Kaixin's Daily OpEd

Rural banks lend hand to farmers

Less-developed areas offer huge opportunities for small lenders, Wang Xiaotian reports from Hubei, Chongqing and Shandong.

When Hu Jizheng wanted to upgrade the facilities on his pig farm, he decided to do something unique.

Get a loan from a bank.

"In the past we used to borrow from relatives and friends," said the 48-year-old, who is raising more than 4,000 pigs on his farm in Hubei province.

A rural bank nearby, however, was offering money at an interest rate of 8.6 percent - less than he would pay elsewhere. So in April he borrowed 2 million yuan ($314,000) and expects the revamping of his equipment and purchase of a methane tank will bring his annual revenue to more than 15 million yuan.

"I never imagined a bank could lend me so much money at such a cheap rate."

He had earlier visited all traditional major lenders in the area. They all rejected him.

"To my surprise, unlike common banks, the working style of this rural bank is surprisingly good," Hu said. "Surely it's time for me to change my outlook and turn to rural banks for capital instead of private lenders."

Kaixin OpEd - I still don't think the 'west' realises the economic potential being unlocked in rural china.

A Consumption Conundrum

China must find greener ways to fuel its insatiable hunger for energy

When China surpassed the U.S. to become the world's biggest energy consumer last year, the data confirmed what many Chinese living with frequent power cuts had already guessed: China's hunger for energy is simply unsustainable.

Kaixin OpEd - You will probably find they are willing to, in conjunction with the 'west', which has enjoyed unbridled pillage of the world's resources since the industrial revolution. Glasshouses, stones come to mind.

Children of the Revolution

China's 'princelings,' the offspring of the communist party elite, are embracing the trappings of wealth and privilege—raising uncomfortable questions for their elders.

The offspring of party leaders, often called "princelings," are becoming more conspicuous, through both their expanding business interests and their evident appetite for luxury, at a time when public anger is rising over reports of official corruption and abuse of power.

Picture: Bo Xilai, with his son, at a memorial ceremony held for his father in Beijing, in 2007.

Kaixin OpEd: Yes, this is an issue in China. Though the bad old days of slotting a sprog into the top echelon of government is mostly gone. The princelings can be given a mighty leg up by dad, but if they turn out to be a frog, then they will stay in the pond. It takes real talent to rise to the top in China today ........... mostly, and with little twists and turns, but largely.

Mind you, in the 'west', having a rich and/or powerful dad is not without its benefits.

WB economist: US, EU must heed China's wisdom

Beijing Dec. 1 (People's Daily Online) – The crucial factor in surmounting the economic difficulties that plague the United States and the European Union is not money but political wisdom, said Justin Yifu Lin, the World Bank's chief economist.

Kaixin OpEd - I have pointed out, on many occasions, that America is acting like a spoilt 200 lb teenager (that heaps of kilograms) who has been given a 6 litre V8 Chevy (ie: hegemonic power in the 2^nd half of the 20^th century). The teenager just ain’t got the wisdom to handle that much power.

People's Daily 29/11/2011

China backs Pakistan's efforts in safeguarding independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity: FM

BEIJING, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Monday that China will consistently support Pakistan's efforts in safeguarding national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Kaixin OpEd - I watched in awe at the audacity and certainty America conducted the mission to assasinate Osama bin Laden. America has released an advertisement, which they call a documentary, justifying its blatant violation of Pakistan’s national sovereignty.

There was and is no doubt in America's mind ...

In my opinion the debate as to the fate of Osama bin Laden is a separate issue.

The debate as to whether Pakistan was capable of carrying out such a mission is a separate issue.

The debate as to whether sharing the intelligence with Pakistan would have led to his escape is another issue.

If Pakistan were capable of carrying out a similar mission in America, can you imagine the howls of outrage from America.

If China were to carry out such a mission in another country, can you imagine the howls of outrage from America.

America is like a teenager who has been given the keys to power far too young. The teenager is not wise enough to know how to use this power. It is dangerous, and the sooner that power is balanced and bought under control the better.

China Daily   17/11/2011

China may become world's biggest patent filer

BEIJING - China's patent filings have increased rapidly in recent years and the country is expected to become the world's largest filer of patents in 2011, according to a report released on Wednesday by Thomson Reuters in Beijing.

Kaixin OpEd - China is transforming its economy in many areas. One of the main transformations is from a low labour cost widget exporter, to a 'smart' economy chock-a-block with graduates and technology.

They will also be in the lead with an economy based on innovation.

XinHuaNews 16/11/2011

China issues white paper on poverty reduction in rural areas

BEIJING, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government on Wednesday unveiled a white paper on its poverty reduction efforts in the past decade, highlighting achievements and challenge for China to bring common prosperity to its more than 1.3 billion people.
 
The white paper, titled New Progress in Development-oriented Poverty Reduction Program for Rural China, was released by the State Council Information Office.
 
The white paper introduces China's policies, achievements, special programs, social involvement and international cooperation in the fight against poverty.
 
It was the Chinese government's second white paper on poverty reduction after it issued the first edition of such document in 2001.
 
The white paper says the mission to reduce poverty is particularly difficult in China given the size of the poor population in its rural areas.
 
