China has upset many countries in the Asia-Pacific region with its release of a new official map that lays claim to most of the South China Sea, as well as to contested parts of India and Russia, and official objections continue to mount. What is the map, and why is it upsetting people so much?
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It seems significant, then, that Beijing chose to release the map on the heels of a late August meeting of the BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – and just before China is to participate in top-level meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Group of 20 rich and developing nations.
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In releasing the map now, Beijing is widely seen as signaling it has no intention of backing down on any of its claims and is making sure that its positions are fresh in the minds of other countries in the region.
They’re just doing what America has been doing since WW2. Why should America be the only power in the world?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism
Yes. This could be considered a whataboutism. But that’s not always a bad thing. See here. Context matters. This article puts China in a negative light. I’m not defending China’s actions. I think it is inflammatory. But I also felt obligated to relay the hypocrisy of America.
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The Independent published the article. They are based in the UK. It is in their interest as part of the capitalist hegemony, led by America to make China look bad (the enemy). I just pushed back against that narrative. It was not my intention to highjack the discussion. Also, I was the first to comment, so there was nothing to highjack at the time.
China is making China look bad.
Then, how do you know about it?
Here’s China’s new map of their claimed territory from China’s own website.. For comparison, here’s one provided by Wikipedia with the Dark Green is claimed and controlled. The light green is claimed, but not controlled. The wiki map seems to be out of date anyway. It doesn’t included the claimed, but not controlled specs out to sea.
This is also being talked about in all the news outlets of China’s neighbors. The Independent was not the first place I saw this news. China is making China look bad.
OMG you are right. Just read several articles about it. I feel bad for finding it hilarious. Why provoke India? Talk about throwing around your weight,
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They don’t pay us money silly. We get a bonus ration on our food card. Dependent on what the commissar deems acceptable, and what resources are available. Usually rice or bread, but never eggs. I miss eggs.
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The USA at least has the possibility of remaining a democracy. China is an authoritarian vicious dictatorship that kills or jails dissidents, the same as Russia does.
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I’m sure some of those people would say China has a lot of flaws and fucks up a lot but I’d have them a hundred times over America.
Stop being egocentric.
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Begging the question. I wouldn’t mind a benevolent dictatorship. As for the other presuppositions, I live in America, so yes.
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Hope you feel better soon. I continue to struggle with anger issues. What helps me is focusing on my breathing and reminding myself that I control my emotions, they don’t control me. Then I dissociate and try to objectively understand what is making me angry. Are you angry with me because I don’t view the world as you do? Or, because I’m challenging beliefs you’ve long held? Realize that not everyone has to believe the same, but a consensus reality, or basic truths, are necessary.
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I did not mean for you to feel insulted. You just seemed unnecessarily angry. I don’t even think I have the capacity to know everything. But I do enjoy learning and encountering different perspectives.
I mean I don’t agree with them but they could easily really with: “You’re fine with restricting women’s rights? You’re fine with a country controlled by corporations? You’re fine with police summarily killing people in the streets? You’re fine with a media that intentionally lies to manipulate parts of the population into attempting a coup? You’re fine with a small ghetto of inflected officials making arbitrary decisions on laws that take away fundamental rights based purely on religious and political ideology?”
A better argument would be to point to statistical data that shows that the US is still a better place to live than China. e.g. the US scores a 8.73 ^1 on the Freedom indeed while China only scored a 5.57 ^1.
Or direct to each country’s amnesty report. ^2 ^3
^1 https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/freedom-index-by-country
^2 https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/east-asia/china/
^3 https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/americas/north-america/united-states-of-america/
Sure but where would they prefer to live? Where do their kids live?
They prefer to live where they prefer to live. 1,425,587,668 people. 1,000,000,000 more people than the US. You’re deluding yourself if you think they are all prisoners.
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You presume that I defend China, I do not. Just because America genocided Native Americans, and carried out extrajudicial executions in Vietnam and Iwo Jima, doesn’t mean that they are evil. The same metric should be applied to China. Maybe both countries are bad. Don’t limit your understanding. I’m rooting for you.
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They are not the same, but comparable. China hasn’t invaded a country since Vietnam. America unjustifiably invaded Iraq in 2003. My goal is not to defend China, but to make people aware that America isn’t the arbiter of justice in the world. Both countries are using propaganda to demonize the other. You don’t have to pick a side.
I guess you didnt see all those videos during covid when people had their front doors nailed shut by the government so they couldn’t leave, or the travel bans between cities. Or maybe your definition is different from mine or maybe the citizens prefered being dragged to a covid facility because someone in their household tested positive.
China’s zero COVID policy saved lives. source So, unless you love death, that’s not a good argument. In fact, I wish America had been more disciplined during the pandemic, which is not over. But the wheels of the economy must turn.
China is definitely more disciplined. Like when that Chinese doctor first discovered covid he was disciplined by the Chinese government, the coverup might have worked if covid was less dangerous but it was allowed to spread throughout Wuhan. When the world suspected something was wrong and wanted to close their border with China the CCP called it a over reaction. As things got worse the CCP finally admitted their was a problem and decided to stop travel out of Wuhan but gave everyone 24 hours notice, by than tens of thousands were able to flee to other parts of China and the world. blah blah blah and finally the step where other countries could have done something to stop the spread of covid happens. Yes, the USA should have been more disciplined and they could have been more effective at slowing down covid but by that point China had made it impossible to stop covid. None of this was the Chinese covid policy, just general cover your butt policy. Since China was so proud it created sinovac the CCP could not admit mRNA vaccine was more effective, how many more lives could have been saved if Chinese policy could admit to making mistakes? Sure, a high number of people in the west died doing stupid things like taking horse deworming medicine to fight a virus, but it was their choice. Unlike all the other people who took the necessary precautions and still died or the countless people in China who died from covid or they starved to death because they couldn’t get food - countless because the CCP covered up the number of cases and deaths. Check the WHO website for worldwide covid deaths. USA had 100 million confirmed cases (probably too low) and 1 million deaths (too low). China has four times the population but also has 100 million cases and only 120 thousand deaths. You are right, the CCP hates death - that’s why their made up number is so laughably low. If we assume deaths are 1% of cases than China deaths are 8 times less than what they should be. BTW my parents would agree with you 100%, my mom watches countless mainland media and my dad has dementia and even they would never want to live in China.
