In every conversation, forum or western think tank talks, this question would pop up. What is the intention of China's growing economic and military power? What a stupid question to ask. The Americans and the West are getting stupid but they should not think the Chinese are stupid. What kind of answer are they expecting from the Chinese? What would they think they would do or intend to do if they were in the position of China?
The only sensible western academic that has some sense of propriety and reasoning is Hugh White. His answer was simple commonsensical. When one is rich and powerful, one would just be rich and powerful just like the Americans. Are these westerners and Americans still believe that China would live in a world created and dominated by the West for the last two hundred years and continue to be subject to the rules of the West and the existing balance of power?
For more than two hundred years since the invading hordes of European colonialists went about conquering and colonising the rest of the world, the balance of power is such that they should be holding all the powers in the world and the rest of the world must be subject to their power. They would want to possess all the weapons of mass destruction and no one else should have them, and if anyone else has them, the West or the Americans must have 99 pieces while the other one can only have one. And every piece of the American or western weapon is to be bigger than the one possess by the other one. This is the balance of power for the last two hundred years. The Israel is trying to impose this formula on the Arab/Muslim countries as well.
Any country that want to have more than one weapon, even two or three, is immediately branded and demonises as aggressive, unconstructive and destructive, and not playing by the international rule they created. The Americans can have all the military bases around China, fly and sail their military craft on the coast of China, and this is the norm. The American Carrier Battle Group can sail freely in the seven seas to challenge and threaten any country, including China. China cannot fly or sail its military craft out of China or the seas around China. China cannot have military bases outside China. Doing so would be an aggressive and provocative act. China having anti carrier missiles to deny American CBGs from threatening China is accused of being an aggressive act. The Americans sailing CBGs to the Taiwan Straits to intimidate China is not aggressive? The bombing of Chinese Embassy in Belgrade is not aggressive? The rapes of Iraq and Libya and Syria are not aggressive?
The Americans can build military fortresses in the Indian and Pacific Ocean filled with nuclear weapons and WMD and not aggressive. The Americans proliferating nuclear weapons all over Europe and Asia not aggressive? China cannot have a few aircraft or naval ships in its islands in the South China Sea. This is provocative, expansionist, aggressive act that upsets the balance of power?
What is China's intent in doing all these? Do the Americans and the West believe that China, with all its economic clout and military might, would continue to be holed within its land and sea boundaries and allow the Americans to have free play around its borders, flaunting their military prowess and might?
Do the Americans and the West really believe the Chinese are so daft that after being invaded, their country looted and plundered during a time of weakness, would accept the same status quo imposed on them by the colonial and imperial powers of the West then and today?
China may not want to be like the colonial West or Imperial Americans, to want to control and dominate the world militarily. The least China would want to do is to look at the Americans straight in the eyes and to tell the Americans to back off and not to cross the path of China in its economic development and growth and in building its military power to defend itself. The least that China would want to do is to stop the Americans from telling and coercing them in whatever they are doing. China would want to be an equal member in the community of nations and would not allow the Americans or the West to dictate what China can or cannot do.
The balance of power would be 50:50 and no longer 90:10 in favour of the Americans and the West. If the Americans can have 11 CBGs, can have 1000 military bases all over the world, China would also want to have the same if their economic and military strength allowed them to do so, not that they would go that way. China did not have the ambition to be an Empire and need all the military bases and CBGs to protect the Empire, to bully the world and to rule the world. China just want to be a rich and powerful nation, to chart its own destiny for the prosperity of its people and perhaps also for the prosperity of the rest of the world, without being a military Empire.
Did I answer the stupid question being asked by the West and the Americans? Or are they hoping that the bankrupt West would continue to dictate the terms of international relations in their favour when China is strong enough to say No to them, that China must continue to be push around by the West, by the Americans?
1/08/2018
1/07/2018
HDB/CPF transaction – Dead man is alive
I am wondering if this is a good analogy of the transaction involving
the purchase of a HDB flat using CPF money. Many would believe that once
the purchase is fully paid up, by cash or CPF money, the deal is done,
the end of the story. In reality the purchase of a HDB flat using CPF
money, even when fully paid, is like a man suffering from cancer. The
‘dead’ man may not be walking around, but inside him the cancerous cells
are fully alive and kicking, non stop. Even if the man drops dead, the
cancerous cells continues to multiply until the body is burnt or rotted
away.