According to the white paper, China's poverty-stricken rural population fell from 94.22 million at the end of 2000 to 26.88 million at the end of 2010, an equivalent to lifting the entire population of France out of poverty in the past decade.
 
The proportion of poor people in the country's rural population decreased from 10.2 percent in 2000 to 2.8 percent in 2010.
 
The Chinese government defines those who earn less than 1,274 yuan (about 200 U.S. dollars) in income a year as "poor people" after the nation raised the national poverty line for rural residents from 865 yuan in 2000 to 1,274 yuan in 2010.
 
China has basically solved the problem of providing adequate subsistence, food and clothing for its rural residents, the 36-page white paper declares.

Kaixin OpEd – Before 1949 many people died from hunger and just grinding poverty in the rural areas of China.

Then along came Mao who changed the system completely and had, basically, noble ideals founded in Marxism. However he was not the ideal ruler and things became a bit fraught until he popped off in 1976.

Deng Xiaoping set in place the political structure to harness the huge potential of the Chinese people and used capitalism to put China on the path to becoming an economic power.

This century will see the culmination of those 50 years.

50 years is just a blink of the eye for a Dragon, or a sleeping Lion.

One of the great achievements has been the elimination of starvation and a huge increase in the standard of living and education for China’s rural population.

The focus of Beijing is to build on that and unleash the economic potential of rural China.

All the economic growth to date has come from the major cities in China.

The potential of rural China is largely untapped.

The Wall Street Journal   14/9/2011

Son’s Scandal Engulfs Chinese General

Thousands of other Weibo users have also piled on, with many taking the episode as yet another example of the brazen behaviour of the country’s privileged elite.

“Second-generation rich, second-generation officials, second-generation celebrities…before you learn to make money, you should probably learn how to be human,” added another Weibo user, Xiaowang Tiankong888.

Kaixin OpEd - This is indeed a problem in China. It is good to see that the Chinese people are voicing their concern and that the authorities are listening, or, at least, being forced to listen.

The Wall Street Journal   2/9/2011

In Africa, U.S. Watches China's Rise

Ethiopia and Zambia Are Among Fans of Continent's New Top Trade Partner; Washington Presses for Accountability

China is expanding its economic and political ties with countries across Africa, resulting in a rapid rise in influence here that has sparked concern from the U.S. government.

Kaixin Oped – Why should China be accountable to America for what it does in Africa?

America, and the ‘west’ in general, have an abysmal record in Africa.

Just ask one of the dead Libyan’s they protected.

The Wall Street Journal   22/8/2011

A Long Summer for 'Weary Tiger' Mothers [Extract]

Seventies parenting resembled crate training—now, we're actually expected to watch our kids

The Bee-Jones summer vacation-slam-stravaganza is officially underway. Two blissful weeks of country solitude, trees, farmers' markets and forging countless "precious memories" with our three beautiful children. Random quality check: We are 1,713 minutes in, and so far, I have never worked harder in my life. When is this vacation going to be over?!

Let's be clear about something: I love my children more than life itself, and I would happily lay down my life or yours for them, as required. And I am a "tiger mother" of sorts; except that in my case, I'm the tiger who lays there helplessly in the sun as her tiger babies climb all over her, tugging on her fur and generally having their way with her. It's summer vacation with the kids again, and I am in full "weary tiger" mode.

I am a child of the 1970s. What that means, in short, is that my childhood summer vacations were spent languishing in front of the TV watching Phil Donahue and eating Boo Berry until my skin turned purple. Nobody cared if I read. Nobody cared if I wore sunscreen, or pants. I was like a house cat; my parents barely even knew if I was still living with them or whether I had moved in with the old lady down the street who would put out a bowl of food for me.

There's simply no point in denying the inverse relationship between children who anxiously await summer's end and the subtle frisson their parents feel knowing that soon their children will be back at school. Actually, maybe it's not that subtle.

Now if you will excuse me, the DVD is skipping and the children need more mini M&M's on their cookie pizzas. Duty calls.

Kaixin Oped (Graeme, a child of the 60's, which set the scene for the children of the 70's)

At last, some common sense. I agree with the article that says parents, in a reasonably normal family, have little influence on the outcome of their child. It is all in the genetic soup they were born with.

I know that I had children, because they now come around and drone on about parenting, with the not so subtle inference that we were just that little bit neglectful ...

They won't let me give my grandchildren plastic toys to chew on, or chocolate ice creams to lick and smear and generally cover the furniture ....... in.

M&M Pizza, what a good idea, I think I have the munchies.

The Wall Street Journal 16/8/2011

China Bows to Plant Protesters

SHANGHAI—The Dalian city government agreed to shutter a chemical plant in an unusual display of responsiveness, bowing to environmental protests that brought thousands of residents onto the streets of the northeastern Chinese port city.

The decision to close the plant was announced just hours after Dalian's Communist Party Secretary Tang Jun, standing atop a police van, tried and failed to disperse a crowd authorities estimated at 12,000 with a pledge to relocate the plant at a future date.

"Time!" "Time!" "Tell us when!" members of the crowd shouted back at Mr. Tang, drowning him out.

Just two years old, the ...

Kaixin OpEd - From time to time (well, quite regularly really) people accuse me of being too pro China, or ignoring the problems.