Sorry your dad has dementia. Enjoy the moments you have with him.
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The Chinese feel the same about America as you feel about China.
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edit: deleted as I realized I was defending China and I don’t want to do that. There are a great deal of massively problematic issues with their government which the comments here brought back to the front of my mind and I don’t want to get into an argument where I’m defending Whinnie the Pooh’s government.
You are proof that Americans are not that different, in that regard.
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European? You’re still bombarded with American propaganda. We all are, they have cultural hegemony.
Does the US actively commit genocide? Do they keep one particular part of their population in work and concentration camps?
Do they suppress every opinion you have? Do they arrest you for those opinions?
Get the fuck out of here with your whataboutism. Living under China, if you are not chinese is a death sentence, you might just live in nazi germany as a non german. I’d much rather be under the US.
I meaaaannnn
Elaborate.
You lived in China? Tell us about your experience.
I’ve seen enough perspectives of people who did live in China and seen enough people (even some of my friends) disappear to make a judgement.
If you want to such Xi cock so hard, please shut the fuck up and move there, tankie scum
Forgive me if I don’t trust your anecdotal evidence. You’ve had friends disappear? Insult’s won’t help me to see your perspective. I am not, nor will I ever be, a tankie. I choose not to have a narrow minded view of the world.
“America bad” is not wrong, but not open-minded.
And it doesn’t count as a real personality trait either.
I’m American. I live there. I’ve studied it’s history and lived it. I’m allowed to have views of my own country. Americans aren’t bad. The government is.
Based on the wrong information you spout, I’m pretty sure your version of “studying history” is looking at ML memes online.
The “government” is just an organization of Americans so this statement is self-contradictory.
I can’t even begin to unpack this. Move on.
If you are not a tankie, how can you possibly defend China? If you do, you are a tankie, or you are fucking stupid.
If my “anecdotal evidence” supports the reality, does it matter that it’s anecdotal? There is so much fucking evidence of their evil actions yet you blindly follow their propaganda.
And you talk about a narrow view of the world. Wake the fuck up, for your own sake
It’s a map. Not the Boxer Rebellion. Criticizing America is not defending China. I don’t defend China or their propaganda. Your mad about a map article posted on the internet. Take a break.
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For the record, I’m Taiwanese and American and think it’s cool you’re learning Mandarin and have an appreciation for Chinese people! I similarly disapprove of the CCP for obvious reasons.
However, your statement about the US is complete whitewashing – and I don’t blame you; it’s what we were falsely taught to believe. The US has a notorious legacy of destabilizing foreign governments to suit its own agenda (sometimes then installing sockpuppet US-friendly leaders or just leaving the country in chaos). And then this is all done in the very nicely PR-rebranded effort of “democracy” while US imperialism is well-known and well-documented throughout its history.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_regime_change
And it’s not just history; it’s still ongoing. Look at the sockpuppet US-backed South Korean government and public utilities, or the ongoing US-facilitated destruction of the Middle East that started decades ago. Or its weird Zionist segment that continues to blindly support Israel despite Israel committing apartheid against Palestinians, following the US playbook.
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Have you lived in China? I like Mexico and Mexican people, but I have never lived in Mexico. So I really shouldn’t make judgements about their government without knowing that it is true.
The freedom of other nations should be of concern, no matter who is the imperialist country.
Care to provide any examples?
_gestures at the world _ source Another one
Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t see any territories that have been incorporated into the US since WWII. The military interventions and soft power stuff hasn’t added any territory.
If you’re okay with military interventions and soft power; surely you’re okay, or at least ambivalent, with China doing the same thing.
It depends entirely on the reason. I am not universally opposed to military intervention. But I think the US has wrongfully intervened before as well. It all depends on whether it’s a just war.
It’s in China’s self-interest to expand their financial hegemony and weaken America’s. To them, it is just. American Exceptionalism is a myth. We are no better than any other country, and the readers here need to be reminded.
This guy is definitely a troll, he shows up on a lot of posts to try and deflect any criticism back to America. Im guessing if you check his profile you’ll see what I mean but his name has stood out a couple times now on other threads.
I’m human and American. Not a troll. I just see the world as objectively as I can, not how I want it to be. I live in America, but I don’t let my selfishness cloud the reality that America is the cause of many of the world’s problems. You don’t have to agree with me. That’s fine. I’m just here to elevate the discussion beyond the myth of American Exceptionalism.
Self interest is not absolutely just. Morality isn’t defined by what the local government says.
For example, the US in Cuba was unjust though it was in their best interest.
Correct. Utilitarianism is contextual and relative.
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Source?
It’s so weird, you claimed that China and America are doing the same thing, someone just tells you why you’re wrong, and you just pivot your position around to something different without acknowledging what just happened.
Is your brain okay?
I hope so. Thanks for asking. I was wrong about territorial expansion since WW2. But I meant to reference American Imperialism. We discussed it.
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I didn’t say that. I’m just pointing out they are no different than America.
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How do you know of life in China? Have you lived there? Your sources are from Western media that has a vested interest in making China the bad guy. Maybe they are. But I’m gonna remain skeptical. You should to.
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is this… is this bait? The USA has organized a handful of genocides.
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uh?