Many would thought they would have peace of mind once they have fully paid for the property even with CPF money. If it is cash, the transaction is done and everything ends. Once CPF money is involved, the whole deal is alive and kicking, because someone said the CPF money is not yours. There are two parts to this deal that will continue to be alive like the living dead. One part is the financial obligation owed to the HDB that could be changed over time. The second part is the interest owing to the CPF money which is rightly your money, but to some not your money.
In the case of the HDB part, when you sell the property, the HDB has the right to impose a levy on your capital gain. Who owns the property? And when you resell the HDB flat, you would have to pay up, to the HDB, a percentage of the sale price as levy. It is your property, you pay property taxes, but HDB is sitting there waiting to rob you of your capital gain as if it is a passive owner of your HDB flat. Clever or sneaky, up to you to call it. In the case of a really private property, you sell and get back whatever is the transacted price.
The CPF part is that though the money is yours, though the purchase is fully completed, the CPF is still counting the interest on the CPF money you used for the property. There is no such thing as a done deal. The CPF interest is forever kept alive, like cancerous cells. Some were so intrigue by this ridiculous thing of paying interest on using your savings to buy properties. When you sell the property, the interest would be computed, back dated to the day you buy the property with the CPF money. Clever or sneaky, say what you like.
It is as good as dead man alive. When one takes a bank loan to pay for a property, this transaction is fully closed. The part that is alive is the repayment of the loan taken from the bank. When using your CPF, you will still be owing interest to your own money you withdraw from the CPF. You borrow from yourself to pay for a property and you owe interest to your own money. If you die without selling the property, I dunno whether the CPF would insist on your beneficially to pay for the interest when they sell your property. Presumably they would not as you will be dead and gone.
Many would thought they would have peace of mind once they have fully paid for the property even with CPF money. If it is cash, the transaction is done and everything ends. Once CPF money is involved, the whole deal is alive and kicking, because someone said the CPF money is not yours. There are two parts to this deal that will continue to be alive like the living dead. One part is the financial obligation owed to the HDB that could be changed over time. The second part is the interest owing to the CPF money which is rightly your money, but to some not your money.
In the case of the HDB part, when you sell the property, the HDB has the right to impose a levy on your capital gain. Who owns the property? And when you resell the HDB flat, you would have to pay up, to the HDB, a percentage of the sale price as levy. It is your property, you pay property taxes, but HDB is sitting there waiting to rob you of your capital gain as if it is a passive owner of your HDB flat. Clever or sneaky, up to you to call it. In the case of a really private property, you sell and get back whatever is the transacted price.
The CPF part is that though the money is yours, though the purchase is fully completed, the CPF is still counting the interest on the CPF money you used for the property. There is no such thing as a done deal. The CPF interest is forever kept alive, like cancerous cells. Some were so intrigue by this ridiculous thing of paying interest on using your savings to buy properties. When you sell the property, the interest would be computed, back dated to the day you buy the property with the CPF money. Clever or sneaky, say what you like.
It is as good as dead man alive. When one takes a bank loan to pay for a property, this transaction is fully closed. The part that is alive is the repayment of the loan taken from the bank. When using your CPF, you will still be owing interest to your own money you withdraw from the CPF. You borrow from yourself to pay for a property and you owe interest to your own money. If you die without selling the property, I dunno whether the CPF would insist on your beneficially to pay for the interest when they sell your property. Presumably they would not as you will be dead and gone.
1/06/2018
Japan faces greatest danger since WW2?
This is what the lying Japanese PM is saying, that Japan is facing the
greatest danger since WW2. From who, from North Korea? When have the
North Koreans attacked or threatened to attack Japan? What did the North
Koreans do that is posing the greatest threat to Japan? Building and
testing their own weapons to protect themselves from the Americans
threat of an invasion is a threat to Japan?
Which country had invaded North Korea? Which country had colonized North Korea? Which country had turned Korean women into comfort women to satisfy the sexual lust of the Japanese soldiers? The country that invaded, colonized and ruled North Korea is crying out loud that North Korea is a threat. And it is using this very excuse to remilitarize Japan, the most cruel invader of Asia and South East Asia, today pretending to be angels and a nation of peace, a nation threatened, exactly like the Americans across the Pacific Ocean.