Xiaosui and I (Graeme) are not saying that there are no problems in China, no issues. However, that is not the focus of Kaixin. The problems and negative issues in China are well covered in both the Western and the Chinese Media.

It is necessary that people stand up and expose problems and negative issues in any country, China included.

Xiaosui and I respect the people who stand up in China and voice their concerns and expose corruption. It can take immense courage in China, where the power of the State and the Communist Party is still strong and largely un-accountable. Where the judicial system has a long way to go before it is independent and fully transparent.

However, there are positive steps being taken, and the Chinese people are starting to demand a more open and fairer society, as free (as possible) from corruption and nepotism.

This will take time.

They need the encouragement and the hand of friendship from countries like America. Not constant criticism, derision and patronising, which Xiaosui and I see every day in the Western Media.

The people on the ground, the everyday people of America, and western countries in general, are on the whole fine, upstanding and open to friendship. Just like the people in China.

Shouldn’t we extend the hand of friendship and not let the media and the politicians get in the way.

China Daily   12/8/2011

Are China’s National Treasures Safe Inside the Forbidden City?

A string of recent stories in the Chinese press have sparked a new wave of public scrutiny of Beijing’s Palace Museum, home to a number of relics considered precious in China, further complicating a contentious debate around whether or not the many artifacts that have been taken or smuggled out of the country should be returned.

Kaixin OpEd – This has to be a joke …. surely.

It is beyond patronising.

Any objects stolen or looted from China must be returned. How China cares for these items is solely the concern of China.

This pitiful article seems to argue that if a burglar takes care of a cup they stole from your house, and you dropped a cup in the kitchen, then the burglar should keep the cup, because you might not care for it as well.

Jeez …. you yanks are unbelievable ….

See Kaixin's - Does an immoral act cease to be immoral over time? - The Looting of the Summer Palace

The New York Times   9/8/2011

Chinese Fault Beijing Over Foreign Reserves

HONG KONG — It is not just many Americans who are upset about the Standard & Poor’s downgrade of United States debt. A lot of people in China are angry, too. But they are aiming their venom at the Chinese government.

Kaixin OpEd - We ponder that the economists who advised the Chinese government were probably educated (brain-washed) in American Universities, certainly in Western Universities.

They spew out the conventional teachings they have been taught ..... chief of which, is that America is the only place to park huge amounts of foreign currency.

Hmmmmmmm .... a rudimentary knowledge of history would show that when powerful countries get into economic trouble, they default. After all, what can be done?

America has been and is in the process of defaulting.

If only those bright young things who advised the Chinese government had shown some imagination.

If only ....

The Wall Street Journal   3/8/2011

Big Questions About China’s Urban Legend

Urbanization is a cornerstone of China’s development strategy. But the relationship between a growing urban population and a sustainable growth path isn’t as straightforward as many investors believe.

Kaixin Oped - I think these journalists have missed the new focus for China, the development of China's rural regions. All the growth to date has been focused on the three major cities and their regions: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou.

In the whole history of China the economic potential, both human and natural, of the rural regions of China have never been explored or exploited.

The economic growth of china over the last 30 years has just been the starter-motor turning over.

The twenty first century will see the engine start again after being broken by colonialism.

China will be a powerful force in the twenty first century, and as part of BRICS it will redefine economics.

Which is good. After all, America has carried the baton for a mere 60 years or so, and what a cock-up it has made of it.

Japan Sharpens Rhetoric on China, Calling It 'Assertive' for First Time

Japan intensified its rhetoric against China's military, accusing Beijing for the first time of "assertiveness" and saying it needs to keep a closer watch on how China views the contested waters between the two countries.

Kaixin Oped – Japan has no right ….. EVER to comment on such matters. It debased its moral standing when it committed such barbarous acts of atrocity on China and through-out SE Asia.

It should bow its head in shame, not stand up and bleat like a frightened lamb. After all, it was not long ago that the lamb’s fleece covered a savage wolf (with apologies to all wolves).

See Kaixin’s – Nanking, Nanking

The Wall Street Journal   15/6/2011

China Stamps Out Southern Rioting

Migrant Workers, Think Tank Warn Unrest Could Easily Flare Up Again

A top Chinese state think tank, which advises Chinese leaders, warned in a report published on Tuesday that China's millions of migrant workers would become a serious threat to stability unless they were better treated in urban areas.

Kaixin OpEd – I think you find that police did help quell the unrest or riots, if you prefer, but they were not the full scale riots the article infers.

The implication is that migrant workers are a major cause of civil disobedience in China that could lead to a Jasmine Revolution.

Bunkum

Migrant workers certainly have been treated poorly in the past, and in some place are still treated poorly.

As an aside, that poor treatment and low wages helped China produce the low priced widgets the ‘west’ was, and is, so fond of buying. It was their backs that carried the heavy burden which benefited the ‘west’ so much in the 1990’s, when China exported deflation, balancing out the inflation that Greenspan’s loose monetary policy created.

However, if you scan the news, you will see that the migrant worker’s are certainly finding their voice and their industrial power in China.

This is leading to demands for higher wages and better conditions, which they are getting.

If you do a Kaixin Site Search for wages, migrant labour … you will find articles from the WSJ bemoaning the rising wages and better conditions, as they inevitably lead higher priced widgets, thus inflation in the ‘west’.

