking the other way. The 3rd party (a retired Chinese military civil engineer) was imprisoned when he exposed this.
My take is their own attitude and blatant racism is getting noticed. (we are the big nose people). Do not know who is more racist, the Koreans or the Chinese (a Hitler type has an easy time promoting the superior race in those countries.). They will finish the road into Pakistan, and then invade, they already have a big foothold in Afghanistan.
it was truly cooperative, I was on the patio, and it landed on the edge, so I politely asked it to wait while I went to get my camera, it did, which surprised me. Then went out into the lawn and did lots of posing. My camera was most frustrating.
They complied with all of the Chinese laws, registered the NGO, their big crime was making their own school books and teaching the Tibetan language. The were shunned by the supposed Tibetan NGOs here in the states. Like Tibet House and International Campaign for Tibet. Received no outside help except for several of my clients that donated regularly to them. I had the best clients in the world.
To me it really showed the colors of these US organizations, double speak and two faced. No real compassion. These Tibetans of Dronmi knew that they were in danger, received no pay and donated lots of time. Truly compassionate people. Hard working and I fear they are either executed or incarcerated.
yes, it brings tears to my eyes when I think about it. They honored me by asking me to be on their board of directors. Truly great individuals, their story will not go down in history, and they deserve that it does.
This point you made here is interesting David,
"It does hinge on the Belt and Road, need to have the road to invade, and that road into and through Afghanistan is not completed. The government was overthrown, and now China is playing paddy-cake with the Taliban, actually more than paddy-cake. China has a new weapon in their arsenal for the time being and they are developing it; it is a case of “because we can”.
Do you think it's possible that Biden was told to leave the billions of dollars of equipment in Afghanistan for this reason? To weaponize them against Chinese advancement?
Just thinking out loud here.
doubt it, Biden in my opinion bungled the whole affair, along with all of his predecessors. The US institutions are in bed with the Chinese, the ties with the Wuhan Lab and financing, just so many dots there to connect.
Fascinating analysis. China / de-Islamification. Makes absolute sense. Just export the Uyghurs giant prison camps and the use of arbitrary mass detentions.
Question, Announced in 2013, we are 10 years into the Belt and Road initiative. Is the steam running out?
I wonder if Foreign Policy ( https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/02/13/china-belt-and-road-initiative-infrastructure-development-geopolitics/ )is accurate in stating it's running out of steam:
Nearly a decade after its inception, momentum behind China’s sweeping Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) appears to be slowing as lending slumps and projects stall—forcing Chinese President Xi Jinping to again rethink a floundering initiative that he once hailed as his “project of the century.”
After doling out hundreds of billions of dollars, experts say China’s lending for BRI projects has plummeted, largely a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic and the country’s own economic slowdown. Support has also waned as partner countries drown in debt and fractures emerge—literally—in projects, fueling uncertainty about the future of the sprawling initiative. In 2022, 60 percent of China’s overseas lending went to borrowers in financial distress, compared to just 5 percent in 2010, said Bradley Parks, the executive director of the AidData research group at the College of William and Mary.
And China's frustrations with regional countries:
https://thediplomat.com/2023/08/chinas-problem-with-nepal/
Thoughts?
One of the issues that are coming to the surface with Chinese investments in foreign countries is the attitude of the Chinese. Worse than the so called Ugly American. Strings are attached that tend to strangle the borrowing countries. Local national workers are treated very badly by the Chinese companies. These I imagine are getting noticed. Also much of the work being done is done by Chinese contractors. Corruption runs deep in China and with their contractors. The Cheng Du/Yushu earthquake exposed this. They take short-cuts with materials, do not adhere to code and the results show when things are stressed. In Cheng Du newly constructed buildings collapsed en mass. What a third party found out was contractors systematically took shortcuts, this with local officials looking the other way. The 3rd party (a retired Chinese military civil engineer) was imprisoned when he exposed this.
My take is their own attitude and blatant racism is getting noticed. (we are the big nose people). Do not know who is more racist, the Koreans or the Chinese (a Hitler type has an easy time promoting the superior race in those countries.). They will finish the road into Pakistan, and then invade, they already have a big foothold in Afghanistan.
nothing surprises me anymore, except the blue butterfly... magical little being... never saw one that color... amazing!
🐱🙏🐱
it was truly cooperative, I was on the patio, and it landed on the edge, so I politely asked it to wait while I went to get my camera, it did, which surprised me. Then went out into the lawn and did lots of posing. My camera was most frustrating.
i have white, bright yellow & monarch butterflies... still searching for a pink butterfly...
your photos and tribute to the Tibetans were beautiful.
They complied with all of the Chinese laws, registered the NGO, their big crime was making their own school books and teaching the Tibetan language. The were shunned by the supposed Tibetan NGOs here in the states. Like Tibet House and International Campaign for Tibet. Received no outside help except for several of my clients that donated regularly to them. I had the best clients in the world.
To me it really showed the colors of these US organizations, double speak and two faced. No real compassion. These Tibetans of Dronmi knew that they were in danger, received no pay and donated lots of time. Truly compassionate people. Hard working and I fear they are either executed or incarcerated.
this is so incredibly sad.
yes, it brings tears to my eyes when I think about it. They honored me by asking me to be on their board of directors. Truly great individuals, their story will not go down in history, and they deserve that it does.
i am sharing their story & pictures with family & friends... they will not be forgotten.