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A new book looks behind Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign

economist.com

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Re: A new book looks behind Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign

#21

Post by frogcoder »

phyrex wrote: post #4
seibelj wrote: post #3

This is so incredibly obvious it’s amazing that anyone would think otherwise. Say what you want about western government but I’d much rather anger the US government as a US citizen than anger the Chinese government as a Chinese citizen. In China I’d be extremely concerned about my family arrested, arbitrary trials, forced medication with debilitating drugs, bullet in my head, etc. In America we may let the Sacklers b…

Tell that to Snowden and the other whistle blowers

Are the families, friends and supporters of Snowden constantly harassed or threatened by the US government?

Re: A new book looks behind Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign

#22

Post by piiswrong »

rosege wrote: post #8
phyrex wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tell that to Snowden and the other whistle blowers

Yes I was thinking Assange might disagree. He's probably a better example since he was only a publisher of US war crimes.

Epstein would be a better comparison

Re: A new book looks behind Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign

#23

Post by fidesomnes »

seibelj wrote: post #6
phyrex wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tell that to Snowden and the other whistle blowers

In America we have people like Snowden, and other political prisoners like Ross Ulbricht. However reasonable people can debate about what they did. I would say both deserve to be free. In China the rule is Snowden. Everyone becomes Snowden if you speak any truth whatsoever to power.

Ross Ulbricht is not a political prisoner and he would have been deleted by the Chinese by now.

Re: A new book looks behind Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign

#24

Post by sydthrowaway »

systemvoltage wrote: post #17
sydthrowaway wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You will never have a Chinese Snowden. The loyalty to the regime is too high.

Why do you think loyalty is too high? I would have guessed just from the sheer number of people working in gov, there are probably dozens of resentful people of not hundreds/thousands.

Because China practices kin punishment. Do you want to see your entire family killed/purged just because of your ideology?

Re: A new book looks behind Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign

#25

Post by FpUser »

seibelj wrote: post #3

This is so incredibly obvious it’s amazing that anyone would think otherwise. Say what you want about western government but I’d much rather anger the US government as a US citizen than anger the Chinese government as a Chinese citizen. In China I’d be extremely concerned about my family arrested, arbitrary trials, forced medication with debilitating drugs, bullet in my head, etc. In America we may let the Sacklers b…

This is what totally amazes me. Sure you are unlikely to get bullet in the head if you piss off US Government or one of their agencies. But many other options are open.

Government can completely ruin your life if they want to, especially if you are not rich and well connected. Why instead of being concerned with what is wrong in your own backyard would you console yourself that it is worse in China. You just play to the politicians who want to take your attention away from their own fuck ups by feeding you stories about what is happening elsewhere.

Personally I am way more concerned about totally fucked up things in my own country. For example things Civil Forfeiture laws (I am Canadian but when US sneezes we catch the cold). Or when Canada champions human rights by being about the only western democratic country in the world that allows indefinite detention of a person in max security prison without said person having committed or charged with any crime. Or our so called justice system in general when those who have money can have bail and decent defense while poor often lavish in detention and have to take plea deals. etc. etc.

Re: A new book looks behind Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign

#27

Post by jacob_rezi »

hildaman wrote: post #20

I read this book, it was truly jaw dropping to see the "Guanxi" system at work. From what I could tell, there is a whole system of unwritten rules about how different political factions could collect their "percentage", how these factions compete with each other and eliminate each other and so on. In a way, it is efficient because everyone who matters (i.e. princelings who control the CCP) has an incentive to "play t…

Where can I purchase the book?

Re: A new book looks behind Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign

#28

Post by onionisafruit »

yellow_lead wrote: post #15
Kibae wrote: post #5

Archive Version: https://web.archive.org/web/20210912041701/https://www.econo...

The archived version doesn't seem to have the paywall removed either. Anyone have another link? Edit- see one above

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.economist.com%2Fch...

Re: A new book looks behind Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign

#29

Post by seibelj »

FpUser wrote: post #25
seibelj wrote: post #3

This is so incredibly obvious it’s amazing that anyone would think otherwise. Say what you want about western government but I’d much rather anger the US government as a US citizen than anger the Chinese government as a Chinese citizen. In China I’d be extremely concerned about my family arrested, arbitrary trials, forced medication with debilitating drugs, bullet in my head, etc. In America we may let the Sacklers b…

This is what totally amazes me. Sure you are unlikely to get bullet in the head if you piss off US Government or one of their agencies. But many other options are open. Government can completely ruin your life if they want to, especially if you are not rich and well connected. Why instead of being concerned with what is wrong in your own backyard would you console yourself that it is worse in China. You just play to…

I agree with all those things. I am a libertarian and am deeply concerned about a lot of things. But at the core, western democracy is about freedom and it can be reformed. We have base principles that can be applied logically and appealed to rhetorically.

In China there is no logic, just corruption, power, and great men who tell those beneath them what to do unquestioningly. Many countries are like this - most countries - but only one authoritarian country is a superpower that could perhaps rival the US.

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