clearly there’s a civil war going on between Israel firsters and American nationalists. CSPAN is reporting this.
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clearly there’s a civil war going on between Israel firsters and American nationalists. CSPAN is reporting this.
"Famous last words" vibes.
A known brosinter/"expert" had a complete meltdown over it, after his kid (allegedly) almost got shot in a school mass shooting
Stratospheric levels of schizo butthurt screechs and I'm going to assume he hates his kid if he is more worried about Gu than the issue of his son almost being turned into target practice
Me reading this tweet:
"Whoa, that's scary, I hope his kid is alright"
"Okay..."
"Wait, what?"
"uhhhh..."
"What?!"
"Whaaaat?...the fuck?..."
"..."
wtf did I just read?...
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...
alleged better translation
alleged better translation
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An interesting interview by Liu Zongyi, Senior Fellow at the Institute for International Strategic Studies and Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies on India. Google translated. Split into 2 parts.
Interview | Liu Zongyi: Indian companies have ulterior motives in coming to China; Chinese companies need to be highly vigilant!
After reaching important trade agreements with the EU and the US, Indian Prime Minister Modi outlined the achievements and vision of his economic governance with three figures: India was the world's sixth largest economy at the beginning of its independence, its ranking subsequently slipped to eleventh, and it will rise to third in the future.
This is not the first time Modi has outlined India's economic development prospects. As early as August 15, 2022, India's Independence Day, he proposed to build India into a developed country by 2047, the 100th anniversary of independence—at which time, India's per capita GDP was less than $2,500.
What assessments of the internal and external situations are the Modi government basing its ambitious economic plans on? What is the true strength of its economic performance? With Sino-Indian relations having warmed up for several months, what new developments are emerging in bilateral economic exchanges? Guancha.cn interviewed Liu Zongyi, Director of the South Asia Research Center at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, to discuss these questions.
It is worth emphasizing that Liu Zongyi pointed out in the dialogue that, as many Chinese companies are currently taking a wait-and-see attitude towards entering the Indian market, some Indian companies have turned to China, attempting to steal technology under the guise of "cooperation." This trend deserves our high vigilance.
➤Observer Network (Li Ling) : Recently, Modi explicitly stated that India aims to become the world's third-largest economy as soon as possible—rising from fourth to third place not only means surpassing Germany, but also requires a significant increase in its GDP. Two or three years ago, Modi also made a bold statement, declaring that India would become a developed country by 2047. What internal and external assessments are the Modi government basing this ambition on?
➤Liu Zongyi : In fact, the Modi government announced shortly after the India-Pakistan conflict that its GDP had surpassed Japan's, ranking fourth in the world, and did so twice within a year. The reason for this eagerness was more out of the need to stabilize the domestic political situation and boost national morale.
In 2025, India faced a series of major setbacks: first, a military setback in the May 7th air battle between India and Pakistan, significantly diminishing its international standing; second, the Trump administration's announcement of additional tariffs on India, severely impacting its foreign trade; and third, a marked slowdown in domestic economic growth and a continuously rising unemployment rate. These intertwined events severely weakened national morale in India and were highly detrimental to the consolidation of power by Modi and his BJP. Therefore, they twice made high-profile announcements of this information in an attempt to boost public sentiment and revive national confidence.
➤Observer Network (Li Ling) : In your opinion, how likely is it that India will become a developed country by 2047
➤ Liu Zongyi : From a developmental perspective, to achieve the goal of becoming a "developed country," India must first reach the internationally recognized threshold for per capita GDP. The Indian government has internally calculated that to join the ranks of developed countries by 2047—the 100th anniversary of India's independence—its GDP growth rate must consistently remain above 8% for the next two decades. However, in reality, India's average GDP growth rate over the past few years has not been that high.
India has long lacked a unified and consistent statistical standard for calculating GDP. Since the Modi government came to power, India has repeatedly changed its GDP calculation methods, even including items that many countries would not include in their GDP calculations, such as slum dwellings and livestock manure. These changes in statistical methods have objectively inflated India's economic growth figures.
