OldenWisdom...قول بزرگ
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Is Tony Blair still relevant? Even after being butt of all jokes he has found a way to cash in....
China-UK (Britain) Geopolitics and Economics: News & Discussions
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TaiShang
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The Russian peace efforts seems to bring the US and Saudi Arabia even closer.
In fact, the US has always been more comfortable with good-natured dictators and pawns. They hate independent and sovereign states.
Russia has brought the true nature of the US regime one more time.
terranMarine
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Thatcher already kowtowed back in the 80s, there's no need for that now. It's all about looking out for their own interest, the US is just paranoid. Same goes with the AIIB membership.
tranquilium
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Money talks, bullshit walks.
Jlaw
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Using human rights as an issue with China is so 1992, LOL. I am writing to the propaganda writers in Washington Post urging them to think of something more fresh, more 21st century
Edison Chen
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Classic british dish...
Jlaw
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Can't blame the Brits. They are doing what is the best interest for their country.
It's pretty good. You won't eat it too often because your heart will not like it.
prima99
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a good ol' chap will never miss his day without Tea and Crumpets
and finally what makes an Englishman English is the Afternoon Tea
anon45
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I'm ok with this 
, its not like the UK will choose political ties with China over US.
Also UK goals are more in sync with US than other Western countries, so I'd rather UK be the 'inside man' on China than say, Germany.
, its not like the UK will choose political ties with China over US.Also UK goals are more in sync with US than other Western countries, so I'd rather UK be the 'inside man' on China than say, Germany.
Nan Yang
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Saudi is all about sponsoring terrorists all over the world. Saudi use head chopping, stoning whipping as punishment, even for women.
If there is one country that is all about the power of money, Saudi Arabia is the one. Even Obama, leader of the most powerful country in the world kowtow to its King.
So human rights my foot. You must Tell that to the Washington Post too.
Barack Obama heads to Saudi Arabia to pay respects and meet new king | US news | The Guardian
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Jlaw
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beheading people is a good deterrent against serious crimes. I wish they had that in China.
For the record, France abolish the guillotine in 1962.
TaiShang
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OCT 19, 2015 , Forbes
A Radical Role Reversal -- Britain As China's Gateway To Europe
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and First Lady Peng Liyuan, arrive at Heathrow Airport in west London on Oct. 19, for a four-day state visit. (TOBY MELVILLE/AFP/Getty Images)
On the occasion of Chinese president Xi Jinping’s official visit to Britain this week, it is important to remember that when the Chinese speak of their past “era of humiliation,” 1839 to 1949, it was Britain that started and perpetuated it for several decades. In light of its own multiple abuses of human rights in China, it would be a serious mistake for anyone in Britain to lecture Xi (or any Chinese) on human rights; instead, in light of the past, Britain and China should aim to forge a new constructive relationship for the 21st century.
A Recapitulation
For much of recorded history, China was the world’s wealthiest nation. As recently as two centuries ago, it corresponded to 33% of global GDP. By 1950, its share had plummeted to 3.3%. This was the result of foreign and civil wars, imperialist exploitation, which in turn exacerbated a breakdown in governance. China became a “failed state.” Britain wrote a good deal of that narrative.
The first industrial revolution in the late 18th century occurred in Britain, not in China. Given China’s image (Marco Polo, etc) of great wealth and splendor, as well as its big population, British traders looked at the Chinese market with drooling envy – illustrated by the slogan: “if every Chinaman would add an inch of material to his shirttail, the mills of Lancashire could be kept busy for generations.”
Opening salvoes by British troops in China’s era of humiliation
In 1793, as flag sought to accompany trade, the first British envoy, Lord Macartney, was sent to engage China in trade negotiations. China, however, was closed, inward looking, autarkic, and contemptuous of “foreign devils.” While the British delegation were forced to “kowtow” to the Chinese court – taken from the Chinese word kētóu, literally to “knock head” (on the ground) or prostration – Beijing refused British demands on trade. Confrontation loomed. The British discovered a strong Chinese demand for opium – and the world’s best opium was grown and cultivated in the British colony of Bengal.
