China is spending billions on soft power • Hacker News Board

Re: China is spending billions on soft power

#91

Post by ralfd » Sun, Mar 26, 2017, 7:26 PM UTC

mazerackham wrote: post #49

leesalminen wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Case in point... that read like propaganda to me.

are you serious? It's crazy to see point blank the effects of western brainwashing on people. Open your eyes. What China is doing is nowhere close to colonization

Well, it is not colonization, as China doesn't build colonies in Africa.

But look at this photo in this article:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/batteries/c...

Imagine if that chinese guy in sun glasses and boots on the desk would be white. Would it look racist/imperialist/exploitive to you?

Re: China is spending billions on soft power

#92

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Mar 26, 2017, 7:30 PM UTC

Animats wrote: post #39

There's a soft power war going on in Asia. Korea has a major effort to make K-pop a major cultural influence. Korean drama has become an export. In response, Japan has the Cool Japan Fund [1], funded by the Government and some of the big banks. They now run the largest anime translation operation, and a large anime site, "daisuki.net". (Somebody should propose to the Cool Japan Fund that they do something to make Jap…

[deleted]

Re: China is spending billions on soft power

#93

Post by NotSammyHagar » Sun, Mar 26, 2017, 7:33 PM UTC

nacc wrote: post #81

I spent almost equal amount of my life in China / North America now, it's interesting to see and compare what one side think about the other. In north America, what I get is China is controlled by dictators. Life sucks over there because there is no freedom, a lot of corruption, no respect to rules, and is generally a chaotic mess. While in north America, democracy and freedom is wonderful, and everyone has the power…

Most of the Chinese people I know in the US are well educated programmers. They are not true believers in the Chinese Govt supremacy and wonderfulness. But then probably most people are not that well educated, just like the us. China is a large country and will have many diverse opinions, just like the US. I don't meet that many people in the us who are unthinking believers in the supremacy of our country or believe we are special and god loves us. But if you look at a trump rally, or listen to members of congress speak, its like they are from a different planet.

Re: China is spending billions on soft power

#94

Post by ralfd » Sun, Mar 26, 2017, 7:39 PM UTC

chillacy wrote: post #78

> Since 2004 China has established some 500 government-funded “Confucius Institutes” in 140 countries. These offer language classes, host dance troupes and teach Chinese cooking. Sounds like a state-run version of Alliance Française (which is a nonprofit). I think that'll be really cool: China has a really old history and culture (the latter part wrecked with the rise of communism). The only thing though is that Chin…

In the city Guangzhou there is a "Little Africa" of African immigrant workers. Though CNN has an article from last year, that they leave China again, as China has "hostile immigration policies, widespread racism, and at-once slowing and maturing economy":

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/26/asia/africans-leaving-guan...

> Over the past 18 months, although concrete numbers are hard to come by, hundreds -- perhaps even thousands -- of Africans are believed by locals and researchers to have exited Guangzhou.

Re: China is spending billions on soft power

#95

Post by CossieRay » Sun, Mar 26, 2017, 7:44 PM UTC

leesalminen wrote: post #73

mazerackham wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

are you serious? It's crazy to see point blank the effects of western brainwashing on people. Open your eyes. What China is doing is nowhere close to colonization

How would you characterize what's happening in Africa with regards to China? Am genuinely curious.

This is highly anecdotal and based on personal (and professional) experience here in Kenya. Though the Chinese have been present in the country for a while, their signature project was the Thika Superhighway (2009-2012). This captured the imagination of everyone from citizens to the government. Since then, virtually all the major infrastructure projects have been undertaken by Chinese contractors that have set camp in the country. Their model of financing (through grants and ‘cheap’ loans), designing and building has ensured Chinese firms have an upper hand compared to local contractors. This has pushed many local contractors out of business and consequently rendered majority of local young engineers highly unemployed. Generally, there is a quiet uneasiness with the dominance of the Chinese in the infrastructure arena but as it stands; they’re having a field day here in Kenya. I’m convinced this is playing out in many other African countries.

Re: China is spending billions on soft power

#96

Post by T-A » Sun, Mar 26, 2017, 8:04 PM UTC

kitschshrine wrote: post #26

so China is - lead by a billionnaire dictator and son of veteran communist party member, who has shown to purge his enemies, jail innocents/reporters without trial, disappear others. He oppresses the will of hong kongers to self govern, and acts like a crybaby whenever Taiwan, a self-governing democracy, does anything political - controlled by a "congress" of billionnaires, who work together to exploit workers for pe…

> 30% import tax

Where did that number come from? Going by this,

http://www.china-briefing.com/news/2016/12/06/import-export-...

I would expect the usual 10% for WTO members without other trade agreements. If you add the higher 17% VAT rate to that and round up, I guess you can sort of justify "30%", but that's misleading, since VAT applies to domestic companies too.