Based on these data, the Modi government has frequently emphasized India's status as "the fastest-growing major economy in the world" on the international stage. Domestically, the Modi government has also repeatedly touted its economic performance during its term as president as far surpassing that of the Congress Party era. However, even comparing official Indian data over the years, the average annual GDP growth rate during Modi's tenure is actually lower than the average growth rate achieved during the ten years of Manmohan Singh's government (2004-2014).
➤Observer Network (Li Ling) : In early February, the Indian government announced a new budget that mentioned a significant increase in infrastructure and manufacturing spending, such as raising infrastructure capital expenditure by 9% to 12.2 trillion rupees. This approach bears many similarities to China's economic development.
➤Liu Zongyi : It's no secret that the Modi government and the BJP are indeed largely learning from China on how to develop the Indian economy. Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has also repeatedly stated publicly that India wants to learn from China's economic development experience.
India's rapid economic growth in recent years, aside from inflated figures, is largely attributed to its large-scale imports of cheap Russian oil and the Modi government's deficit spending and continuous infrastructure investment. While this means the government faces significant fiscal deficit pressure, the massive infrastructure investment has indeed had a noticeable impact on GDP growth. Based on my experience visiting India for exchanges and inspections over the past few years, India's infrastructure projects in some areas—especially certain main roads and regional airports—are indeed quite well-constructed.
➤Observer Network (Li Ling) : How long can this economic development model continue in India?
➤Liu Zongyi : In reality, this model faces two key risks:
First, there are concerns about the sustainability of fiscal policy.
The model of driving infrastructure investment with high debt is essentially a form of pre-spent development secured by future fiscal revenue. In the long run, debt repayment pressure will continue to accumulate. If infrastructure development and improved logistics do not lead to simultaneous development in manufacturing, and economic growth fails to boost fiscal revenue in tandem, it could trigger debt risks. Simply put, debts must eventually be repaid.
Secondly, can India's "reform and opening up" attract effective investment and technology transfer to drive the development of "Made in India"?
Judging from the partners India has signed free trade agreements with, it is very clear that India prefers to open up to developed countries such as the US, Europe, and Japan, as well as countries where it enjoys a trade surplus, rather than to open up to China and integrate into the Asian supply chain system centered on China.
India hopes that countries like the US, Europe, and Japan will invest heavily in India and transfer advanced technologies to achieve a leapfrog development over China—this is actually a goal and direction that India has been pursuing since at least the Singh government era. Improved infrastructure and logistics efficiency will attract some multinational corporations from Europe and the US, but these corporations are not only concerned with infrastructure conditions, but also with policy continuity, the maturity of the supply chain, and the quality of the workforce.
In my observation, Indians, especially Indian monopolistic conglomerates, have always regarded the Indian market as their exclusive domain. Multinational corporations from other countries can invest and transfer technology, but they cannot profit. Once they do, the Indian government will use various means to seize it. This is not just a matter of economic security. Of course, the Indian government now very much hopes that Chinese companies will invest and set up factories in India and transfer high technology to help it develop "Made in India."
➤Observer Network (Li Ling) : Sino-Indian relations have been warming up for several months. In your understanding, during this period, most Chinese companies interested in the Indian market have continued to advance their investment plans, or have they mostly remained in a wait-and-see state?
➤Liu Zongyi : First of all, it should be pointed out that, at the economic level, India's structural dependence on China continues.
To offset the impact of high US tariffs, India's exports to China have increased significantly: in the first nine months of the 2025-2026 fiscal year, India's merchandise exports to China increased by 36.7% year-on-year, reaching US$14.25 billion; in December 2025 alone, these exports increased by 68%, reaching US$2.05 billion. However, the trade deficit is widening: in 2025, India's merchandise trade deficit with China reached US$110.579 billion, an increase of 11.8% year-on-year. In other words, while India's exports to China have increased, its imports have also increased—it is worth emphasizing that this does not mean India has opened its market to China. In fact, they still closely link economic issues with national security, and their mindset of viewing China as their "greatest enemy" has not fundamentally changed.