….. and the ‘west’ does not need any help creating inflation with helicopter Bernanke at the Fed.

Inflation Prompts a New Lift of Reserves

BEIJING—China's central bank raised the percentage of deposits that banks must hold in reserve for the sixth time this year, moving quickly to further damp lending after the latest inflation reading showed prices rising at the fastest pace since July 2008.

Kaixin OpEd – It’s interesting.

Such news before would cause screaming headlines and an instant drop in the share market.

Then nothing would happen, China would continue on as before but a little more prudently.

China is not on the economic knife-edge that is troubling the ‘west’ at the moment.

Now, such an announcement barely causes a ripple.

The Age   14/5/2011

Hard landing for a financial circus

The extent of this financial binge (in China) has long been predicted in the investigative accounting work of Northwestern University's Victor Shih. That doesn't make the official reality, as finally acknowledged by the PBOC's regional financial conditions report earlier this month, any less dangerous.

Kaixin OpEd - Northwestern Uni, Chicago, is a sound University, Kaixin is sure, but not quite ivy league.

Victor Shih - a quick google search shows that he is steadily making a career knocking China. He looks Chinese in his photo, but is obviously embarrased by that, as the use of an English name indicates. Me, I am proud to be Australian. Xiaosui, she is proud to be Chinese.

You have to do better than that young John ...

Kaixin is unsure of the lies, dammed lies and statistics, which are packed up in this vodo magic economics

BUT, this is a priceless gem from young John, who obviously hasn't been following the bouncing ball  ....

'In the capitalist system, waste, corruption and excess eventually lead to belt-tightening or bankruptcy.'

Ha ... ha ha ....... chortle, giggle ....... ha, ha, ha, ha ......... oh, please don't, my sides hurt ......... chortle, chortle ...... giggle

Maybye once upon a time before you were born young John ......... ha .... ha ha ..... chortle

Did you miss the GFC in America?

It was quite big. Let Uncle Rupert tell you all about it the next time you are on his knee. Ask him about good old uncle Freddie and aunty Fannie .... oh, and is that a GMH car I can see parked outside, it was probably financed by Citibank.

......... are you sure it's comfortable ...... being a glove puppet can be such a pain in the ....

The Wall Street Journal   13/6/2011

Chinese Bomb Blast Adds to Unrest

A man seeking "revenge on society" set off at least one bomb outside a local government headquarters in northeastern China, state media reported, the latest in a spate of violent incidents that highlight growing public anger at official corruption and abuse of power.

Kaixin Oped - 'Police brutality, corruption, and land rights were also the focus of riots in the central province of Hubei last week over the mysterious death in police custody of a low-level Chinese bureaucrat who challenged a land deal backed by higher-level officials.'

Yes, these things still do happen. China is addressing these issues. Western Kaixin ponders that no society is without these problems to varying degrees. The Chinese people will not tolerate it, so Beijing will eventually find an acceptable balance.

Anyone doing business with China has to negotiate the minefield of: 'ren ji quan' xi & 'li shang wang lai' 礼尚往来

The New York Times    11/6/2011

China’s Imports Rise, Indicating Slower Growth

BEIJING (AP) — The growth of China’s imports accelerated in May in a sign that the world’s second-largest economy might not be slowing as sharply as some fear, though its exports weakened as global demand slowed.

Kaixin OpEd - China's economy is fundamentally being transformed from a low cost export economy to an economy with strong domestic consumption and value added exports ++

A rise of imports probably indicates the increasing demand from within China for overseas products. This is a reflection of the wealth being spread more evenly and the incipient rise of rural/regional China.

Dispute Between Vietnam and China Escalates Over Competing Claims in South China Sea

BEIJING — Vietnam said on Friday that it would conduct live-fire naval exercises off its coast next week, a step that escalated a long-running dispute with China over territory in the South China Sea that both nations claim.

Kaixin OpEd - What a beat up.

Perhaps America will send an aircraft carrier to the Gulf of Tonkin ...

The Wall Street Journal   10/6/2011

Tensions Flare in South China Sea

BANGKOK—Tensions in the potentially resource-rich South China Sea flared as Vietnam accused China of sabotaging a seismic survey boat while China warned its neighbors to stop looking for oil in the disputed territory without its permission.

Kaixin OpEd – No they’re not.

Do Kaixin Site Search for ‘South China Sea’ and you will see that the ASEAN Nations are trying to work together to resolve disputes over the South Sea.

Kaixin reads these type of headlines daily in the ‘western’ press, and now we just shake our heads.

Asia Times Online   9/6/2011

SINOGRAPH
Sharp relief for a flat world
By Francesco Sisci

A cadre writes to his boss that a nuanced view of the stirrings for democracy in the Arab world allows these events to be seen as a blessing in disguise for China's leadership. Most Chinese, yearning for stability behind the Great Wall, will emerge more pro-government, our cadre writes, even as American pundits and flat-earthers are fooled into believing otherwise.

Kaixin OpEd - Kaixin sent this letter to Mr Sisci

I found the article - (For the naive, gullible ones: it is a fake! aside) – most interesting.

My wife Xiaosui and I, Graeme, publish a website Kaixin

It has taken some time, but we finally found our voice, the voice of middle-China, the view from the street.

