China Uighurs: A model's video gives a rare glimpse inside internment
bbc.com
bbc.com
To those complaining about the anti-China narrative, it's the CCP (government) which are at fault, not the people. I think we should always make it very clear that it's not the Chinese people we take issue with and we are not condemning people based on race.
As for actions taken against China and masquerading behind human-rights to justify them, I think it's okay to temporary align ourselves with those whose actions align with our ideology, even if the motivation is different. Life is about compromise and we're going to find very few allies if we will only work with people perfectly aligned with our own motivations.
What would you say if the people widely supported it? Do you have evidence otherwise?
Most mainlanders don't seem to care at all, that's pretty common knowledge and not some fear of speaking out issue. There's plenty of online forums where they anonymously express themselves and widely mock and criticise the government yet you won't find many being about Xinjiang province other than what the West is reporting on it.
Have you spent much time on the Chinese internet?
So to go back to my question, if it's actually the people who support this, do you consider them the enemy too?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-30/why-many-in-china-sup...
> who support this, do you consider them the enemy too?
It's a tough one. There's a lot of misinformation and propaganda out there in China and until people have a balanced idea of what the various truths are, I don't know if it can be held against them. They are likely told that they are all extremists from the only authoritative source they have available to them, you can understand why they hold the views they hold (even if we would agree they are not nice views to hold).
That said, there are people out there that hold extreme views I don't agree with (in many different social circles/cultures). As long as they don't act on these ideas and are able to be productive members of society, then it's enough to agree to disagree.
In general we need a better approach towards radicalization, and for that in my opinion we should try to solve problems internally first. Western society for example has extreme far-right and extreme far-left minorities, it's not yet clear how we step these people back from the edge (i.e. violence).
Look at Trump, who is currently attempting to push an anti-China narrative in the US, but still gave Xi Jinping the green light to build camps for the Uighurs, and said it was "exactly the right thing to do." [1]
Should we judge them? Are they our enemy? I don't know. But this seems to be a systematic bias that pervades humanity in general.
The only way any pressure would work is with a league of nations applying sanctions.
His family haven't heard from him in 5 months, it seems quite extreme for a small amount of popularity.
> Perhaps find a more credible source to support.
Just to name a few: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inmP0LvZEhY
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmId2ZP3h0c&feature=youtu.be
[3] https://twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/1284784810200838145
[4] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50511063
[5] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/world/asia/china-xinjiang...
I mean, lets face it, for whatever reason you chose the news report that was about as credible as Trump ...
> oppression instead of a posing model?
I'm not OP, I didn't post that particular link, I just commented here on the subject.
> for whatever reason you chose the news report that was
> about as credible as Trump
I don't see why you are comparing the social media model to Trump.
This is what China wants you to see. Now think about what they don't watch you to see.
[0] https://twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/1284784810200838145
- what did they do?
- these criminals were caught red-handed praying to allah
Edit: I am probably on some kind of list now
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-rights-un-usa-torture-idU...
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/05/1063292
https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-the-us-wont-let-the-un-loo...
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2015/07/25/809496/united-...
This person has found the video location: https://twitter.com/Nrg8000/status/1175353408749891584
You not only stated an unsupported claim, you were also willing to waste many peoples' time to avoid wasting your own.
The worrying thing is, protests like those for George Floyd won't be possible to happen within China, and even if they happen overseas, most people inside China won't even be aware of them.
With the information control in place, long lasting suppression against minorities is one of the most terrifying things that can happen.
Hopefully some people start to feel a little bit embarrassed over there reactions and support of violent riots.
In 20 years China may very well be completely technologically independent rendering economic sanctions impotent and foreigners aren't going to be able to change any Chinese minds. Change will have to come from within the CCP, it always amused me that those HK protesters were talking more to the foreign press than trying to infiltrate the mainland bureaucracy.
And I'm guessing if the West and Russia had waited, the Nazis would have stopped putting people in concentration camps too? The CCP is exactly the same party that still covers up the 1989 Tienanmen Square Massacre - they can't even admit their previous failings.
> it always amused me that those HK protesters were talking
> more to the foreign press than trying to infiltrate the
> mainland bureaucracy.
It's hard to find any amusement in the HK situation at all.
I am not aware of any scenario where the Communist dictatorship has listened to reason or has allowed the infiltration of it's mainland media. Their entire dictatorship is based on narrative - whilst it's positive, they stay in power over the people and army. Any deviation throws their rule into question, which is why they crush it at any cost.