I have on several occasions on this blog strongly recommended the reading of the Bengali novelist Amitav Ghosh’s Ibis Trilogy for the remarkable narrative of the activities, actors and ambience leading to the first Opium War (1839-1842). I hope this advice is being heeded!
Following the war, Hong Kong was made a colony, providing Britain’s “gateway to China.” It was ruled for 155 years, interrupted only by the Japanese occupation from Dec. 25, 1941 to Aug. 30, 1945, until Jun. 30, 1997 when it was “returned” to Chinese sovereignty.
After the first, there ensued a second Opium War (1856-1860), in which British and Indian forces were joined by the French – whose casus belli was the beheading of a French missionary, Father Auguste Chapdelaine, who had infringed Chinese laws by entering forbidden territory (he was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000). Not only were Chinese soldiers and civilians brutally killed, but the invaders ransacked, pillaged and burnt to the ground the magnificent Summer Palace in Beijing: an act of hideous cultural vandalism.
Prior to the outbreak of the Opium War Canton’s Commissioner Lin Zexu wrote his “Letter of Advice to Queen Victoria”, pleading that she prohibit the opium trade. In the letter he makes the crucial point that as the sale of opium is prohibited in Britain, why impose it on China? Further, he appeals to her better moral judgment:
“Suppose there were people from another country who carried opium for sale to England and seduced your people into buying and smoking it; certainly your honorable ruler would deeply hate it and be bitterly aroused. We have heard heretofore that your honorable ruler is kind and benevolent. Naturally you would not wish to give unto others what you yourself do not want.”
It is not known whether Queen Victoria ever read the letter, but in any case she did not reply. Britain never had to experience the forced imposition of drugs from a foreign power, nor having invading Chinese troops marching down The Mall, nor was Buckingham Palace pillaged and burnt, as was the Summer Palace.
In order to avoid meddlesome Chinese laws, the victorious British imposed “extra-territoriality” on China, whereby their citizens could not be judged by Chinese courts, but by their own consular courts, which also applied to all Chinese accused of committing crimes against or alleged victims of crimes by Britons – a system adopted by all other Western powers and Japan.
Patti Waldmeir has recently written an excellent article, entitled “China looks back in anger at British justice,” which well describes the “injustice” and legal discrimination to which the Chinese were subjected on their own territory. Unlike India, Britain never colonized China (apart from Hong Kong), mainly because it did not have to: It could achieve its economic ends through informal imperialism without the costs of formal colonial administration. In Shanghai and other cities where there was a sizeable Western community, clubs, bars, restaurants, parks, leisure centers, were opened up from which Chinese were barred – except of course as servants. The Chinese were frequently made the butt of British racist jokes.
Following China’s defeat in the Sino-Japanese war in 1895, the Western powers exacted more concessions from the Chinese government in the form of spheres of influence: Chunks of territory that were theoretically part of China but over which a given foreign power had exclusive economic rights. The British had extended their rule from the island of Hong Kong to include the peninsula of Kowloon in 1860 and then acquired the New Territories in 1898. In 1900, Britain participated in the brutal suppression of the Boxer Rebellion. Between 1903 and 1905, Britain, with the extensive use of Indian troops, invaded Tibet. With the development of colonies, establishment of plantations and exploitation of mines throughout the world there arose great demand for the supply of Chinese indentured labor, known as “coolies,” with which Britain was significantly involved.
All this should show quite categorically, emphatically and conclusively that Britain simply does not have the moral high ground from which it can lecture, let alone hector, the Chinese on human rights, as some have argued it should. First, it should recognize past crimes and express deepest apologies.
Towards a New 21st Century Britain-China Relationship
CCTV News announcing Britain joining AIIB as founding member
In spite of the multiple past transgressions and humiliations against the Chinese by Britain, there is no sign today that although China has regained strength, it is out to wreak revenge. But the scars of past humiliations are there and the wounds could reopen and fester. Essentially China is looking for its place in the world and for sustainable governance. As Europeans should know from our own extremely turbulent and often violent past this is not easy.
