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Bellum_Romanum

Brigadier
Registered Member
If this were a Chinese flight you'd have the westerners all over reddit frothing in their mouths talking about how being selfish/inconsiderate is "Chinese culture", how uneducated Chinese are etc
I usually LOl nowadays when I read those predictable and lame comments on Reddit ever since I gained an understanding that Reddit is a platform riddled with western intelligence operators, incels, sexpats.
 

xypher

Senior Member
Registered Member
If this were a Chinese flight you'd have the westerners all over reddit frothing in their mouths talking about how being selfish/inconsiderate is "Chinese culture", how uneducated Chinese are etc
They will do the same for Koreans tho. Reddit is overwhelmingly full of racist Western white males. Talking about how bad non-white people are (in lib subreddits, this is limited to Asians because their media said that insulting Black people is a no-no) is their favorite hobby.
 

Sardaukar20

Captain
Registered Member
60 minutes talking about US defense contractor price gouging. Hard to believe that 60 minutes would shed light on this taboo topic in the US. Anyway it confirms my suspicions about the sickness of the US military procurement program.

Some interesting highlights:
1) 51 defense contractors in the 1980s, reduced to 5 today.
2) Pressure switch + cables costs NASA $300+ to buy. It costs the Pentagon over $10k to buy the same thing without the cables.
3) Stinger missile costs $25k in 1991. After Raytheon takeover, it now costs $400k+to replace each missile that was sent to Ukraine.
4) The F-35 program. Maintenance cost is yet to come in full force. When it does come, it could cost US taxpayers $1.3T.
5) DoD owns the F-35 that it purchased from Lockheed Martin, but it doesn't own the technical data. So the DoD have to rely on Lockheed Martin to maintain and repair those planes.
6) In 2006, a number of Apache helicopters in Iraq could not fly without replacing a crucial valve. Transdigm, the Military Contractor who took over the manufacturing of that valve, hiked the price up by $747, up almost 40%. The Pentagon asked for those parts urgently. Transdigm simply asked the Pentagon to pay up, or they won't ship those valves. This was supposed to be urgent parts to go to the battlefield. Then in 2018, the prices of that valve balloons to almost $12k.

With prices like these, I just wonder how the US is gonna go to war with China. Even if the US uses a proxy war on China, its still gonna cost like hell to sustain that war. If ever China enters into a war economy, that military procurement cost discrepancy between US and China is gonna explode even further. And those morons in the Free World think that China is gonna be the one who is gonna go broke first in a major war with the US.
 

emblem21

Major
Registered Member
I usually LOl nowadays when I read those predictable and lame comments on Reddit ever since I gained an understanding that Reddit is a platform riddled with western intelligence operators, incels, sexpats.
If there is one thing I learnt from Reddit is that is helps make the collective west stupid and completely incapable of seeing Chinas strength which is bad in the short term because these people wouldn’t give China the respect it deserves but in the long term when China is strong enough and manages to use to element of surprise to completely f@ck these st@pid people up, these very same people will come to learn too late how foolish they are. Imagine the shock Japan will go through when their sugar daddy finally loses its balls when the dragon finally rips them off for the world to see. They probably will be reduce to hugging that body pillow even tighter in shock and thus their younger generation will simp for China while the old generation from WW2 will pass away without being able to do anything (not that they could given how useless they have finally become) or leave any legacy behind in respect to WW2 while china can take its time to re-educate the younger population of Japan on the awesomeness that is China while its WW2 mentality takes a quiet walk over the cliff and will never be allowed to rise again. See in the end, Japan will eventually come under Chinas dominance because the USA spent its entire time killing the Japanese spirit while doing nothing to strength itself so Japan will ultimately follow whoever has the might and given how the USA is losing all of its pre-eminence to China, Japan will eventually have no choice but to follow China one way or the other. It didn’t have to be this way but when Japan was turned into a nation of c@cks by its closest ally, what did they seriously expect, especially when said nation is its core an opportunistic coward that needs over 40 nations to take on one nation multiple times and still do this day failed to win and this is when China wasn’t anywhere near as strong as now. In the end, China is the alpha and its only due to pure bullshiting skills that the USA is able to project an image as an alpha to all those redditers and forum goers and those Gordon changs into thinking China is weak that even its own military believes this nonsense. I wonder if this very same people will choose to off themselves when China finally shuts them up at a moment when China finally decides put the USA down like the max dog it is and only when the USA is weakened enough to do so to maximize the upset for all those losers that I am going to watch break down like the worthless people they are
 
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sndef888

Senior Member
Registered Member
The DPP is now recruiting people known for nothing other than their breast sizes to run for office

Another sign proving why Taiwan style "democracy" is definitely the best political system and definitely leads to the best government.

A SCANDAL HAS broken out with regard to the DPP’s candidate nomination for the 2024 legislative elections, with
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Wu is not the only local DPP candidate to be seeking a legislative run in the area. Reportedly,
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But it is probable that Wu is the current DPP city councilor in Zhongzheng-Wanhua with the strongest local presence and strongest links to the Tsai administration.