Edit: Grammar
It’s possible.
After the Trail of Tears, I don’t think anyone would have believed the US would fight a Civil War and change so much.
Give China a hundred years and who knows what will happen.
Taiwan was a dictatorship until the late 90s. All China needs is that one leader to put things in motion.
WeChat and other social media will of course shadowban messages containing a link to your repo (assuming it become popular enough to be noticed) but you can find creative ways to bypass the blacklisting (e.g. share link in a picture, with spaces in the link, forking the repo and sharing the forked one, etc.)
Shouldn't we use this evidence instead to wake people up on the impacts of consumerism?
Didn't we allow China to become what it is today due to how we buy things (all things are made in China today?) and how companies are constantly seeking to reduce costs and in some cases irresponsibly? What have we said to those companies?
Disclaimer: I'm from Europe.
Both need to be told the same thing, doing business in China is not acceptable. Corporations can be forced to change course by stock holders and national or state governments, governments can only be changed by pressure on the political parties in each.
* I own both Tesla and Apple products, my statement on not buying an Apple product made in China needs to be expanded. I will not buy an Apple product or another Tesla until both leave China or the Chinese government changes direction; which I believe will only get worse if the believe the US government slides in weakness or non interventionist form
The main paper of his routinely quoted on by the media is published in the Journal of Political Risk. It mainly draws on Google translations of open source government data, there's strangely mentions of Bible verses in it.
You might also be interested in his main job as an evangelic missionary teaching theological students, his position at an anti-communism foundation with dubious funding sources, an online phd from a university with a very similar name as Cambridge (his wiki page even looks to the actual Cambridge), his homophobic statements, other statements on how he is on a mission from God to "save" China and his published book: "Worthy to Escape: Why All Believers Will Not Be Raptured Before the Tribulation"*
I'm not sure if it's worth debating this topic here on HN anymore because it's really becoming pointless and pure ideological propaganda where no one wants to debate in good faith (much like this article with basically nothing of substance, a guy got caught with weed and now has a call phone inside jail? Throw in some Adrian Zenz quotes and call it a day)
Previous threads have people boldly proclaiming with no evidence whatsoever that "_millions_ of Uyghurs have been sterilised in the last year, what has any other country done even close to that?", leaving the absurdity of that behind, the responses with numerous sources and good faith debate are CSS censored into oblivion.
This BBC article is propaganda, there's literally no any evidence whatsoever it's true, by their own words deep into the text. The public is being buttered up for yet another two decades of war, with Iraq WMD levels of proof of why it should happen and the populace lap it up again.
The UN Human Rights Commissioner was invited over a year ago[1] to Xinjiang, she still hasn't gone, China is still asking her to come and hopefully she'll make it by the end of 2020 [2]
Dozens of countries, many not even aligned with China have sent a joint letter to the UN [3] saying their investigations showed nothing like what is claimed in the Western media.
Muslim countries are praising their efforts to control terrorism in the region.[3]
Given your question, I'd ask a counter-question: Is it worth trying to convince people that's there's a lot more here than the headlines and it's far more about the challenge to US hegemony more than anything else? Why is everything presented always with some terrifyingly evil implication that's ends up generally quite mundane when you actually read into it.
There's more satellites than ever before (you can academically launch a 0.5U cubesat over China for $12,000) and yet no one seems to have any satellite evidence of these 1.5 million people supposedly detained. I'm guessing they're in caves or something? Everything presented is flimsy and speaks to a much larger game, a game many tacitly acknowledge deep down and think the ends justify the means, lies or not. WMD's or not, many somehow justify that travesty to themselves in a strange post-purchase rationalisation.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-rights-un-idUSKCN1T...
[2] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-xinjiang-rights-idU...
[3] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-xinjiang-rights-idU...
*Available on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Worthy-Escape-Believers-Raptured-Trib...
The brainwashing doesn't happen to the people that are directly subject to it, but to the ones raised in an environment surrounded by people who, if they aren't true believers but are still around to be seen as models, have been cowed into behavioral conformance.
Second of all, why? What do you wish to discuss? What would you like to happen? What do these people have to do with it?
If you're in the U.S., do you have anything useful to discuss regarding Guantanamo Bay and the many other U.S. black sites or the Mexican concentration camps run at the border? Do you think those are appropriate conversation pieces to bring up if they don't occur naturally? How would you feel if someone brought them up as if to teach you or make you aware of them as if you didn't know or had any affect whatsoever on their existence?
