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Well yes, I suppose you're right. I think I'm just a bit jaded seeing every positive story about China filled with comments like "they'll fail because they're n

by Hondor 10y ago

Well yes, I suppose you're right. I think I'm just a bit jaded seeing every positive story about China filled with comments like "they'll fail because they're not doing it like us". There are plenty of ways they're different and most of them probably seem bad. Maybe most of them really are bad, but somehow they're still doing pretty well. It must be a complicated combination of factors. I don't think it's fair to predict failure just because some things are worse. They do have much stronger protectionism provided by the government, which is surely a massive advantage over American companies. They also have a cheaper yet well educated workforce.

seanmcdirmid 10y ago
This is how the Chinese press takes criticism: be insecure, claim it is an instruction to do things like the west, be like the west, then handle the criticism with some convenient what-about-isms. Everytime I go and read chinadaily, it's the same technique over and over again, everyday. At anyrate, the topic is inherently comparative (BJ is the only next SV!), and no, it really isn't. Maybe you can just brush it off to "BJ isn't SV because they aren't doing it like SV", but even then, al, the criticisms are valid and, if improved, could make the city much better irrespective of any comparison. I guess then that is also it: they seem to be really good, the pollution hasn't caused an economic implosion yet, people are somehow still alive, and someone is willing to spend 1 million $s on that bland 90 sqm apartment. It's like 2006, my friends are laughing at me because I'm saying real estate is definitely in a bubble to the retort "if it's a bubble why hasn't it popped yet?". The companies are completely protected, yet China keeps wanting more access into our markets, and we give it to them. Truth is, reform is all to China's benefit, while the west benefits greatly from the messed up status quo where China strives to be involved in global high value work but fails, and still derives most of their income from low value production, basically destroying their environment for our benefit.

by Hondor 10y ago

seanmcdirmid 10y ago

This is how the Chinese press takes criticism: be insecure, claim it is an instruction to do things like the west, be like the west, then handle the criticism with some convenient what-about-isms. Everytime I go and read chinadaily, it's the same technique over and over again, everyday. At anyrate, the topic is inherently comparative (BJ is the only next SV!), and no, it really isn't. Maybe you can just brush it off to "BJ isn't SV because they aren't doing it like SV", but even then, al, the criticisms are valid and, if improved, could make the city much better irrespective of any comparison. I guess then that is also it: they seem to be really good, the pollution hasn't caused an economic implosion yet, people are somehow still alive, and someone is willing to spend 1 million $s on that bland 90 sqm apartment. It's like 2006, my friends are laughing at me because I'm saying real estate is definitely in a bubble to the retort "if it's a bubble why hasn't it popped yet?". The companies are completely protected, yet China keeps wanting more access into our markets, and we give it to them. Truth is, reform is all to China's benefit, while the west benefits greatly from the messed up status quo where China strives to be involved in global high value work but fails, and still derives most of their income from low value production, basically destroying their environment for our benefit.