‘Villain hitting’ is more popular than ever this year. But police advise the elderly women who will curse your enemies by hitting pictures of them under the Canal Road flyover not to use photos of people. This presumably means pictures of government officials. Which suggests that someone high up in the administration is somewhat thin-skinned. Or perhaps they are adopting the Mainland authorities’ dim view of feudal superstitions. (Would beating a picture of a government minister count as sedition or subversion?)
The BBC asks ‘Can a rubber stamp parliament help China’s economy?’ If the question doesn’t answer itself, Betteridge’s Law tells us ‘Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word ‘no’’. (So that answers the pins-in-effigies header.)
Like so many media, the Beeb describes China as ‘Asia’s [if not the world’s] engine of growth’. So what is the fuel for this engine? Answer: demand. And where is the demand in the global economy? Not in China, where consumption accounts for barely 50% of GDP – but in the US, where it makes up 80% of it. China does not fuel/drive/whatever the global economy.
For equities fans tempted by China’s low valuations – Goldman Sachs advises clients not to invest there…
“All our clients are asking us that question — given how cheap China appears, people inevitably say, well, has it discounted the worst news?” Sharmin Mossavar-Rahmani said in a Bloomberg Television interview. “Our view is that one should not invest in China.”
She cited a host of reasons for her take, including expectations for a steady slowdown in the economy over the next decade. China will struggle with a weakening in the three pillars of growth up to now — the property market, infrastructure and exports, she said. A lack of clarity on China’s policymaking, along with patchy economic data, add to concerns about investing there, Mossavar-Rahmani said.
China’s Communist leadership has over the past year emphasized the importance of information security and put curbs on what data can be removed from the nation. The statistics bureau also suspended for a time some unemployment figures. On Monday, Beijing announced that the country’s premier — second only to President Xi Jinping — will discontinue a decades-long tradition of annual press briefings at a key gathering.
“Beijing announced that the country’s premier — second only to President Xi Jinping — will discontinue a decades-long tradition of annual press briefings at a key gathering.”
Personally I’d like to see an ALL Xi JP channel showing nothing but endless loops of Xi JP speeches on ALL his “thoughts”, constructs, “Chinese Dreams”, ad nauseam. At least this way NO ONE in the government will need to give so-called press briefings, etc. Just watch the telly. Channel CCTVXI, CCTVXI2, CCTVXI3 perhaps?
‘beating a picture of a government minister counts as sedition or subversion’? People have been jailed for less…. I question this so-called Betteridge’s ‘law’… It does not take into account the principles of win-win mutual advancement and social harmony
Off topic.
Can we talk about the Greater Bay Area for a moment?
The GBA cannot exist until a new border is constructed on the northern boundary of Guangdong and all of HK’s surviving civil, political and legal infrastructure is grafted onto Guangdong Province and is then rigorously observed.
Which means never.
I think you just need to chain-ring fence the 11 cities Stanley. Much cheaper. Half the green fences are already available where needed.
“I think you just need to chain-ring fence the 11 cities Stanley. Much cheaper. Half the green fences are already available where needed.”
Kinda like how Shamchun was fenced off when it became a SEZ…
Wonder if it’ll be as chalk ‘n cheese between everywhere else & the GBA, as the SEZ was back in the 80s? Oh, those were the days!
To answer my question: I suspect not.
That reminds me… has anyone been able to find a link to “Long Live Comrade Mo 2.0 for Ten Thousand Years”? Hemmers apparently hasn’t been able to find it, either.