Personally I'd be thankful to know of censored history, particularly if it is occurring and being censored right now, in a democracy.
Good video on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsxukOPEdgg
Quite. Just as it would have been vulgar to bring up the Holocaust with a German tourist in Switzerland or Italy in 1940.
If you were good friends, you can mention this and drop it and try to move on. If you're doing this at work, it won't end well for anyone involved, and it'll be doubly bad if you're in an authority position.
As an American, sitting down next to a European on vacation for more than a few minutes is never fun. Once they inevitably ask "Where are you from?", they follow it up with a lecture on American politics before I can even finish my sentence. It's tedious and it's nothing new.
It's probably way more frustrating for people having to listen to their boss lecture them at work about how screwed up a country they've never been to but you've lived your whole life in is. You're not in a position to just politely say "bye" and never see them ever again without any consequence. You certainly can't speak up against them because they're in a position of authority.
If you understand the language and culture the locals talk a similar way to the responses from the BBC video. And in the Vice video the locals even spoke for the secret journalists.
Also for mainland china everyone refers people from any ethnic background from Xinjiang a 'Xinjianger' not a singled out 维族人. I'm sure there are a lot of injustice but ethnic minorities are known to entitle a few 'privileges' such as carrying knives and not subject to one-child policy. Hence the cause of the inevitable unfair treatment and conflict (to be honest many policies are not up to modern liberal views). I'm not defending ccp ever, but I'm also shocked people knew very little about everything else.
Counter-anecdotally; I've never experienced this and in my workplace at least, the people who never stop talking politics are all American.
Ignoring the "at work" part, you can then both realize that you should acknowledge and fight against any country doing bad things and that these bad things are not excused because other countries (or people) are also doing bad things. Two wrongs don't make a right.
(I'm aware you did not claim that they did.)
Not advocating that people should look the other way, but I wouldn't like superiors associating me with the deeds of the government of China.
It might have been a good idea to actually support the protests for freedom in Hong Kong, but the "west" looked extremely weak here, laden with its own problems.
edit: Just to clarify, I wouldn't bring up Hong Kong either...
(But I would not suggest discussing unless you are close friends beyond work)
To convince them you'd really have to go into details and explain just how unjust the whole ordeal is. Most pro-govt people's default assumption will be they're doing a good job taking care of bad people.
Even the notion that someone of a different religion and ethnicity who might not speak the language should be rightfully considered a Chinese citizen deserving all the same freedoms is a tough sell.
You need to approach it from that mindset.
If they bring it up themselves, for or against that slightly changes things but frankly if they're supportive of the oppression then doing anything other than telling them "keep that opinion to yourself" is a minefield. Taking them on will most likely blow up in your face. (edit: no 'most likely' about it. It will).
If they are against it and wish to discuss it with you and what to do, it's still a danger (I can't say why, more a feeling) and I'd advise them to contact/join an external group, or their MP/representative etc. and leave it at that. Shit like this discussed at work is bad news, I don't see how doing it can make things better.
Anyone who disagrees and can make a better suggestion, I'm very willing to learn from.
Edit: to those downvoters, I'm NOT saying don't discuss it, I'm saying don't do so at work. It is deeply unlikely anything helpful will come of for anyone, but it is very likely to damage your reputation or even lose you your job.
Speak up! Sure, but in the right place and to those whose job it is to make a difference.
As for it being a good idea... nope. I wouldn't put myself in a situation where the Chinese government calls my employer and politely asks them to reassign me to the Antarctic branch. It's not a democracy, normal citizens have no power, and expecting your coworkers to do so is putting them and yourself in danger.
Wouldn't citizenship fall under "national origin"?
Do those involve anything as awful as what's happening in China? If they were and you were asked to comment, how would it make you feel?
> I have to say I also find it chilling to say we can't discuss topics which have political implications
Sure you can! Just not at work. Mate, don't do it. Take it from someone who can't keep his mouth shut.
Talking politics == my free time, and I don't want to exchange my leisure hours for talking politics with my co-workers. The entire rest of your life can be talking about politics with your friends, your life shouldn't just be work.
It seems the real problem is too much of people's lives is work and so they think they have no time to talk politics.
What country is such a workers' paradise? De Tocqueville wrote that the US was a nation whose social life was composed of overlapping circles of voluntary associations, which sounds much more like the situation here than that (to my eyes) dystopic description (of a world where one's only relations are not only by a single path, but that path is tied to the economic), so I'm assuming you're living elsewhere.