A peaceful nation does not need to armed itself like Japan today and wanting to have bigger armed forces when it is already the second biggest armed forces in Asia. The Japanese armed forces and military capability dwarfed what the North Koreans have. A peaceful nation does not need to rewrite its pacifist constitution so that it can go to war. The pacifist constitution is already good enough for Japan to go to war when attack. Who is going to attack Japan? It was the Japanese that were attacking everyone else in Asia, wanting to conquer Asia and the world.
The slimy Japanese is following the example of the evil empire, just find some excuses, or provoke another country and then demonise that country as the provocateur or aggressor, then invade. They still believe they could run wild in Korea, butchered the Koreans, turned them into slaves, their women into sex slaves.
The Americans have divulged their private discussion with the Japanese and revealed that the Japanese have plans to invade North Korea. So by keep harping on a foreign threat, Japan would have good reasons to attack and invade North Korea again. It would be nice to see how many Japanese big cities, including Tokyo, be flattened by the North Koreans just like how the Americans flattened them. It would be nice to see a few nuclear bombs in Japan, bigger and more powerful than the two dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
This is how mad the Japanese especially the likes of Abe are. The victim countries of WW2 have changed and are as strong if not stronger than the Japanese would want to believe. And the concentration of population in Japanese cities would mean the destruction would be of unacceptable proportion.
This is how devious the Japanese are, still thinking of going to war. A leopard would not change its spot. The ugly and hostile and aggressive Japanese are up to their nonsense again, to think of invading Korea and to colonise Korea, to have more Korean comfort women, to kick the Koreans around. It is a pity that the South Koreans have forgotten the Japanese colonisation and humiliation and would be on the side of the Japanese to kill their own brothers and sisters in the North.
Which country had invaded North Korea? Which country had colonized North Korea? Which country had turned Korean women into comfort women to satisfy the sexual lust of the Japanese soldiers? The country that invaded, colonized and ruled North Korea is crying out loud that North Korea is a threat. And it is using this very excuse to remilitarize Japan, the most cruel invader of Asia and South East Asia, today pretending to be angels and a nation of peace, a nation threatened, exactly like the Americans across the Pacific Ocean.
A peaceful nation does not need to armed itself like Japan today and wanting to have bigger armed forces when it is already the second biggest armed forces in Asia. The Japanese armed forces and military capability dwarfed what the North Koreans have. A peaceful nation does not need to rewrite its pacifist constitution so that it can go to war. The pacifist constitution is already good enough for Japan to go to war when attack. Who is going to attack Japan? It was the Japanese that were attacking everyone else in Asia, wanting to conquer Asia and the world.
The slimy Japanese is following the example of the evil empire, just find some excuses, or provoke another country and then demonise that country as the provocateur or aggressor, then invade. They still believe they could run wild in Korea, butchered the Koreans, turned them into slaves, their women into sex slaves.
The Americans have divulged their private discussion with the Japanese and revealed that the Japanese have plans to invade North Korea. So by keep harping on a foreign threat, Japan would have good reasons to attack and invade North Korea again. It would be nice to see how many Japanese big cities, including Tokyo, be flattened by the North Koreans just like how the Americans flattened them. It would be nice to see a few nuclear bombs in Japan, bigger and more powerful than the two dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
This is how mad the Japanese especially the likes of Abe are. The victim countries of WW2 have changed and are as strong if not stronger than the Japanese would want to believe. And the concentration of population in Japanese cities would mean the destruction would be of unacceptable proportion.
This is how devious the Japanese are, still thinking of going to war. A leopard would not change its spot. The ugly and hostile and aggressive Japanese are up to their nonsense again, to think of invading Korea and to colonise Korea, to have more Korean comfort women, to kick the Koreans around. It is a pity that the South Koreans have forgotten the Japanese colonisation and humiliation and would be on the side of the Japanese to kill their own brothers and sisters in the North.
1/05/2018
Daft complaining about not getting CPF savings back
There is another article posted in the TRE by a JW complaining that the
ever caring and kind hearted people in charge of the CPF are rationing
her withdrawal of her savings till the age of 95. And for so stretching
the time span, she is getting $16 a day for the next 30 years.
Here are some of her comments.