Xiasosui was born in 1966, spent a fair amount of time on prison farms during the Cultural Revolution, went to university in the 1980’s, became a teacher, opened her own small school in Nanning.

For her miss-deeds or good-deeds, she married an Australian ren and came to live in Australia in 2007.

Xiaosui is immensely proud of being Chinese and of what China has achieved in the last 30 years. She lived through it all and in her small way helped build the China we see today.

Her background is distinctly middle-class, as is mine.

The view about the spread of the unrest in the Middle East and how it is perceived in China is, in general, her view and the view of her family, friends and colleagues in China.

I was particularly interested in the following:


‘People can call from China to America, or vice versa, but still people carry on speaking their own languages. One speaks Chinese and the other English, and often they do not speak each other's language and do not understand each other.

Moreover, even when they do so, they rarely understand each other's culture and anthropological background. It is something that involves individual psychologies that most people carry within themselves, totally unaware. We do know from practical experience that direct communications, if involving something more complex than buying or selling a certain item, can create many misunderstandings and false perceptions of each other's reasons and motives.

Before direct communications, these misunderstandings were more difficult because interaction was harder and because people proceeded to keep in touch with extra caution, better aware of differences in culture and psychology.’


That rang loud clanging bells for me.

I have not promoted Kaixin to date, concentrating on developing the content and finding our ‘voice’.

However I do make an entry into Facebook and Twitter every day. The response from Facebook (where every female seems to be a romance novelist)  and elsewhere in America ranges from no interest to hatred. There are some who seem to have open minds, but in general no.

This is disturbing.

Kaixin is a small voice hoping to shed some light ……….

The Wall Street Journal   8/6/2011

Revising the great revisionist's work

Australian historians have started to debunk Deng's creation myth.

'WITHOUT Deng Xiaoping there would be no opening-up policy," former prime minister Kevin Rudd told Deng Xiaoping's eldest son at the opening ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. "No opening up, no Olympic Games," continued Rudd, as he recounted his conversation with Deng Pufang to Caijing magazine. "And I think that is true if you look at the last 30 years since the Third Plenum of the 11th Congress of the Communist Party of China in 1978."

Kaixin OpEd - I asked Xiaosui what she remembered about Hua Guofeng.

She was very clear in her thinking, Hua Guofeng was not up to the job. He made no impression on her or China. He was appointed (anointed) by Mao. Indeed it is now thought in China that we was an illegitimate son of Mao.

She remembers Guofeng’s photo going up in her classroom besides Mao’s photo. In particular, she remembers that she didn’t pay it any attention because he so resembled Mao, it was like having two photos of Mao on the wall.

She remembers that no-one had heard of him in China before his appointment by Mao.

She remembers that has ineffectual.

Apart from that, she never remembers him.

He would have had powerful people behind him in Beijing. The fact that they let him go in favour of Deng speaks volumes as to what they thought of him.

She admires Deng for what he achieved for China.

Western Kaixin found three of her observations interesting in the context of this article.

The first was that Hua Guofeng immediately ordered the arrest of the Gang of Four. Xiaosui comments that this probably came from Mao and could not have been achieved unless Mao had sanctioned it before he died.

The second is that Hua Guofeng started to reform the education system in 1977 and also started to bring the students back from the country.

The third is that she clearly remembers the first two changes Deng implemented: i) giving back the property that Mao had taken into State ownership, in effect, changing property rights from communal to private. (Including Xiaosui's doll, which had been snatched from her and confiscated along with all the family's houshold goods during the Cultural Revolution) ii) Opening up Guangdong. Guangdong because the people in Guangdong had many relatives overseas.

Deng started as he meant to go on, implementing capitalism in China, or at least using capitalism for Chinese 'ends'.

Hua Guofeng sank without trace until about three years ago when Xiaosui remembers talk of him being Mao’s son starting to surface.

The New York Times   8/6/2011

Execution In a Killing That Fanned Class Rancor

BEIJING — A 21-year-old music student who accidentally struck a young woman with his car, then silenced her by stabbing her to death on the roadway, was executed Tuesday in Xian, in northwestern China, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The student, Yao Jiaxin, had lost an appeal of a death sentence handed down by a Xian court on April 22. The crime had fanned deep public resentment against the “fu er dai,” the “rich second generation” of privileged families who are widely believed to commit misdeeds with impunity because of their wealth or connections.

Kaixin OpEd – The response from America is somewhat subdued …… could it have anything to do with the death penalty in America I wonder?

Kaixin followed this trial with interest.

The 'fu er dai', the only children of the new rich, are one half of the problem. The other half is the only children of the powerful.

Only children are only children the world over.

Spoilt and self-centred. (Disclaimer: western Kaixin is an only child)

Kaixin has heard several stories over time about the only children of the rich and/or powerful getting away with, at times, murder.

Certainly, their behaviour is anti-social and needs to be curbed.

The legal system in China is not yet robust and independent, so money and/or power will generally do the trick. That is changing and it is not the policy of Beijing or the majority of Chinese, but the change is slow and at times frustrating.

It is not a class struggle as the NTY fondly hopes. It is the New China coming to terms with its growing wealth.

