All you have to do is look, 15 September China edition
Posted by ampontan on Saturday, September 15, 2012
The Chinese are very interesting. While they’re alive, they won’t protect their own land, their own home, their own assets, their own freedom, their own jobs, or even their own children. They won’t even protect their own bodies — they’ll sell them to someone. But when it comes to defending the country’s territory, their blood runs hot and they’ll fly into a rage.
- A Chinese blogger writing at a site called Zaishui Yifang
CHINA’S national political establishment and news media have been sowing poisoned seeds for years. The harvest for this year’s crop started today in 29 cities:
Prior to a clash with armed police in Beijing, before an attempt to storm the Japanese embassy. (Asahi Shimbun photo)
The remains of a Panasonic plant in Qinqdao:
The supermarket of a Japanese-owned company in Changsha:
At a hotel in Xian. The mob demanded that the hotel send out any Japanese guests.
At a Qingdao Aeon store, a Japanese-owned company. (Owned by the family of the ruling Democratic Party bigwig Okada Katsuya, in fact. His brother is the president.)
At a Toyota dealer in Qingdao:
At another auto dealer in Hengyang:
This is how the young and the restless in China will spend the weekend, until Tuesday. That’s the 81st anniversary of the Mukden Incident, which the Japanese Imperial Army used as a pretext for invading northern China.
They’re Japanese hunting. We’ve seen the Chinese do this before. Three years ago, it was Uighur hunting in Xinjiang.
There’s video:
And this report from French television, dubbed into Japanese:
One of the Chinese tough guys says they will not accept the Uighur independence movement under any circumstances.
If you’re sitting in a different part of the world and think the Chinese will behave this way only with Asians who displease the new hegemons, you’d better think again. They want revenge on everyone they think wronged them, and they want it now. That includes the West.
*****
It doesn’t take much to get them in the mood. A Chinese man on their Internet this week wrote that his brother-in-law, who works for a state-run company, was told that he would be fined if he didn’t participate in an anti-Japanese demonstration in Guangdong Province last month.
Harry said
Their economy is apparently beginning to crash. Bankruptcies in cities like Dongguan are increasing and it’s worse than in 2008.
Places like ASEAN and Mexico are stealing manufacturing jobs from China. As a result, they are forced to rely on construction jobs, but local governments are indebted and unable to fund “stimulus” programs. It’s scary to think that these people may lose their jobs…
Can we protect our citizens living in China? I wonder if we can continue to run businesses in this situation.
toadold said
“Fire across the River”…Let the class war chaos in China burn itself out. Anybody who is not Chinese should leave mainland China at this point in time. Things are too unpredictable there. Japan has enough assets in my ill informed opinion to protect it’s territory and keep sea lanes open but it would be close to impossible to protect any citizen or their property in China with any economic, diplomatic, or military force now available.
Trapped in Brazil said
Harry, in the short run there are plenty of ways to protect your citizens and business in China, buuut, I wonder how long will it take to the USA to realize that they are only funding the enemy.
Like Ampontan is trying to say, today, China wants Asia, tomorrow they will want South America, Europe, Africa and eventually, North America.
The problem is, the present American government is so weak that it is not willing to assume any risk for it’s allies. If by any chance, Japan is betrayed by Washington, well, imagine the mindset: The westerners always saw us as sub-humans, tried to enslave all of Asia, dropped two nukes in Japan, and now betray us… Soon you have a China armed with japanese technology, including the capacity to reverse engineer anything. How will America stop this monster?
———–
TIB: Thanks for the note.
I don’t think the Chinese “want” the rest of the world in the sense that they’ll run it, but in the sense that they’re the flower in the center of the world again, and the parts they don’t control pays them tribute as vassal, in a figurative sense.
-A.
21st Century Schizoid Man said
A: I was out to suburb of Sao Paulo to attend my son’s school festival. Coming back, I was enough shocked to see the photos you posted, and I also checked Japanese media.
I think this is proof of what some people are worrying about – too huge and irrational and corrupt-when-in-power people. These people occupy 1/4 of the World. No wonder why Jack London wrote Unparalleled Invasion.
Trapped In Brazil: I have to say that I am pretty much offended by your statement in that you believe Japan will ally with China just by U.S. betrayal. You don’t know anything about Japan. May be that is why you visit here. Or may be you will soon leave since you are not interested in Japan that much. We have never sought alliance with China in our history, we learned most of the things from China until the end of our self-closure and we thought we were entitled to utilize the huge space for us to grow (= to become something close to Europe and U.S., an industrialized country with technologies) after we opened the border 150 years ago as with Europe and U.S., seeing then China was not so much a threat to us. On any betrayal (assuming there is any such thing), Japan would have to stand on its own completely without U.S. or else, it would disappear. No such choice you are thinking about.