At the corporate level, I think most Chinese companies are still taking a wait-and-see approach. One important reason why India is so anxious lately, especially in its efforts to win over European cooperation in key areas, is that it has seen that the Chinese investment and technology they were hoping for have not come. So it wants to put pressure on Chinese companies in this way—implying, "My market is so big, if you don't come, Europe will."
However, Chinese companies must be extremely cautious; we've suffered too much in the past five years. Therefore, what India does now is one thing, but we must maintain our strategic composure. In my view, to enter the Indian market, at least several key conditions must be met:
First, India must guarantee a fair, stable, and transparent business environment for Chinese companies, and policies must not be changed frequently; this is the most basic requirement.
Second, unreasonable regulations specifically targeting China must be abolished. For example, India allows some Chinese companies to participate in their economic development and even bid for Indian government procurement, but the most favorable conditions given to Chinese companies are a mere 10% stake. Another example is their "enemy property law," which is mainly aimed at China and Pakistan; moreover, India has never addressed the assets confiscated from us in India during the 1962 Sino-Indian War.
Third, India must fully compensate Chinese companies for the unexplained losses they have suffered in India over the past five years. Before 2020, Chinese companies invested heavily in India, only to lose everything. Therefore, if India wants to allow Chinese companies to operate there, it must first repay its past debts to Chinese companies and the assets it has confiscated.
➤Observer Network (Li Ling) : Given the Indian government's past "dark history," such as arbitrarily amending laws and the retroactive effect of regulations, even if it now makes a promise of fair treatment, do you think it will actually fulfill its promise in the future?
➤Liu Zongyi : So, we'll wait and see after they give us their guarantees. Even with free trade agreements with Europe, during implementation, Indians will still be very concerned about protecting the interests of their large domestic conglomerates and other interest groups. Because in the eyes of Banjani and Brahmin people, the Indian market belongs only to Indians, not to any other multinational capital. On this issue, Vodafone of the UK, POSCO of South Korea, Ford of the US, and Japanese companies have all experienced similar situations.
Many Chinese companies have also recognized this "dark history" of India. As a result, another phenomenon now is that many Indian companies are going to mainland China to try to cheat or steal Chinese technology.
China is undeniably a leader in Industry 4.0. Indian manufacturers heavily rely on Chinese technology, and India hopes to leverage it to boost its own development and industrial capabilities. Indians believe that while China's current dominance may seem insurmountable, India possesses its own strengths in areas such as software, systems integration, and rule-making. It can utilize open systems to integrate technologies from China, the West, and within India to create its own competitive advantage.
With Chinese companies not investing in India or transferring advanced technologies there, some Indian companies are setting up offices in mainland China under the guise of cooperation, conducting business with Chinese enterprises, with the ultimate goal of learning from their advanced experience and stealing their technologies. Therefore, Chinese companies must remain risk-aware and think carefully before cooperating with the Indian government or businesses.
➤Liu Zongyi : In reality, this model faces two key risks:
First, there are concerns about the sustainability of fiscal policy.
The model of driving infrastructure investment with high debt is essentially a form of pre-spent development secured by future fiscal revenue. In the long run, debt repayment pressure will continue to accumulate. If infrastructure development and improved logistics do not lead to simultaneous development in manufacturing, and economic growth fails to boost fiscal revenue in tandem, it could trigger debt risks. Simply put, debts must eventually be repaid.
Secondly, can India's "reform and opening up" attract effective investment and technology transfer to drive the development of "Made in India"?
Judging from the partners India has signed free trade agreements with, it is very clear that India prefers to open up to developed countries such as the US, Europe, and Japan, as well as countries where it enjoys a trade surplus, rather than to open up to China and integrate into the Asian supply chain system centered on China.
India hopes that countries like the US, Europe, and Japan will invest heavily in India and transfer advanced technologies to achieve a leapfrog development over China—this is actually a goal and direction that India has been pursuing since at least the Singh government era. Improved infrastructure and logistics efficiency will attract some multinational corporations from Europe and the US, but these corporations are not only concerned with infrastructure conditions, but also with policy continuity, the maturity of the supply chain, and the quality of the workforce.