Now people are avoiding that person. Team cohesion suffers. People are calling in sick to avoid the stress of it all. Management is dealing with shit from both sides.
What would you do if you were running the company?
If you want to let people talk politics at work, you can’t just limit it to the politics you agree with.
Those that support the camps genuinely see them as de-radicalization centres.
The bigger unsaid issue is US/Pompeo/China hawks has zero moral credibility in China. For Chinese, the XJ model - integrating Uighur rapidly is seen both as a "fairer" minority policy and more effective COIN model. As long as the west jails minorities disproportionately, and dropping bombs on weddings, there's no argument or propaganda to convince Chinese they're not making the better moral choice.
E: The even bigger unsaid issue, which every expert musing about the global implication of surveillance authoritarianism but won't publicly entertain is: what if XJ works? There's a reason China has 2X support of the XJ program than US can gather against, from majority Islamic countries no less. It's not just lol-debt trap. There are many parties interested in XJ model working. 80% of the world are flawed democracies or worse, and the overall trajectory is illiberal decline and increased geopolitical instability. There are more rulers who is invested in XJ working than not. The even larger issue than that? West doesn't have a alternative model, we've been flirting with incremental improvements over decade scales whenever our own "contradictions" force our hands, i.e. BLM. That's just not good enough.
Amazing hot take. Ethnically cleansing millions of people is A-OK as long as your country's population is large enough. That is prime wumaodang logic.
> XJ model - integrating Uighur rapidly
The Chinese model of "ethnocide" -- eradicating the religion, culture and written language of successive minority groups from Manchu to Tibetan, Uighur, Hlai, Zhuang, Oirat Mongols and hundreds of other groups -- is successful in creating a monolithic mass of resource and people subservient to the CCP, to better enrich the CCP Beijing princelings. So understandably it is heavily pushed by media domestically and by the wumao abroad. Nonetheless ethnocide is frowned upon as a crime against humanity these days in the rest of the world (and before you go whatabout on me, yes lots of other countries did it hundreds of years ago).
> [Muslim country support for Uighur genocide is] not just lol-debt trap
It's also lol-sanctions, lol-trade-war and lol-UN-veto-power, not to speak of the CCP siccing their asymmetric warfare units on you. Muslim countries don't mind pissing off EU or US because those don't bother to get into a pissing match these days (unlike in the cold war era). Mainland Chinese politicians however, are incredibly insecure, thin skinned and obsessed with "face", so any perceived insult and they fund some rival warlord or prince to coup you off the throne...
>ME fear CCP
What is this, opposite day? Muslim countries fear China's zero military experience and zero force projection ability versus actual bombs being dropped in ME right now by west? Authoritarian countries likes what China wants to sell. A global order where authoritarianism is seen as a valid alternative governance model, a raising power who actually doesn't sanction or regime change over human rights. About the only Chinese "win-win" benefit most parties unironically believe in. Oh, also China used the Veto least.
>Chinese politicians however, are incredibly insecure
At this point I don't know if you're writing to debate or writing to cope.
Understanding CCP Resilience: Surveying Chinese Public Opinion Through Time. July 2020
>We find that first, since the start of the survey in 2003, Chinese citizen satisfaction with government has increased virtually across the board. From the impact of broad national policies to the conduct of local town officials, Chinese citizens rate the government as more capable and effective than ever before. Interestingly, more marginalized groups in poorer, inland regions are actually comparatively more likely to report increases in satisfaction. https://ash.harvard.edu/files/ash/files/final_policy_brief_7...
Anyway, we're done.
It may well work. And mass sterilisation of women also works (https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/china-conducting-mass-steril...) in that being sterilised stops them having kids, which is the point. Most effective too!
What you're totally, frighteningly blind to is whether it's morally OK.
The original question is how the situation is communicated and discussed in China. And I answered. You know how the west can talk about lots of issues like actual wars where we're aggressors, systemic racism that kept minority down or in jails etc with nuance? That happens in China on various topics too. At the end of the day, just like the west, many don't give a shit. Unlike the west, they can't really protest if they do. But even if they could, most probably wouldn't, because people irrationally and massively overreact to terrorism.
"The Chinese government has deployed a mass sterilization campaign against Muslim ethnic minorities in the country's western provinces, according to a new report, which argues the tactics could amount to genocide."
"Those camps are used as a form of threat and punishment, with officials detaining women and families who fail to comply with pregnancy checks or forced intrauterine contraceptive devices -- more commonly known as IUDs -- sterilizations, and even abortions."