Ah, if you did not think about alliance between China and Japan but rather thought Japan being completely consumed by China, because of U.S. betrayal, sorry about that.
By the way, you are trapped in Brazil. You like it? I like it very much. I am curious to know other person’s view. Sorry if you are a Brazilian (I do not think so).
21st Century Schizoid Man said
Harry: Economy is definitely important, but I guess, from what I learned here, that more importantly out-of-rail CCP system is now about to collapse. Any system would collapse but how today’s world can cope with the collapse, will be one subject for a lot of people to wonder. After all, lack of self-respect and discipline accumulated cause such collapse.
Definitely Japan suffers a lot but since the world now is the world now, Japan is not the single party to worry about.
I hope I am dead wrong about current situation in China. Somebody should say so. Like, this is a mere adjustment phase of CCP reign. I would even pay for that, even small amount.
21st Century Schizoid Man said
A: I feel sorry for kids there.
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20120915-00000018-flix-movi
But, Chinese people are choking themselves (this is the literal translation from Japanese idiom). Many people from China miss Tokyo Disney Resort.
trapped in brazil said
Hi Schizoid how are you? First of all, no offense taken. Second, I didn’t mean that Japan would willingly join China. What I meant was that in case of a USA betrayal, if, and I mean if, Japan can’t defend itself against China, they will eventually get all our technology. Of course they will capture Japan’s populace, including the scientists. Then if you hold secrets like the Aegis techs, would you be willing to let your children be killed by the chinese, just to protect our american “friends”, who just sold us out?
About myself, I am just a sansei stranded here for a lot of reasons. I feel like a fish out of the water… My parents see thenselves as brazilian, but with the mindset os a typical showa era duo. So I were raised as a japanese, thinking that I was a normal brazilian.
21st Century Schizoid Man said
Hi Stacked in Brazil, I understood what you originally meant now. Your sense where Japan is so consumed by China seems correct, I only question how much U.S. tech will be really stolen then.
JSDF (Jieitai) is the world’s 6th largest, eh military. China should be quite well prepared including morale of soldiers.
Also, if the matter relates to protecting U.S. national interest and security, you know how U.S. would act. So long as there are such U.S. concerns there in Japan, U.S. would move to defend it, not necessarily Japanese people.
Who would expect foreigners to stake their lives, particularly as an entire nation, to save other country? I do not think I am offending U.S. and its people by saying the above.
If you are that type of Sansei, I completely misunderstood you and my apologies for that. If you speak Japanese and English in addition to Portuguese, I think you have a lot of possibility – just that you do not find it yet.
I believe really sensible relation exists between Brazil and Japan and I kind of cherish it. Had immigrants from Japan not done their things so respectfully, it never exists. Even though you might think it is difficult to fully understand your parents, Japanese descendents in Brazil are paramount example of our values. I believe Brazilians other than Japanese descendents testify it. So, on these beliefs, I am more than happy to be able to live here, even though it is temporary, for a few years. I have just started.
trapped in brazil said
Hi Schizoid, I understand and respect my parents, but I had a true cultural shock whem I found out that I was programmed to be a japanese (according to my hardware hehe). One episode that really took it’s tool in my psyche was in fifth grade (around the 80′s). At a shop nearby my school, the lady gave me 50cents in addition to my change. Obviously, I returned the money for what the lady was gratefull, but as soon as my colleagues found out, I became the laughing stock of the class. Of course there were people who thougt I did the right thing, but they remained quiet so as to not join my laughing party
Well, that was in the eighties, a lot of things has changed since then, but there are still a lot of room to improvement.
trapped in brazil said
Schizoid, dont take me wrong, I mean, there are a lot of faults in Brazil, but in general, it is a good place to live (if it wasn’t the case, I would have already left). It is just that sometimes I feel left out of the flock here.
One funny episode that happened to my brother was in the 2006 Cup (or 2010, I dont remember well), it was Brazil and Croatia that day and as someone asked out of the blue about for whom he (my brother) were cheering, Brazil or Croatia, he just laughed and asked sarcastically: “Do I look like an croatian?”, for what we all laughed, even the person who asked. Well, what I am trying to convey is that there are always these kind of “mild aggression”, but they don’t mean any harm, it is just the way they are
yankdownunder said
Since the Japanese govt cannot protect its citizens and Chinese govt wont, Japanese should leave China. It’s the only sane response to such violence and hatred.