Intersected with the un-intended, but predictable, consequence of the one-child policy …. spoilt children without bounds, and a father who will do anything to protect them from the consequences of their actions.

It was an issue in China that needed to be addressed by Beijing. It was certainly causing social disquiet …. but it is far short of a class struggle.

After a series of similar incidents, Beijing finally decided to act and send a clear message.

Should we have pity for the student?

He ruthlessly killed another human being, a mother, because he did not want to be bothered dealing with her.

That arrogance must have come from his parents. The death of their child is a consequence of their poor parenting, of not teaching their child human values and responsibility.

He was caught up in events larger than himself and his parents.

China has a huge population, which needs strong laws.

Consistently enforced …… but that is another issue.

The death of this young man will not change the attitude of the only children of the rich and/or powerful.

It may curb their behaviour.

I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor
Can the Planet Support More Americas?
By CHANDRAN NAIR

HONG KONG — Try to imagine a world with three Americas. Three giant economic powerhouses, with citizens who buy, sell and consume, all in pursuit of their versions of the American Dream. Difficult to envision? But that’s where economists say we’re heading.

Kaixin OpEd – Unfortunately, the article is a statement of the obvious: All problem and no solution.

The 21st century is both a century of enormous opportunity and a century fraught with nationalist danger …… ala the 20th century.

Can the nations of the world move beyond a nationalistic mindset and develop a global mindset?

Time will tell.

The problem is: do we have time?

Time will tell.

China Daily   6/6/2011

Increase in interest rates likely

BEIJING - The People's Bank of China is likely to increase the interest rates banks must pay on deposits and the amount of money banks are required to hold in reserve to sop up the excess liquidity now found in the economy and slow inflation, said analysts.

Kaixin OpEd – ‘Western Kaixin’ broke into a huge grin as he read this article.

He is used to being assaulted by headlines screaming about Interest Rate HIKES of ¼ percent, of how our indebted society will tremble at the new threat to their home and security.

The ‘west’ has gorged on debt and tremble at the slightest increase in interest rates.

The ‘west’ has forgotten that, for people with money in the bank, an interest rate increase is welcome.

Remember them, no …… well have a chat with your grandparents.

China is a nation where people actually do have money in the bank. China is a nation of prudent lending practices. China is a nation where the average person is only just starting to use consumer debt. The young are embracing this, the middle-aged view it with concern.

‘Western’ Kaixin, brainwashed by the western media, expected a story about how interest rate increases would eat away at the very economic fabric of society, because it would increase the price of debt.

‘The People's Bank of China is likely to increase the interest rates banks must pay on deposits …’

Note the focus.

‘… the interest rates banks must pay on deposits.’

That is because people in China actually do have deposits.

An interest rate increase will put money into their pockets, which they will spend, boosting domestic consumption.

If they have money in the bank, they will be economically prudent, so it follows that the spending will be economically prudent.

An interest rate increase will not stretch the vast majority of people who have borrowed to purchase real estate because the borrowing has been prudent.

‘Western’ Kaixin ponders at the actions of the American Central Bank through the 1990’s and early 2000’s. Pouring money into the economy, lowering interest rates, de-regulating the banking system, watching over lending practices that bordered on criminal, certainly economically criminal.

Then, the un-edifying spectacle of Greenspan scratching his head and shrugging in incomprehension at how the GFC could have happened.

…. must talk to Grandad about that strange new idea …. saving …. having money in the bank …. yes, I must have a chat with Grandad.

The New York Times   6/6/2011

Op-Ed Columnist
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

Advice for China

FROM: Ministry of State Security

TO: President Hu Jintao

SUBJECT: The Arab Spring

Dear President Hu: You asked for our assessment of the Arab Spring. Our conclusion is that the revolutions in the Arab world contain some important lessons for the rule of the Chinese Communist Party ...

Conclusion: We need to keep that in mind in China, sir. We should be proud of the rising standard of living that we have delivered for our people. Many of them appreciate that. But it is not the only thing in their lives — and at some point it won’t be the most important thing. Do you see what I mean, sir?

Kaixin OpEd – Mr Friedman, like so many in the ‘west’, misses the point of China.

He is making tenuous connections where there are no connections.

Kaixin agrees that the world is now ‘connected’ and the concept of what is ‘local’ has changed.

Kaixin definitely (ken ding) does not agree that the unrest in the Arab world will spread to China.

Why?

The average person in China is happy with their lot and happy with their government.

That is the view that Kaixin tries to project. The middle-class, average man/woman on the street, view. The view of the vast majority of Chinese people living in China.

Yes …. it is easy to find diss-affected people in China. People who are ready to complain, people with both real and imagined grievances.

That is the same in every country.

If those views are amplified by the media as the views of the entire country, then the perception of those who read the media will be distorted.

Of course there are problems in China, and our friends like to sit around drinking tea and complaining about the government.

That is the same in every country.

However, do not mistake that for wanting to change their government.

The concept of ‘western’ democracy does not really come up. The middle-aged middle-class in China grew up under Mao. As children they lived in an era when their freedoms had been crushed. As young adults they grew up in a post Mao area. Their freedoms re-emerged like shoots of fresh green grass after a drought. They have seen those freedoms grow over the years since 1979. Not evenly, not without problems, but insistently. They have seen their voice, once silenced under Mao, slowly emerge to be heard by Beijing.