It is clear that the 21st century will be in good part determined by the impact and implications of China’s re-emergence as a great global power. From 33% of global GDP before the first Opium War, plummeting to 3.3% a century later, today China has re-risen to 15%. China has vast global interests extending across all continents. With initiatives such as the New Silk Road (OBOR, One-Belt-One-Road) the process will continue. But in its development, China faces not only external challenges, but also domestic ones: social, demographic, cultural, spiritual, economic,financial, technological, environmental and political. Should China achieve its “peaceful rise,” it would be the first great power in history ever to have done so. The implications for the world today and for future generations are huge. For the West the objective should be to engage with China cooperatively in achieving that end, and emphatically not to seek to contain China or through humiliation ostracize it from the global community.
Dean Acheson, Secretary of State under President Truman, famously remarked that while “Great Britain has lost an empire, it has not yet found a role.” A role it could aspire to would be to serve as China’s gateway to Europe – financially, but also culturally, socially, scientifically, intellectually and politically.
Britain took an important step in that direction when it ignored Washington’s objections and became a founding member of the AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank). As Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne commented during his recent trip to China, Britain and China should “stick together and make a golden decade for both our countries.”
Forging this new relationship will not necessarily be easy. There are great differences between the two countries, politically and socially, as well as economically, not to mention bitter legacies of the past. But this potential role stands out as a great opportunity that Britain is well placed for and therefore should seize. There is good reason to believe that engaging China in this manner will not only atone for some of the wrongs committed by Britain against China in the past, but serve far more positively in the improvement of Chinese governance and human rights than would hypocritical lecturing and hectoring. In this sense, Britain could play a critically constructive role in fashioning a 21st century that would relinquish to past history the “era of humiliation” and contribute to building a dynamic, prosperous and peaceful 21st century founded on respect and cooperation between China and Europe.
@Chinese-Dragon , @Raphael , @AndrewJin , @Shotgunner51 , @Martian2 , @Keel , @ahojunk , @terranMarine , @Dungeness et al.
A Radical Role Reversal -- Britain As China's Gateway To Europe
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and First Lady Peng Liyuan, arrive at Heathrow Airport in west London on Oct. 19, for a four-day state visit. (TOBY MELVILLE/AFP/Getty Images)
On the occasion of Chinese president Xi Jinping’s official visit to Britain this week, it is important to remember that when the Chinese speak of their past “era of humiliation,” 1839 to 1949, it was Britain that started and perpetuated it for several decades. In light of its own multiple abuses of human rights in China, it would be a serious mistake for anyone in Britain to lecture Xi (or any Chinese) on human rights; instead, in light of the past, Britain and China should aim to forge a new constructive relationship for the 21st century.
A Recapitulation
For much of recorded history, China was the world’s wealthiest nation. As recently as two centuries ago, it corresponded to 33% of global GDP. By 1950, its share had plummeted to 3.3%. This was the result of foreign and civil wars, imperialist exploitation, which in turn exacerbated a breakdown in governance. China became a “failed state.” Britain wrote a good deal of that narrative.
The first industrial revolution in the late 18th century occurred in Britain, not in China. Given China’s image (Marco Polo, etc) of great wealth and splendor, as well as its big population, British traders looked at the Chinese market with drooling envy – illustrated by the slogan: “if every Chinaman would add an inch of material to his shirttail, the mills of Lancashire could be kept busy for generations.”
Opening salvoes by British troops in China’s era of humiliation
In 1793, as flag sought to accompany trade, the first British envoy, Lord Macartney, was sent to engage China in trade negotiations. China, however, was closed, inward looking, autarkic, and contemptuous of “foreign devils.” While the British delegation were forced to “kowtow” to the Chinese court – taken from the Chinese word kētóu, literally to “knock head” (on the ground) or prostration – Beijing refused British demands on trade. Confrontation loomed. The British discovered a strong Chinese demand for opium – and the world’s best opium was grown and cultivated in the British colony of Bengal.