‘First excuse: “Increasing life expectancy ”. This is just a rubbish excuse not to return our sweat and blood savings and pretend to act as good guy to look after us till age of 95 (Of course there are people who can live up to this age but is rare). Even our SM don’t even live up to age of 95 despite of having the best medical team to attend to him. For me, an ordinary working class auntie, I might not even last for another 15 years with this kind of pathetic payout. Ridiculously, without knowing me or my medical condition, they can speculate I can last for another 30 years to receive the payouts. HaHa!
Second excuse: “Extra Interest”- another rubbish excuse. I have indicated many times that I am not interested in their extra interest. I might not be alive any more to enjoy. I am not begging for any handouts but only getting back my rightful savings which I had worked so hard for the past forty years. Initially we were being told that these savings will be released to us when we reached 55 years of age….
CPF Board has been very inconsiderate and very cruel in giving this kind of treatment to senior citizen. I am not sure whether I am the only unlucky one or there are other brothers and sisters in the same situation. We are the ones who had struggled very hard to build up today’s nation. Instead of showing appreciation, we are being treated like old dirt with such low respect. Where is justice?
I have copied my mails to the Labour Minister who oversee the CPF Board. As expected, the betterer guy is acting blind and deaf to my concerns. Lastly, I have to thank my MP’s effort who has helped me along.’
JW
She is asking for respect and justice! Did she really believe that she will get justice and respect at the way they held on to her savings and finding all kinds of reasons to delay returning to her? Did she not condone this act by voting for the people who made these rulings to be the govt? She should be very grateful and thankful that she had made the right choice. And yes, she is very grateful that her MP is trying to help and very helpful. See how daft it is? Who does she think the MP is working for and when come to the issue of the CPF, what is the stand of the MP, what did the MP voted for?
These daft deserved the govt they voted for. And they will keep voting for the same govt over and over again to show their appreciation. Maybe this is their way of showing how happy they are with the govt for caring for them and planning their retirement with their life savings. Why are they complaining when they voted for all these policies that are for their own good?
PS. Just accept the fact that CPF is not their money and everything will fall in place, and all will be fine.
Here are some of her comments.
‘First excuse: “Increasing life expectancy ”. This is just a rubbish excuse not to return our sweat and blood savings and pretend to act as good guy to look after us till age of 95 (Of course there are people who can live up to this age but is rare). Even our SM don’t even live up to age of 95 despite of having the best medical team to attend to him. For me, an ordinary working class auntie, I might not even last for another 15 years with this kind of pathetic payout. Ridiculously, without knowing me or my medical condition, they can speculate I can last for another 30 years to receive the payouts. HaHa!
Second excuse: “Extra Interest”- another rubbish excuse. I have indicated many times that I am not interested in their extra interest. I might not be alive any more to enjoy. I am not begging for any handouts but only getting back my rightful savings which I had worked so hard for the past forty years. Initially we were being told that these savings will be released to us when we reached 55 years of age….
CPF Board has been very inconsiderate and very cruel in giving this kind of treatment to senior citizen. I am not sure whether I am the only unlucky one or there are other brothers and sisters in the same situation. We are the ones who had struggled very hard to build up today’s nation. Instead of showing appreciation, we are being treated like old dirt with such low respect. Where is justice?
I have copied my mails to the Labour Minister who oversee the CPF Board. As expected, the betterer guy is acting blind and deaf to my concerns. Lastly, I have to thank my MP’s effort who has helped me along.’
JW
She is asking for respect and justice! Did she really believe that she will get justice and respect at the way they held on to her savings and finding all kinds of reasons to delay returning to her? Did she not condone this act by voting for the people who made these rulings to be the govt? She should be very grateful and thankful that she had made the right choice. And yes, she is very grateful that her MP is trying to help and very helpful. See how daft it is? Who does she think the MP is working for and when come to the issue of the CPF, what is the stand of the MP, what did the MP voted for?
These daft deserved the govt they voted for. And they will keep voting for the same govt over and over again to show their appreciation. Maybe this is their way of showing how happy they are with the govt for caring for them and planning their retirement with their life savings. Why are they complaining when they voted for all these policies that are for their own good?
PS. Just accept the fact that CPF is not their money and everything will fall in place, and all will be fine.