FACEBOOK POST ON WU PEI-YI ON NOT RECEIVING ANY NOTIFICATION FROM PARTY CENTRAL ON A RUN​

Wu Pei-yi has held office in Zhongzheng-Wanhua since 2016 and has been elected for two terms. Consequently, Wu was seeking to run for legislator in the area to replace
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In particular, Wu has a strong base in Wanhua, and is one of the most visible local candidates. As such, it was not difficult for Wu to win reelection in the area in the 2022 local elections.
 

Sardaukar20

Captain
Registered Member
Better than a "magic carpet" ride. Imagine if the reactions of those Chinese mainlanders were similar to what this Korean was alleged to have done? That would scare the snitzel out of those primadonna Karen Pacific nannies into speaking Mandarin lol
I just think that the damage of mainlanders choosing not to fly Cathay Pacific is gonna be far more damaging. The Cathay Pacific upper management is appearing showing remorse, but the Cathay Pacific Flight Attendants Union are unrepentant. That is the same Union that went on strike during the 2019 HK riots. There was also an apparent internal email within Cathay Pacific by a certain manager who said that that passenger who recorded the incident should have been stopped, because it was technically 'illegal'. The CEO may be remorseful, but the rest of the company appears to be not.

So its simple. Cathay Pacific should be boycotted by any patriotic Chinese, in China or outside of China. Hit them where it truly hurts. Their revenue. Any flight incident can be covered by insurance. But massive loss of revenue will shake up the entire company. Let those HK roaches lose their jobs. They might go into other airlines, but if they continue their shenanigans there, I don't think they'll be tolerated as well as they did in Cathay Pacific.

As of now, I'm not gonna fly Cathay Pacific or any its subsidiaries until something serious is done by that company to root out the rampant China mainland hatred within its ranks. If I ever need to fly to HK, there are other air carriers to choose, but no more Cathay Pacific for me.
 

manqiangrexue

Brigadier
I’d give the Japanese more credit as they had two terrorist attacks on their Nationalist PMs with one being successful. It’s far more than other puppet governments lead by the US.

Japanese people in general are very conservative and unwilling to change. This is made worse by an imbalanced and aging population as older people are more stuck in their way of thinking. Japanese work culture and social beliefs is literally killing their own people and they know this but still incapable of any substantial change.

You are simply asking too much from an occupied country that was rebuilt from the ground up by an American “Shogun” and bombarded by propaganda for 70+ years.
Oh, I'm not asking much or anything at all. I'm saying that if China needed to engage Japan, either through war or other unpleasant means, to never show sympathy for the Japanese people or to hold back for that reason, believing that they are some poor creatures enslaved by their government. Fight them with our full strength and no mercy like they are faceless unsentient beasts set out to destroy us. (Fight them with absolute resolution, but never to be confused with the deliberate cruelty they showed us as that benefits no one.) When I spoke about the Japanese overthrowing their government for a pro-China government, it was not a serious request; it was more along the lines of when someone says, "You want my lunch, yeah, sure, a million dollars will buy it." There is no expectation to be paid or to give up my lunch, just as I expect Japan to continue its self-destruction following the US and I expect China to deal them the punishment they deserve as they go down with the ship. But! If that someone somehow comes up with the million bucks, sure, he can buy my lunch. Same deal with the Japanese growing a spine after getting nuked.
 

baykalov

Senior Member
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European officials are rebuffing Beijing’s efforts to split the West

The Chinese envoy dispatched to push Beijing’s peace plan for Ukraine carried a clear message: U.S. allies in Europe should assert their autonomy and urge an immediate cease-fire, leaving Russia in possession of the parts of its smaller neighbor that it now occupies, according to Western officials familiar with talks in capitals across the continent.

Diplomat Li Hui, who has visited Kyiv, Warsaw, Berlin, Paris and Brussels this month, urged European governments to view China as an economic alternative to Washington and said they should move quickly to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine before it spreads, those officials said. Li was due to travel to Moscow on Friday.

The officials, while saying it is too early to dismiss Beijing’s efforts, questioned China’s ability to act as an honest broker in any negotiations given how closely it is aligned with Moscow. The officials said they didn’t think peace would be possible until Russian troops withdraw from Ukraine.

China’s Foreign Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

“We explained that freezing the conflict is not in the interest of the international community unless there is withdrawal of Russian troops,” a diplomat who spoke to Li said. The diplomat said Li was told “it’s impossible to split Europe from America” and that Europe wouldn’t withdraw support from Ukraine.

“They are probably testing the unity of the West and trying to show initiative,” another diplomat said.

China’s main interests appeared to be to ensure that Russia doesn’t lose the war and that Moscow refrains from using nuclear weapons, another said.

The war in Ukraine—which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands of others—has emerged as a central front in a deepening rivalry between the democratic West on one hand and Russia and China, two of the world’s most powerful authoritarian states, on the other.

China has become a critical economic lifeline for Russia as it is hit by Western sanctions. Beijing has been making large purchases of Russian energy, and Chinese exports to Russia of goods such as computer chips and other electronics that have civilian and military uses have risen significantly since Moscow invaded Ukraine last year.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping in March visited Moscow and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, soon after China released a peace proposal for Ukraine. Both men smiled and referred to each other as a “dear friend.” Xi told Putin that their countries have “many similar goals” and that “with our cooperation and interaction, we will definitely achieve these goals.”