In my observation, Indians, especially Indian monopolistic conglomerates, have always regarded the Indian market as their exclusive domain. Multinational corporations from other countries can invest and transfer technology, but they cannot profit. Once they do, the Indian government will use various means to seize it. This is not just a matter of economic security. Of course, the Indian government now very much hopes that Chinese companies will invest and set up factories in India and transfer high technology to help it develop "Made in India."
➤Observer Network (Li Ling) : Sino-Indian relations have been warming up for several months. In your understanding, during this period, most Chinese companies interested in the Indian market have continued to advance their investment plans, or have they mostly remained in a wait-and-see state?
➤Liu Zongyi : First of all, it should be pointed out that, at the economic level, India's structural dependence on China continues.
To offset the impact of high US tariffs, India's exports to China have increased significantly: in the first nine months of the 2025-2026 fiscal year, India's merchandise exports to China increased by 36.7% year-on-year, reaching US$14.25 billion; in December 2025 alone, these exports increased by 68%, reaching US$2.05 billion. However, the trade deficit is widening: in 2025, India's merchandise trade deficit with China reached US$110.579 billion, an increase of 11.8% year-on-year. In other words, while India's exports to China have increased, its imports have also increased—it is worth emphasizing that this does not mean India has opened its market to China. In fact, they still closely link economic issues with national security, and their mindset of viewing China as their "greatest enemy" has not fundamentally changed.
At the corporate level, I think most Chinese companies are still taking a wait-and-see approach. One important reason why India is so anxious lately, especially in its efforts to win over European cooperation in key areas, is that it has seen that the Chinese investment and technology they were hoping for have not come. So it wants to put pressure on Chinese companies in this way—implying, "My market is so big, if you don't come, Europe will."
However, Chinese companies must be extremely cautious; we've suffered too much in the past five years. Therefore, what India does now is one thing, but we must maintain our strategic composure. In my view, to enter the Indian market, at least several key conditions must be met:
First, India must guarantee a fair, stable, and transparent business environment for Chinese companies, and policies must not be changed frequently; this is the most basic requirement.
Second, unreasonable regulations specifically targeting China must be abolished. For example, India allows some Chinese companies to participate in their economic development and even bid for Indian government procurement, but the most favorable conditions given to Chinese companies are a mere 10% stake. Another example is their "enemy property law," which is mainly aimed at China and Pakistan; moreover, India has never addressed the assets confiscated from us in India during the 1962 Sino-Indian War.
Third, India must fully compensate Chinese companies for the unexplained losses they have suffered in India over the past five years. Before 2020, Chinese companies invested heavily in India, only to lose everything. Therefore, if India wants to allow Chinese companies to operate there, it must first repay its past debts to Chinese companies and the assets it has confiscated.
➤Observer Network (Li Ling) : Given the Indian government's past "dark history," such as arbitrarily amending laws and the retroactive effect of regulations, even if it now makes a promise of fair treatment, do you think it will actually fulfill its promise in the future?
➤Liu Zongyi : So, we'll wait and see after they give us their guarantees. Even with free trade agreements with Europe, during implementation, Indians will still be very concerned about protecting the interests of their large domestic conglomerates and other interest groups. Because in the eyes of Banjani and Brahmin people, the Indian market belongs only to Indians, not to any other multinational capital. On this issue, Vodafone of the UK, POSCO of South Korea, Ford of the US, and Japanese companies have all experienced similar situations.
Many Chinese companies have also recognized this "dark history" of India. As a result, another phenomenon now is that many Indian companies are going to mainland China to try to cheat or steal Chinese technology.
China is undeniably a leader in Industry 4.0. Indian manufacturers heavily rely on Chinese technology, and India hopes to leverage it to boost its own development and industrial capabilities. Indians believe that while China's current dominance may seem insurmountable, India possesses its own strengths in areas such as software, systems integration, and rule-making. It can utilize open systems to integrate technologies from China, the West, and within India to create its own competitive advantage.
With Chinese companies not investing in India or transferring advanced technologies there, some Indian companies are setting up offices in mainland China under the guise of cooperation, conducting business with Chinese enterprises, with the ultimate goal of learning from their advanced experience and stealing their technologies. Therefore, Chinese companies must remain risk-aware and think carefully before cooperating with the Indian government or businesses.