Re: China is spending billions on soft power

#97

Post by tehabe » Sun, Mar 26, 2017, 8:27 PM UTC

tinza123 wrote: post #90

tehabe wrote: post #28

It would be cheaper to open up the country, introduce a democratic system and actual human rights, and abolish the death penality. Make peace with Tibet, agree with Taiwan on a good neighborhood. Support a democratic change also in North Korea. These would actually make China a country I could support, but currently: no, thank you.

You don't know anything about the Chinese society, if a pure democratic system was introduced abruptly in China, do you honestly think the chaos it introduces among 1.3 billion people is a good thing? Regardless of if people actually like it. About Tibet, do you know anything other than several celebrities shouting out words they have no idea what so ever? Do you know they had slavery before the Chinese came in in th…

I guess, reading between the lines isn't your strong suit. I'm not talking about democracy tomorrow, I'm talking about a process of democratisation in China, they could start with Hong Kong and go on with abolishing the death penalty and stop censoring the media so much. That democracy don't happening over night should know everybody who is seeing what is currently happening in countries like Poland and Hungary.

Taiwan is a defacto independent country for 60+ years now and until the 1970s, the Republic of China was China. It is time that the relationship between those two countries find a way to recognize each other. West and East Germany reached this in the early 1970s, See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Treaty,_1972

Btw, the US opened itself to Cuba again. Way too late, way too slow. The embargo on Cuba did nothing against the regime. Embargos rarely work.

This isn't about if I like China or not. It was an idea how China could improve its imagine, by actually improving. Recently I heard Chinese scientists complaining, that the censorship in China is preventing research.

Re: China is spending billions on soft power

#98

Post by tehabe » Sun, Mar 26, 2017, 8:34 PM UTC

mazerackham wrote: post #54

tehabe wrote: post #28

It would be cheaper to open up the country, introduce a democratic system and actual human rights, and abolish the death penality. Make peace with Tibet, agree with Taiwan on a good neighborhood. Support a democratic change also in North Korea. These would actually make China a country I could support, but currently: no, thank you.

this is such a prototypical example of utter western bullshit. Likely near zero understanding of politics, just grew up with the words "democracy" being shoved into your ears repeatedly. Do you really believe that China's 1.3 billion people would be better off if the country just switched itself to American styled "democracy"? Look at who our democracy just elected.

I prefer a western democracy over an easter dictatorship any day.

And only because the US democracy is going the way of Poland and Hungary and it is close to fail in Turkey doesn't mean it will fail everywhere.

Taiwan has a democracy, South Korea just ousted their president because of allegation that she is corrupt.

Re: China is spending billions on soft power

#99

Post by gragas » Sun, Mar 26, 2017, 8:57 PM UTC

diego_moita wrote: post #84

gragas wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The most remembered phrase of the orange demagogue inaugural address was "America first, always" I feel very good putting America first. Countries that do not protect themselves are exploited and overrun. Always. It has always happened and it always will happen. Do you really think China has good intentions?

You didn't get my point. It isn't about countries caring or not for their interests, it is about how they sell their interest to others, how do you convince others to side with you. It is about your sales pitch as a country. Every empire pretends to be more than imperialism. Soft power comes from being convincing at it. No, China doesn't have good intentions, as much as the U.S., the British, the Ottomans, Spaniards,…

>If America explicitly gives up on even pretending to be good, what is the point of respecting America?

Putting your own needs first != bad. I greatly respect those who solve their own problems and have a sense of nationalism, rather than fleeing into other countries.

Re: China is spending billions on soft power

#100

Post by jansho » Sun, Mar 26, 2017, 8:57 PM UTC

Animats wrote: post #80

jansho wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I remember when Japan was hot (manga/anime) then it was S Korea (Haliu wave), at least in South East Asia. But the soft power war is not so clear cut though. Like Viki streams mostly K-dramas but it's owned by Japanese company Rakuten. China on the other hand is definitely playing that game. Like only last month they banned most imported children's picture books, especially from SK and Japan, and they've pumped…

China is getting better at this, but it's not going well. Too many Chinese movies are period pieces, fantasies, or are not set in China, because the censorship on present-day topics is strict. China's movie censorship is explicit; at the beginning of a movie you'll see the golden dragon logo of the censorship authority. This limits the topics of movies. There are feature films produced directly by the People's Libera…

Hmm. I know that propaganda and originality don't go well together, but strangely I've always felt that Chinese cinema got it right. I may be biased as I come from an Asian family. For sure they're different from Western cinema, most notably it's usually less cynical and multifaceted, and more linear and nationalistic. But there's such an adventurous spirit (those martial arts sequences help!) that I can look past all that. Perhaps because I'm Asian too, those anti-colonial sentiments are also more easily related.

But I don't know, maybe their creative machine really is running out of steam. I haven't really watch much recently (currently on a Scandi kick!) But I do recommend you to explore the classics like Once Upon a Time in China and Infernal Affairs.