Even stupid Americans know when it’s time to leave.
(U.S. Factories Leaving China – http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2012/07/25/u-s-factories-leaving-china/ )
Ken said
>Their economy is apparently beginning to crash. As a result, they are forced to rely on construction jobs,
When I said the like last year, it was mocked as the wish by the China-hater by a ‘China-hater’-hater.
Chinese government is swelling the bubble by not only construction but also real estate.
Btw, that mobs seem rather looters than anti-Japan protesters. Chinese government would say, “You loot, we shoot.”
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/greatprc-you1/imgs/6/4/64590813-s.jpg
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/greatprc-you1/imgs/b/0/b00704c3.jpg
21st Century Schizoid Man said
SIB: One of Brazil’s problems is just like Japan – bureaucracy and other public servants’ mindset. Too much strikes by public servants. My moving cargo by ship arrived after three months dispatched. One month on the sea and two months in Santos!
What helped Japan after the war may be the ban of strike for public servants. They are fared more than well in stead. That and the level of government pension and government medical insurance are consuming Japan. I think Brazil can plan for these issues yet and well.
I will be returning 50 cents all through thinking that gaining it here right now does not give me anything meaningful except for a sense of shame. I call it common sense not Japanese mindset (there are tons of Japanese who takes 50 silently – at least more than other people think).
21st Century Schizoid Man said
If the looting on this scale is permitted by Chinese government, that shows the state of Chinese government. 2nd largest GNP with looters. We saw much limited but the same thing in other giants of GNP where diversified people live. Japan is said to be homogenious and that is the reason for perseverance. What about China then? I do not perceive them much diversed they are all the Han race. May be I am wrong.
Harry said
This is no longer bilateral. According to some Twitter pics, looters have smashed Dior and ROLEX stores. Who is the next target? Adidas? GM? Samsung?
Asahi says all the employees at AEON Qingdao are Chinese. There may be a few Japanese, but the vast majority of workers in these stores, factories, and offices are their brethren. How unlucky…
These people are unafraid of assaulting police cars. The police, armed police, and other security forces resort to violence and are detested by many. Another factor is simmering resentment against the rich who can afford to buy a Japanese car or any other expensive brand.
In inland provinces, far away from seaports, there aren’t many manufacturing exporters. Fixed asset investment accounts for 60%-70% of Gross Regional Product and construction and real estate drive the economy. When local governments are too indebted to build ghost cities, young migrant workers drop out of the labor market. Then the central bank prints money like crazy and ends up stimulating food and energy inflation. Rising costs force foreign companies to give up and fire workers. Anti-foreign sentiment grows.
I guess it’s time to leave China.
——–
H: Those migrant workers are now suspected to have come to Guangzhou to cause trouble, i.e., setting fires all over the place. Two different Chinese sources for that.
-A.
21st Century Schizoid Man said
A: Sorry, delete my previous post entirely because of typos.
We see ill and mal handling everywhere. We had it in Japan last year. But upon seeing this, we all realize something really really gloomy.
It is possible that my colleagues there evacuate early next week, but I also see possibility everything goes back to “normal” (to Chinese standard) on Monday.
This is ill-motivated mix of government subsidized demonstration, Chinese corporate’ subsidized demonstration, and looting and festa for quite uneducated and ill-fated mobs.
Here we have the world second largest economy.
The reason that Chinese people do not show deep regret in a noticeable manner shows what Ampontan suggests – that Flower of the Center of the World thingy. Or, should I wait for sometime to expect the CCP government’s apologies?
21st Century Schizoid Man said
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20120916-00000592-yom-soci
hitokiri1989 said
China has always saw themselves as the center of the world with only a brief hiatus (1800s-1980s?) where they saw themselves as needing to catch up with the West and Japan. Thats why being from Malaysia, I’m very skeptical of China gaining more and more influence in Asia-Pacific. They do not treat other ASEAN states as equal nation-states but rather view them as tributaries that need to return to China’s orbit. In a way thats also why I think to0 much attention has been turned to the Senkaku islands issue. Of more importance is China’s assertiveness with their South East Asian neighbors and their attempts to divide ASEAN. And ampotan, very disturbing about those “Japanese-hunters”. But in the end the Japanese there should be ok, they can always leave if the mob comes looking for them. The Uighurs and Tibetans on the other hand can’t. Btw your last part touched on something most Chinese won’t admit, which is Han racism.