Capitalist prosperity has bought its own challenges, both economic and social.

China will work through these challenges.

The average, middle-class, man/woman on the street supports the government in meeting these challenges.

They know their voice is becoming louder and clearer. There is even some talk of the concept of democracy. Chinese democracy, which will come in its own time and grow out of the soil of China.

Would the American people accept a form of democracy imposed on them from another nation?

A resounding NO is the answer, as it should be.

American democracy grew and evolved out of the soil of America.

America, and the ‘west’, must allow that to happen in China.

The unrest in the Arab world is the people of those nations evolving their own form of democracy, striving to have their own voice heard.

Beijing will be looking at it closely and taking lessons from it. Not from the desire to oppress, but from the desire to evolve.

A Grass-Roots Fight to Save a ‘Supertree’

NANJING, China — Tall as a 15-story building, with a mighty trunk, crooked branches and kingly canopy of leaves, the London plane tree, Platanus x acerifolia, is prized by horticulturists and city planners as a “supertree,” immune to urban grime and smog.

Kaixin OpEd - The voice of the man on the street is becoming louder, clearer and more effective. This is Chinese democracy evolving.

The New York Times   3/6/2011

China Faces ‘Very Grave’ Environmental Situation, Officials Say

BEIJING — China’s three decades of rapid economic growth have left it with a “very grave” environmental situation even as it tries to move away from a development-at-all-costs strategy, senior government officials said on Friday.

Kaixin OpEd - All ‘great’ engineering projects have un-intended consequences. We humans like to think we can ‘engineer’ a solution to everything.

Perhaps not …

So it becomes a balance of the benefits v the negatives. As just noted, that cannot be fully calculated in advance. Some of the consequences must remain incalculable due to the limited human knowledge available at the time.

The decision to proceed with the project would have been made because it was felt the benefits outweighed the negatives.

China’s population may not be growing in size, but it is growing in terms of economic wealth. That places more and more demands on the environment.

As the first comment noted, China is out-sourcing some of the problems, ie: food production.

However, the reality for China when deciding to proceed with the project was that the domestic power demands would increase. The Three Gorges Dam helped to solve the power issue and also partially tamed a wild river ……, for good or ill.

There are two aspects to this current debate, about the un-intended consequences of the projects:

i)    The ‘western’ media like to trumpet any issue in China as proof positive that China is a child and cannot handle these things like grownups, like for instance, America. Perhaps journalists and editors do not read history … ?? They certainly pander to a negative stance on issues related to China.

ii)    Environmentalists, I find, tend to live in a world of ‘ought’, not ‘is’. Yes, the human species ‘ought’ not have trashed the planet, it ‘ought’ not have built large dams in the many countries, all of which have had un-intended consequences, … and so on. However, the ‘is’ demands that we either substantially lower the population, or we adapt the environment. Until the 20th century humans were able to just concentrate on adapting the environment.  That is the probable mindset that commissioned the Three Gorges Dam, and other large dams around the planet. In the 21st century it is clear that we humans will have to adapt to the environment. It will be an interesting challenge.

In the mean time, the Three Gorges Dam is now a reality, an ‘is’. Beijing will address the consequences as they arise to the best of their engineers’ ability. Many of those ‘solutions’ will have un-intended consequences.

It is great political fodder for the west, which does not seem to notice the sound of tinkling glass as it hurls it rocks at China.

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Set in Zanzibar in 1910, it is the story of two people from different worlds falling in love. Susan immerses herself in Zanzibar. Asim falls in love with this woman from the nation that killed his wife. Susan is a spy. Asim is the chief advisor to the Sultan of Zanzibar. Germany and France are holding secret negotiations to form a Pan European alliance, which would isolate Britain and destroy her power. Susan and Asim are caught up in all this and their love is finally dashed on the cold, hard reality of international high politics.

Available on Amazon's Kindle $4.99 - Over 400 Pages

 Chapter One

Zanzibar

'A maharaja’s ruby cast on a Persian carpet by the blackest of hands'

Their souls danced, honouring his promise.

The ancient dhow stirred in the soft morning breeze. Like a sleepy lion, it began to move through the water, snuffling about the other boats on the harbour; some scurrying, some at anchor, some darting before a brief gust of wind. The lateen sails a bustling panorama of blood-red and sun-bleached white.

Aft, the woman's eyes searched the skyline, drinking in the architecture of Stone Town, the heart of Zanzibar; its jagged, cluttered silhouette so familiar, so much a part of her soul.

Abruptly, her eyes ceased their restless searching, jagged by an invisible hook, transfixed by the grand buildings on the northern shore, Beit-al-Ajaib, the House of Wonders, Palace to the great Sultan of Zanzibar. The distinctive architecture captured in the tropical light: coconut white outlined by contrasting shadow plays of pepper black.

A smile, ever so slight, started to play on the edge of her mouth then disappeared. A memory that should have been fond instantly turned to sharp unbearable pain. Her eyes hardened and moved on.

Without warning the captain threw the rudder over. Stumbling, the woman barked her shin on a wooden box, a rough-hewn coffin. She recoiled, knocking over an untidy stack of cane baskets. Imprisoned in the baskets, rusty cockerels, their scruffy heads straining through the latticework, snapped at her, cried out to her; their raucous din overwhelming her, drowning her.