I have on several occasions on this blog strongly recommended the reading of the Bengali novelist Amitav Ghosh’s Ibis Trilogy for the remarkable narrative of the activities, actors and ambience leading to the first Opium War (1839-1842). I hope this advice is being heeded!
Following the war, Hong Kong was made a colony, providing Britain’s “gateway to China.” It was ruled for 155 years, interrupted only by the Japanese occupation from Dec. 25, 1941 to Aug. 30, 1945, until Jun. 30, 1997 when it was “returned” to Chinese sovereignty.
After the first, there ensued a second Opium War (1856-1860), in which British and Indian forces were joined by the French – whose casus belli was the beheading of a French missionary, Father Auguste Chapdelaine, who had infringed Chinese laws by entering forbidden territory (he was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000). Not only were Chinese soldiers and civilians brutally killed, but the invaders ransacked, pillaged and burnt to the ground the magnificent Summer Palace in Beijing: an act of hideous cultural vandalism.
Prior to the outbreak of the Opium War Canton’s Commissioner Lin Zexu wrote his “Letter of Advice to Queen Victoria”, pleading that she prohibit the opium trade. In the letter he makes the crucial point that as the sale of opium is prohibited in Britain, why impose it on China? Further, he appeals to her better moral judgment:
“Suppose there were people from another country who carried opium for sale to England and seduced your people into buying and smoking it; certainly your honorable ruler would deeply hate it and be bitterly aroused. We have heard heretofore that your honorable ruler is kind and benevolent. Naturally you would not wish to give unto others what you yourself do not want.”
It is not known whether Queen Victoria ever read the letter, but in any case she did not reply. Britain never had to experience the forced imposition of drugs from a foreign power, nor having invading Chinese troops marching down The Mall, nor was Buckingham Palace pillaged and burnt, as was the Summer Palace.
In order to avoid meddlesome Chinese laws, the victorious British imposed “extra-territoriality” on China, whereby their citizens could not be judged by Chinese courts, but by their own consular courts, which also applied to all Chinese accused of committing crimes against or alleged victims of crimes by Britons – a system adopted by all other Western powers and Japan.
Patti Waldmeir has recently written an excellent article, entitled “China looks back in anger at British justice,” which well describes the “injustice” and legal discrimination to which the Chinese were subjected on their own territory. Unlike India, Britain never colonized China (apart from Hong Kong), mainly because it did not have to: It could achieve its economic ends through informal imperialism without the costs of formal colonial administration. In Shanghai and other cities where there was a sizeable Western community, clubs, bars, restaurants, parks, leisure centers, were opened up from which Chinese were barred – except of course as servants. The Chinese were frequently made the butt of British racist jokes.
Following China’s defeat in the Sino-Japanese war in 1895, the Western powers exacted more concessions from the Chinese government in the form of spheres of influence: Chunks of territory that were theoretically part of China but over which a given foreign power had exclusive economic rights. The British had extended their rule from the island of Hong Kong to include the peninsula of Kowloon in 1860 and then acquired the New Territories in 1898. In 1900, Britain participated in the brutal suppression of the Boxer Rebellion. Between 1903 and 1905, Britain, with the extensive use of Indian troops, invaded Tibet. With the development of colonies, establishment of plantations and exploitation of mines throughout the world there arose great demand for the supply of Chinese indentured labor, known as “coolies,” with which Britain was significantly involved.
All this should show quite categorically, emphatically and conclusively that Britain simply does not have the moral high ground from which it can lecture, let alone hector, the Chinese on human rights, as some have argued it should. First, it should recognize past crimes and express deepest apologies.
Towards a New 21st Century Britain-China Relationship
CCTV News announcing Britain joining AIIB as founding member
In spite of the multiple past transgressions and humiliations against the Chinese by Britain, there is no sign today that although China has regained strength, it is out to wreak revenge. But the scars of past humiliations are there and the wounds could reopen and fester. Essentially China is looking for its place in the world and for sustainable governance. As Europeans should know from our own extremely turbulent and often violent past this is not easy.