> The original question is how the situation is communicated and discussed in China
I was responding to your delightful comment...
> what if XJ works?
And I pointed out your hideously lack of morality which is the point. So let's ask, how would you like it if your wife was sterilised against her will or had a forced abortion?
ANSWER THAT QUESTION PLEASE. Because that is what morality is about. If you don't like it, don't do it to others.
[1]https://time.com/4881898/china-xinjiang-uighur-children/
[2] https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/08/08/chinese-official-floats...
>Moral Question
I think family planning is necessary evil for China and new 2 child policy, i.e. replacement level is a good compromise for demographic and environmental stability. Ultimately China wants to settle at <1B ppl, which is a responsible position. I have no issue with uniform quota for everyone - minorities previously had +1 child. Where the world is heading, I'd rather cultures concede to population control than vice versa.
E: Apparently applying too fast. It should make the CCP look the same way it did for the last 40 years of one-child policy. Only ones that look bad are useful idiots believing Trump + Pompeo uncritically. I wouldn't have 2 children if the family planning policy is to have 2 children. I would be in a partnership with someone that accepts that. And to be extra clear: necessary evil = I endorse.
AKA it makes the CCP look bad so it must be a 'hit piece'.
So, again, how would you like it if your wife was sterilised against her will or had a forced abortion?
ANSWER THE QUESTION
The video shown by the BBC about the official visit to the vocational training center implants a subliminal message of "bad things are happening here" with eerie BGM and horror-movie-like filter. Your system 1, i.e. your fast, instinctive and emotional mind [2] would also be tricked by that too. Regardless of what's happening there, do you really think this is the way of objective, bias-free reporting?
Personally, I do not like the way they train these people. Westerners would never understand this culturally. But when compared to the war effort instigated by the US against Islamic nations, vocational training is IMHO a much better alternative against terrorism. XJ used to have a terrorism problem, and it's now much safer.
I would suggest you guys to travel in XJ after opening up, if possible, it is an incredible place to visit. If not then there are plenty of local people on youtube vlogging their daily lifes.
[0]: https://twitter.com/DanielDumbrill/status/128826906429753753... [1]: https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/hwi7ub/i_am_soph... [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow
Source: am Chinese living in China, sitting in a coffee shop and procrastinating. Edit: typo.
And how is the western concern for human rights abuses in Xinjiang being covered by the Chinese media?
This is a problem to be handled at the diplomatic level between govts, by govts concerned about human rights abuses using various forms economic and diplomatic leverage and pressure to effect change. You can pressure your own govt to do that if want.
It's hard to change minds when the education system doesn't support free thinking that challenges authority, when identity is caught up with national pride and the us vs them mentality. That's why it's important to use language like CCP instead of China to separate the people from the government.
The most common defense is whataboutism. Talk about Uigher camps in Xingjiang or the Hong Kong protests? "But America has racism, and police beatdowns." The argument against democracy is that the people aren't educated enough to handle voting, for example and bring up covid cases in the US.
I had a conversation a while back with my cousin, who didn't like Morey's (NBA GM) comments about Hong Kong and supported the Rockets ban. me: "But it's his personal opinions, can't he say what he wants?" cousin: "No, because he's a known person. It's like Xi saying California isn't a part of the US." cousin: "That's fine, because everybody knows it's not true. We'll just think he's dumb." cousin (jokingly): "that's just the cultural difference between east and west"
Unfortunately, it's hard to bring up any real nuanced conversation, and especially hard to change any minds. (i.e. like how none of the HK protestors key demands were to actually separate, something many people in China thought)
Those who defend this abuse of an ethnic group are as complicit as the nazis of last century.
“I want our party to be a party like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and how they act... We have learned from many political parties in the world. The best two are the BJP and CCP.” From http://www.newswire.lk/2020/07/30/basil-wants-slpp-to-become....
Do you think more of those bombing campaigns, taking hostages at police stations and throwing hand grenades out of cars into busy market bazaars will improve the situation for the people of Xinjiang?
It's all well and good to have ideals, but don't pretend they apply in the real world of politics.
Feel free to say your country will take in a hundred thousand Uyghurs to free them, we all know it won't happen. The UK somehow has space for a million people from HK but there's no way on Earth they'd take 1% of that from Xinjiang province.
Words are cheap. Just ask the Rohingyas how they are fairing in 2020.
Demonizing Uighurs has been much easier given their different ethnicity, religion and effective confinement to a given region. It's easy for people to assume this will never affect them. With Falun Gong you're dealing with millions of members of the mainstream Chinese society who have been subject to all this and worse.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_harvesting_from_Falun_Go...