European capitals have said China’s peace proposal and its Russian embrace demonstrated that Beijing doesn’t hold a neutral position on the conflict and sides with Moscow.

China’s 12-point peace proposal, released in February, calls for a cease-fire and peace talks but offers few details. While offering what appears to be a veiled warning to Moscow not to escalate the conflict by using nuclear weapons, it also contains oblique criticisms of the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Its first point is “respecting the sovereignty of all countries,” but it doesn’t call on Russia to withdraw from Ukraine or mention Russia’s aggression toward its neighbor.

China has courted European nations in an effort to weaken the U.S.-led pushback against Beijing’s widening global clout. After previously taking a softer approach, Europe in recent years has moved closer to U.S. positions on economic security and trade, and become increasingly wary of China.

The Biden administration, while foreseeing a role for China in an eventual negotiated settlement, has been skeptical of Beijing’s intentions as a peacemaker due to its close relationship with Moscow. The White House in March tried to head off an expected call from Beijing for a cease-fire, with a spokesman saying such a move would serve as “effectively the ratification of Russian conquest.”

Europe is also broadly aligned with Washington in the view that no peace can be achieved in Ukraine without the withdrawal of Russian troops, and its governments are concerned by Xi’s ties with Putin, Western officials said.

European diplomats said they sought to convey three key messages during their meetings with Li: that China must continue to pressure Russia against using nuclear weapons, that it not supply military aid to Russia and that it condemn Moscow’s aggression. They also asked Li for Chinese backing of the international efforts to secure the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest such facility in Europe, which is occupied by Russia.

Li, Beijing’s special representative on Eurasian affairs and a former Chinese ambassador to Russia, has visited Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany and Belgium, the seat of European Union institutions and NATO. Diplomats from several of those countries said they coordinated closely to make sure Li got the same message from European allies.

The French official who met with Li this week told the Chinese diplomat that France was convinced China could play a constructive role in pursuing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, France’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The official emphasized the need to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and said France and the EU were determined to support Ukraine over the long term.

Poland’s Foreign Ministry said following Li’s visit to Warsaw that the deputy minister who met the Chinese diplomat told him “Poland is concerned about Beijing’s declarations about striving to strengthen bilateral relations with Russia, the aggressor state.”

The pushback from Europe comes as the U.S. and China see a possible window for repairing ties damaged by the discovery and shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon earlier this year. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo met with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, in Washington on Thursday, the first such meeting to take place in Washington under the Biden administration.

The Department of Commerce said the two had candid and substantive discussions about the U.S.-China commercial relationship, and that Raimondo raised concerns about Beijing’s recent actions against U.S. companies that operate in China. China’s Commerce Ministry said Wang expressed concern about the U.S.’s economic and trade policy toward China.

EU officials have said the war in Ukraine is complicating their relationship with China, which hasn’t condemned Moscow’s invasion.

“Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine is making the context for the EU-China relationship more complex,” the EU’s trade chief, Valdis Dombrovskis, said Thursday. He said he conveyed that message to Wang, China’s commerce minister, during a meeting last month.

The EU is preparing an economic security strategy, due next month, that appears set to bring the bloc closer to the U.S. in its approach to China.
 

FriedButter

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Share of dollar in global reserves lowest in 28 years – IMF​

The process of diversifying away from the greenback by countries around the world is gathering pace, according to the latest data from the International Monetary Fund.

The statistics tracked by the Washington-based institution show that the dollar’s share of official gold and foreign currency reserves dropped to a nearly three-decade low of 58% in the fourth quarter of 2022.

The move has reportedly been gradual and the dollar share of central banks’ foreign reserves is now nearly down to a level last seen in 1995.

The long-standing status of the dollar as the world’s dominant currency has been steadily eroded in recent years amid concerns over soaring US debt and widely implemented sanctions using the currency as leverage.

The shift was more pronounced when adjusted for exchange rates, according to Stephen Jen, CEO of Eurizon SLJ Capital Limited, as quoted by Reuters.

“What happened in 2022 was a very sharp plummeting in the dollar share in real terms,” he said, calling the decline a reaction to the freezing of half of Russia’s $640 billion in gold and FX reserves.

According to Jen, the drastic step sparked a rethink in countries like Saudi Arabia, China, India and Türkiye about diversifying their reserves to other currencies.

The yuan’s share of global over-the-counter forex transactions has increased from nearly zero 15 years ago to 7%, according to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).

After the move against Russia, other countries are questioning “What if you fall on the wrong side of sanctions?” BNY Mellon strategist Geoffrey Yu told the media.

He said global central banks are currently seeking to diversify their assets, scooping up corporate debt, tangible assets such as real estate, and other currencies.

“This is the process that is underway,” Mark Tinker, managing director of Toscafund Hong Kong, told the agency. “The dollar is going to be used less in the global system.”
The yuan’s share of global over-the-counter forex transactions has increased from nearly zero 15 years ago to 7%, according to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
 
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