Dimly, through the fog of noise, the strident swearing of the sailors in Kiswahili seeped into her conscious. Understanding, she smiled mirthlessly.

The coffin had been carelessly stowed, a chore, rather than a labour of respect or love.

London 1910

“Hello, who are you? I am Oliver, is Edward at home?”

The words were spoken by a tall, impeccably dressed young man as he rushed into Edward’s flat shaking off surplus water and calling for whisky while shoving his umbrella into a stand. It was a blustery, grey, bitterly cold February afternoon in the heart of London. He brushed a curl of soft auburn hair from his forehead and smiled charmingly.

Susan laughed, her hazel eyes dancing with the exhilaration of the new. “Yes, he is having a bath. I think he is trying to get warm. I’m Susan, Susan Carey, his sister.”

“Ahhh yes, from Australia. How do you do?” said Sir Oliver, smiling broadly and offering his hand. He noticed the laughter in her eyes, and the depth, particularly the depth, intensified by jade flecks that made them striking and alluring. “So, you have arrived, good trip I trust.”

“I am very well thank you, and yes, it was a good trip,” replied Susan.

He laughed and glanced at the sitting room, “whisky?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, please come in…….. that was silly of me, after all, it is your flat.”

Oliver smiled and gestured for Susan to lead the way. He followed her into the room, and after helping himself to a generous portion of whisky, walked over to the fire.

Shortly after, Edward, wrapped in a huge ruby-coloured dressing gown and wiping soap from his ear strode into the room. He was of similar age to Oliver, late twenties, well built, if slightly podgy, with dark auburn hair and a full moustache. Susan looked up and smiled to herself, she could see now where he had picked up some of his new mannerisms.

“Thought I could hear voices. I see you two have met, no need for introductions then.”

As he was speaking, Edward walked to the side table and grabbed a whisky decanter by the neck. He glanced at Oliver who nodded. A long finger snaked into one of the tumblers followed by the distinctive clink of crystal. He swept the decanter off the table and carried it to where Oliver was sitting. After pouring the whisky, he sank into a lounge chair and sipped from his glass, enjoying the warm glow as it spread through his body.

Suddenly he sat up exclaiming, “Sorry sis, would you like something to drink?”

“Kind of you to remember, but no thank you, and yes, Oliver has already inquired.”

Edward nodded and sank back into his lounge chair.

They chatted, tentatively at first, getting to know one another. Edward had not seen Susan for two years and was unsure how his sister would take his new relationship. Oliver was intrigued by Susan. An attractive, self-assured young lady of high intelligence with a degree was a rare find. And, as fate would have it, she was also a trained and experienced teacher. He suggested a picnic at Oxford, which was met with ready acquiescence. Arrangements were made for the following Sunday.

“I’ll see if the Rolls is available,” mused Oliver. “Must ring father, haven’t spoken to him in ages.”

Oliver, Sir Oliver Marchmaine, was an unaffected young man of intense intelligence who saw life as a great adventure to be lived to the full. He was also unyieldingly loyal to his country, England, which is why he had joined Military Intelligence on leaving Oxford.

It was 1910 and Europe was stirring. It was a time full of interest, intrigue and danger. The European chessboard was becoming increasingly complex, the moves more subtle. A time when an unexpected move or feint could have profound consequences.

Regaining her balance, the woman’s eyes were drawn, hesitantly at first, resisting back to Beit-al-Ajaib. She wondered if it was still the same. Still the same centre of power and intrigue that had been so much a part of her life all those years before; that had defined her life.

She remembered those first few moments, remembered standing in the foyer of the palace, .………… remembered the breathtakingly beautiful Persian tapestry ........

The sea breeze stirred her clothes. She smiled a little sadly, and in her mind the tapestry gently swayed. Two small apparitions ran giggling up the stairs: two small exquisitely rich burkas disappearing along the first floor landing. Childish squeals of mischief and joy left in the air.......

“Move to seaward, you accused of Allah! Move!”

Her thoughts were clawed back to the dhow, the captain crashing the tiller over to avoid another boat on the crowded harbour. The woman instinctively ducked her head to avoid the heavy boom as it swung over her, the rusty cockerels squawked their raucous indignation, their heads straining through the latticework, relentless.

The collision avoided, the dhow continued on its way. The cacophony dying down to the occasional command by the captain or the cry of a seagull.

The woman's thoughts returned to Beit-al-Ajaib

  …………. laughing and giggling, girls of seven or eight. A door on the first floor slammed and all sounds of them disappeared. Silence. The woman smiled. She could see herself, a young woman, dressed plainly, unselfconsciously, her sexuality tantalisingly just out of reach, hidden beneath the thin veil of her clothing. She remembered standing alone in the foyer, looking around, perplexed. Asim came through a door to the left of the tapestry.

“Salaam.”

The woman started and looked around. Then, realising, was cold again. Alone again. Alone, rocking to and fro to the rythm of the sea. Alone, beside a rough-hewn coffin.

Now Available on Amazon's Kindle $4.99 - Over 400 Pages

Graeme has been using ChinesePod since 2007

"I highly recommend ChinesePod, I haven't found any Online teaching programmes that come close."