It is clear that the 21st century will be in good part determined by the impact and implications of China’s re-emergence as a great global power. From 33% of global GDP before the first Opium War, plummeting to 3.3% a century later, today China has re-risen to 15%. China has vast global interests extending across all continents. With initiatives such as the New Silk Road (OBOR, One-Belt-One-Road) the process will continue. But in its development, China faces not only external challenges, but also domestic ones: social, demographic, cultural, spiritual, economic,financial, technological, environmental and political. Should China achieve its “peaceful rise,” it would be the first great power in history ever to have done so. The implications for the world today and for future generations are huge. For the West the objective should be to engage with China cooperatively in achieving that end, and emphatically not to seek to contain China or through humiliation ostracize it from the global community.
Dean Acheson, Secretary of State under President Truman, famously remarked that while “Great Britain has lost an empire, it has not yet found a role.” A role it could aspire to would be to serve as China’s gateway to Europe – financially, but also culturally, socially, scientifically, intellectually and politically.
Britain took an important step in that direction when it ignored Washington’s objections and became a founding member of the AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank). As Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne commented during his recent trip to China, Britain and China should “stick together and make a golden decade for both our countries.”
Forging this new relationship will not necessarily be easy. There are great differences between the two countries, politically and socially, as well as economically, not to mention bitter legacies of the past. But this potential role stands out as a great opportunity that Britain is well placed for and therefore should seize. There is good reason to believe that engaging China in this manner will not only atone for some of the wrongs committed by Britain against China in the past, but serve far more positively in the improvement of Chinese governance and human rights than would hypocritical lecturing and hectoring. In this sense, Britain could play a critically constructive role in fashioning a 21st century that would relinquish to past history the “era of humiliation” and contribute to building a dynamic, prosperous and peaceful 21st century founded on respect and cooperation between China and Europe.
@Chinese-Dragon , @Raphael , @AndrewJin , @Shotgunner51 , @Martian2 , @Keel , @ahojunk , @terranMarine , @Dungeness et al.
TaiShang
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I guess they have not intellectually progressed since Goebbels.
TaiShang
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Closer ties with UK can boost implementation of ‘One Belt, One Road’ strategy
Published: 2015-10-19 23:43:01
This March, in spite of opposition from the US, the UK took the lead to become the first major Western country to become a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which also triggered other developed countries' involvement in the AIIB. UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne's visit to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in September signaled signs of active participation in China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative.
These moves have demonstrated that the UK is determined to become the most proactive Western country in exploring cooperation with China. There are four primary aspects of the UK's role in participating in the "One Belt, One Road" initiative.
The first is focusing on strengthening ties and building connections. The UK has been proactive in becoming an offshore yuan center in recent years. During President Xi Jinping's state visit to Britain, agreements will reportedly be reached regarding China's issuance of yuan debt in London. As an established financial power, the UK can play an important role in the Silk Road Fund and the yuan's internationalization, which will help with financing of the initiative. In addition, given that many nations along the route are former British colonies that use an Anglo-American legal system, China-UK cooperation is necessary and will be of great significance for the strategy in terms of infrastructure interconnectivity and policy understanding among different nations.
The second aspect is development of the third-party market. Unlike the US, which achieved hegemony through a system of alliances, the UK is a nation that once ruled much of the world and sent governors and staff to its colonies, including countries along the route. Therefore, the UK holds a better understanding than China of cooperation in a third-party market that involves legal and insurance services, and this will help the initiative to adjust to the countries along the route, and realize the localization of China's manufacturing, building and services industries.
The third aspect lies in cooperation in terms of international capacity. As the UK is the birthplace of the industrial revolution, it faces not only the problem of aging infrastructure but also the task of digitalization. This provides vast room for capacity cooperation between China and the UK.
The last aspect is the establishment of the Maritime Silk Road. As was proposed by the China-EU 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation, China and the EU should enhance exchanges and cooperation on comprehensive ocean management, ocean planning, marine knowledge, marine observation and surveillance. Britain has a critical say in the making of international shipping rules, so if China and the UK can establish a maritime partnership, it would not only help to implement the four major China-EU partnerships on peace, growth, reform and civilization put forward by Xi last year, but also move forward the building of the Maritime Silk Road.