[1] "Hard to Believe - Full Documentary - Now free to watch during coronavirus lockdown" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR5o43zZSiA
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/technology/facebook-ads-e...
To treat people like this based on their ethnicity is beyond the pale.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/24/shackled-pre...
https://www.pix11.com/news/coronavirus/rikers-inmate-with-co...
https://www.aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/solitary-confinem...
https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/force-feeding-pris...
I have to say he has really developed his show into an excellent mix of education and entertainment. I used to not like him very much (didn't like his type of humor), but I learn something every time I watch one of his shows, even if it covers a topic I'm already quite familiar with.
We've created millions of refugees, caused over a hundred thousand people to die, and committed numerous human rights violations. Yet the press coverage it gets mostly centers around how we dropped the "mother of all bombs" on them or how disgusting it is to hold peace talks with the Taliban in September.
And for all the calls of "whataboutism" this is likely to raise, if we are unable to fix our own problems our attempts to fix China's are unlikely to benefit anyone.
Oil states play a huge role in the lives of people who follow football due to UAE/Qatar having ownership of large clubs, similarly, there have been a lot of protests with regard to the 2022 FIFA World Cup which will take place in Qatar.
Another example is the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.
Similarly, no one cares about China kidnaping girls from neighboring countries to force them into marriage/prostitution in China. But people care a lot when China force gaming companies to censor their games and ban western citizens playing western games in a western country because they write “Free Hong Kong” in the chat.
>Most people couldn’t care less about what happens outside their borders unless the country responsible also do things that impact their life
The US is the country responsible here. US military commanders have said that the war in Yemen would end tomorrow without US assistance, and the US declared war on Afghanistan.
It also adds great frustration/anger when western companies fight for human rights in USA while they stay silent on China’s human rights issues (and even censor western citizens voicing support for them).
I have not heard these allegations of slave labor surrounding these internment camps. Maybe you're thinking of US prisons.
>The fact that their treatment feels equivalent to the holocaust makes it even worse
I'm still not defending China here, but their actions seem limited to cultural genocide not actual genocide. The US treatment of Muslims in Yemen is far worse.
It’s also ridiculous to believe other western countries don’t have the guts to protest the US considering the largest protests in recent years (in western countries) have involved USA (primarily BLM and Trump) rather than China.
Name one "western" country that has elected an anti-US government. Places like Venezuela and Bolivia have, and the response has been US coup or US coup attempts.
I’m guessing you can’t, because quite frankly, USA is the only western country that have done something meaningful to stand up to China. If Trump gets re-elected then I’ll agree that his anti-China stance and actions won him a significant amount of votes (enough to be deciding factor in him beating Biden), but unless that happens then you’ll have a hard time convincing anyone that a western government rose to power as a result of their anti-China stance.
Every non-Russia UN security council state from the 50's to the mid 70's. Because they were "fighting back the forces of Communism."
Or, as you mention, the Chinese menace has been a constant selling point of the Republican party for thirty years, though Bush did not aggressively pursue it. McCain was openly racist towards China, his coments are truly disgusting.
USA also benefits from the fact that it’s a democracy (admittedly a very flawed one, especially compared to e.g. the Scandinavian countries), so if they elect a madman then other countries only have to endure 4-8 years (and his/her power is significantly restricted compared to Xi Jinping and other dictators).
Then see where the US and the "coalition of the willing" aka Anglo sphere has propped up chaos, invaded or placed military bases. From Afghanistan and Iraq the US can attack/sabotage infrastructure projects in the surrounding areas and the US hasn't really been secret about it.
The US is now in its imperial decline stage question is will it be a slow decline like the Byzantine empire or will it go down like the western roman empire. With going down i mean having to share the world with other players and not be the global hegemony.
I don't really need to know more, US has concentration camps on its southern borders and the EU is paying other nations to hold concentration camps for refugees. For the rest its all media framing, only time will tell how the world will develop in a post-covid19 and unipolar world. One thing i have learned is that the world is simpler and stone cold through a geopolitical lens.
I think it's a false choice, because there is nothing a citizen one can do for either that inhibits doing the other; they are complementary, rather than conflicting, goals.
They are no different from a radical terrorist organization.
What sort of limits do you have to this statement? You're posting this on a forum. Have you checked the country of origin of the servers and components used by the telecoms for their equipment between you and those servers?
Stop blaming individuals and expect more from your leadership.