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Beijing is banning all foreign media from publishing online in China

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Re: Beijing is banning all foreign media from publishing online in China

#161

Post by hackuser »

SCAQTony wrote: post #36

I am not a sociologist, political scientist, or an economist. It appears that China is too big to govern and has become a diseconomy of scale. China has 160 cities with over 1-million people in them (US has 10 cities) and I think it's a miracle that the lights still work and they have running water. When you double the size of a plane it it becomes 4-times heavier (Observe what it takes to fly a B-52). The PRC seems…

> It appears that China is too big to govern

The population wasn't as big, but without modern technology the history of Chinese national governance is likely better than any other region in the world. From around 250 BC to 1911, the Chinese usually had effective national government which made China a world leader economically, culturally, and technologically.

(There are many caveats: 1) During that time there were periods of civil war and division also; 2) the geographical area defined as China varied quite a bit; 3) I use the word "usually", but I don't know the percentage of time stable, effective government was provided; certainly there were many successful emporers and dynasties.)

Re: Beijing is banning all foreign media from publishing online in China

#163

Post by Mikeb85 »

ktRolster wrote: post #145
Mikeb85 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People there are very unsatisfied with the government but they're also afraid of revolution. Sounds like the west. Yet we're too fat, lazy and complacent to do anything. Bernie and Trump are achieving some success because of this, but in the end Hillary will win (possibly through some sort of shenanigans), continue towards Obama and the establishment's police state, and once again the people will lose. It's funny h…

Assume there were a revolution in the US. What are the chances (after years of bloodshed) that we'd end up with something better? Who exactly, among the politicians and leaders, or anyone else for that matter, would you be willing to follow into battle? A revolution has a huge cost, it's not just a matter of fear.

You can ask that in any number of countries. Yet the US and Americans try convincing Ukraine, Libya, Syria, Russia, China, etc..., that they'd be better off overthrowing their leaders.

As for the US, they just need to 'open up' their political system. Maybe some sort of proportional representation to break the 2 party system. Eliminate lobbying, which is really just institutionalized bribery.

As it stands right now the US has 2 parties which are bought by the same corporate interests, the largest police state and prison system in the world, unrest and protests fairly often, in multiple cities, and so on.

For the record, I'm not advocating armed revolution, that usually ends up rather poorly. However the US needs to stay out of China's business, and let them sort it out, gradually, the way they do. The decision to ban foreign media isn't some sort of nefarious response to unrest, but rather a direct response to increased anti-China propaganda coming from the west.

Yet all throughout this thread there's tons of posts shitting on China for all sorts of reasons, when much of this can be seen through the lens of history and common sense.

Re: Beijing is banning all foreign media from publishing online in China

#164

Post by hackuser »

newjersey wrote: post #69
codeisawesome wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm based in India and you make me want to hide.

I don't think China has any intention of attacking and occupying India. I'm sure they are more than capable if they wanted to but there is just no incentive.

> I don't think China has any intention of attacking and occupying India. I'm sure they are more than capable if they wanted to but there is just no incentive.

They do not. Conquering and occupaying a country with the size, population, and nuclear weapons of India would be a massive undertaking, I think the largest such war in history. And remember that China would have to cross the Himalyas to reach India, maybe the most difficult geopolitical obstacle in the world. Finally, China is just developing its military and their capabilities are limited (but growing quickly); many experts believe Japan is more miilitarily capable than China, for example.

Re: Beijing is banning all foreign media from publishing online in China

#165

Post by Mikeb85 »

justinclift wrote: post #111
mavdi wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn't exclusive to China. Many western countries have followed suit.

References?

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/mcewen07.htm

The above is just an article published to a government website.

And of course in Canada there are limits to foreign ownership of media outlets (foreign ownership cannot be majority), as well as foreign content in media.

Re: Beijing is banning all foreign media from publishing online in China

#166

Post by snori74 »

rodgerd wrote: post #112
11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #2

This is pure insanity: "Quartz contacted the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology from Hong Kong asking for further clarification on how the rules would work, but the ministry said it could only reply to faxed questions that came from a reporter with a mainland press card."

The government censor in New Zealand wants web sites to submit their material, item by item, to the censor's office for approval. Australia and the UK already have firewalls that filter all Internet traffic which "my bad, so sorry" seem to keep "accidentally" including all sorts of sites their backing legislation doesn't justify (at least as far as anyone can tell - the Australian government list is confidential). Th…

Really? Perhaps you could enlighten those of us that live there and have not noticed this. There is a widely used block on CP sites: https://www.dia.govt.nz/Censorship-DCEFS - but that's a very different thing.

Re: Beijing is banning all foreign media from publishing online in China

#167

Post by apsurd »

datburg wrote: post #153
Outdoorsman wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"selective enforcement" is an interesting concept... I have a neighbor (lives across the lake from me) who is a retired police officer...23 years on the job... I asked him once if there was any truth to the rumor that traffic cops had to meet a quota... He said, "Not in so many words...every now and then the Captain, during the shift briefing would say, "Boys, I need to see some paper" and we all knew what he meant."

Selective enforcement has a very different meaning in my country. I mean they force us to pay debilitating bills for electricity but they don't care that 11 years ago's 24/7 availability is now as random as rolling dice. We have to pay taxes for the city when we have been suffering of garbage filling our roads, only to end with them to recollect the waste and throw it in our city historic river. They patch things jus…

where do you live?

Re: Beijing is banning all foreign media from publishing online in China

#168

Post by effie »

gohrt wrote: post #157
sharetea wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

echoing what vpalan2 said below: "If I wanted to do massive, irreparable harm to China, this is the law I would pass. And yet, they have done this willingly to themselves, without hesitation or incident." These aren't the smart engineering politicians with a 10 year view China has foisted its fable onto the world. These are the corrupt paranoid politicians who know they are one mass protest away from having all their…

It's absurd for Chinese government to call itself Communist whilst its leaders have such immense personal wealth publicly visible.

In the original sense of the word, yes. The sense has evolved with the self-described communists though...

Re: Beijing is banning all foreign media from publishing online in China

#169

Post by ferentchak »

dageshi wrote: post #13

Sounds like the normal thing in China. Make something illegal, don't enforce it, if someone's saying something you don't like then enforce it specifically against them, keeps everyone else in line.

It's the normal thing to do in the States too.

Quote stolen from another thread:

"Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We want them broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against - then you'll know that this is not the age of beautiful gestures. We're after power and we mean it. You fellows were pikers, but we know the real trick, and you'd better get wise to it. There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one 'makes' them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted-and you create a nation of law-breakers and then you cash in on the guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Rearden, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with." --Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

Re: Beijing is banning all foreign media from publishing online in China

#170

Post by xenihn »

abecode wrote: post #86
est wrote: post #20

please note this also includes online gaming. Blizzard, Valve and Steam would be in some trouble

How about Riot games, which is based in the US but owned by Tencent, a Chinese company, and played significantly in China?

I'd suspect LOL no longer counts as foreign media...
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