Published: 2015-10-19 23:43:01
This March, in spite of opposition from the US, the UK took the lead to become the first major Western country to become a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which also triggered other developed countries' involvement in the AIIB. UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne's visit to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in September signaled signs of active participation in China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative.
These moves have demonstrated that the UK is determined to become the most proactive Western country in exploring cooperation with China. There are four primary aspects of the UK's role in participating in the "One Belt, One Road" initiative.
The first is focusing on strengthening ties and building connections. The UK has been proactive in becoming an offshore yuan center in recent years. During President Xi Jinping's state visit to Britain, agreements will reportedly be reached regarding China's issuance of yuan debt in London. As an established financial power, the UK can play an important role in the Silk Road Fund and the yuan's internationalization, which will help with financing of the initiative. In addition, given that many nations along the route are former British colonies that use an Anglo-American legal system, China-UK cooperation is necessary and will be of great significance for the strategy in terms of infrastructure interconnectivity and policy understanding among different nations.
The second aspect is development of the third-party market. Unlike the US, which achieved hegemony through a system of alliances, the UK is a nation that once ruled much of the world and sent governors and staff to its colonies, including countries along the route. Therefore, the UK holds a better understanding than China of cooperation in a third-party market that involves legal and insurance services, and this will help the initiative to adjust to the countries along the route, and realize the localization of China's manufacturing, building and services industries.
The third aspect lies in cooperation in terms of international capacity. As the UK is the birthplace of the industrial revolution, it faces not only the problem of aging infrastructure but also the task of digitalization. This provides vast room for capacity cooperation between China and the UK.
The last aspect is the establishment of the Maritime Silk Road. As was proposed by the China-EU 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation, China and the EU should enhance exchanges and cooperation on comprehensive ocean management, ocean planning, marine knowledge, marine observation and surveillance. Britain has a critical say in the making of international shipping rules, so if China and the UK can establish a maritime partnership, it would not only help to implement the four major China-EU partnerships on peace, growth, reform and civilization put forward by Xi last year, but also move forward the building of the Maritime Silk Road.
TaiShang
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Jack Ma enlisted by British PM as business advisor
October 20, 2015
David Cameron posts a photo he took with Jack Ma on Twitter. [File photo]
Jack Ma, executive chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, has been appointed as a non-remunerated member of British Prime Minister David Cameron's Business Advisory Group, according to Agence France-Presse.
The announcement came the day before a four-day state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which is to cement ties between China and the United Kingdom.
According to Cameron's spokeswoman, Ma will "provide particular help and advice on how to get small and medium-sized British businesses boosting their exports and in particular accessing Chinese markets through platforms like Alibaba".
Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne believe that close ties with China are vital to cementing Britain's economic growth in decades to come.
According to AFP, the Business Advisory Group had 19 members in July -- most are chief executives of top British companies, including the heads of BP, EasyJet and Rolls-Royce.
Two years ago, during a three-day visit to China, Cameron joined a closed-door meeting with Ma to seek new opportunities for British companies in China's e-commerce sector.
October 20, 2015
Jack Ma, executive chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, has been appointed as a non-remunerated member of British Prime Minister David Cameron's Business Advisory Group, according to Agence France-Presse.
The announcement came the day before a four-day state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which is to cement ties between China and the United Kingdom.
According to Cameron's spokeswoman, Ma will "provide particular help and advice on how to get small and medium-sized British businesses boosting their exports and in particular accessing Chinese markets through platforms like Alibaba".
Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne believe that close ties with China are vital to cementing Britain's economic growth in decades to come.
According to AFP, the Business Advisory Group had 19 members in July -- most are chief executives of top British companies, including the heads of BP, EasyJet and Rolls-Royce.
Two years ago, during a three-day visit to China, Cameron joined a closed-door meeting with Ma to seek new opportunities for British companies in China's e-commerce sector.
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