1/04/2018
Singapore China relations
Finally, after avoiding making any comments directly on the strained
relations between Singapore and China, Wang Gungwu, the Confucianist
gentleman, wrote a piece in the ST on 18 Dec highlighted the 4 major
events that were the roots of the problems. What he said were nothing
new but a repeat of everything that had been said about the tedious and
unnecessary souring of a relationship built and cultivated earnestly by
Lee Kuan Yew. Lee Kuan Yew must be turning in his grave seeing his good
work being dismantled and dumped as trash into the dustbin by silly
politicians with egos bigger than a coconut but intellect the size of a
pea.
With all the cock advice to put all the eggs in the American basket and thinking that it was alright to poke at the eyes of China and China would not dare to do anything, things finally came to a rude ending and Hsien Loong had no choice but to make a trip to Beijing in September to make amends. This was a serious effort at the highest level on the Singapore side and everyone hoped that relations would be back to normal. At least that was the picture painted by the Singapore side and the Singapore media. Sino Singapore relations are on the mend and everything will be warm and rosy going forward after Hsien Loong's return.
Even Wang Gungwu also has the same impression that things could only be better as the trip by Hsien Loong must have been made with great sincerity to bring relations to an even keel. Apparently from what I have observed, things are getting worst and not better. After relations had hit rock bottom, it could not return to normal just because Hsien Loong made that trip and had a meeting with Xi Jinping. The sincerity to improve relations must be seen to be so and Singapore would have to backup with more friendly gestures towards China. There were some signs of the media publishing more China friendly reports for a while, but somehow, the anti China articles kept coming in greater frequency as before. China could not fail to notice this lack of sincerity to get the relations back to normal, or the back to normal is to continue as before, with more anti China articles by silly academics and foreigners and dumb locals as the norm. Any China watcher could not miss the tone, nuances and the choice of articles and authors that are unfriendly to China being given greater exposure all over again.
Not only words but deeds would be telling of the state of Sino China relations. If my reading is correct, Singapore has taken a hardened path to move away from China and there is no turning back. The biggest pain in the arse in the geopolitical equation in the region is India, the pretentious superpower to be and its hostile and aggressive stance towards anything China. India has been flirting with the Americans, Japan and even Vietnam to be a spoiler in the region against China's interests. India had been involved in bi lateral and multi lateral war games with them around China’s coasts and the enemy is clear as daylight.
Though India is inconsequential to China, it is still an irritant and any country thinking that it was a good idea to invite the Indians to be more involved in the region cannot be seen as being innocent and naive and could not see the part India is playing against China. For Singapore to openly invite India to park its warships in Changi at a time like this is too obvious on the stand of Singapore and its relations with China. No amount of pleas of ignorance would be accepted and forgiven.
The trip by Hsien Loong to Beijing in September is as good as a bad dream, wasted, unnecessary and should not have taken. Singapore's relations with China is far from being on the mend and is fast deteriorating. Well, if that is the intent of Singapore, then there is nothing to cry about. It might as well go that way, quicker, faster and more direct. There is no need to wayang to pretend that Singapore desires to improve its relations with China.
Has Singapore decided to just do it and so be it? The new future of Singapore is to get closer with the pretentious power to be, India. As for the USA, Trump is unpredictable but would not turn away from American supremacy and primacy in this part of the world. In fact Trump has no interest in Singapore and probably Singapore has read this correctly and is not cosying up to Trump. Singapore would never receive the same kind of attention that Obama gave and Hsien Loong would never be able to have the same kind of rapport with Obama in Trump.
Looks like Singapore is going to put all its eggs in the Indian basket. This is my observation. Clever or muddy thinking?
With all the cock advice to put all the eggs in the American basket and thinking that it was alright to poke at the eyes of China and China would not dare to do anything, things finally came to a rude ending and Hsien Loong had no choice but to make a trip to Beijing in September to make amends. This was a serious effort at the highest level on the Singapore side and everyone hoped that relations would be back to normal. At least that was the picture painted by the Singapore side and the Singapore media. Sino Singapore relations are on the mend and everything will be warm and rosy going forward after Hsien Loong's return.
Even Wang Gungwu also has the same impression that things could only be better as the trip by Hsien Loong must have been made with great sincerity to bring relations to an even keel. Apparently from what I have observed, things are getting worst and not better. After relations had hit rock bottom, it could not return to normal just because Hsien Loong made that trip and had a meeting with Xi Jinping. The sincerity to improve relations must be seen to be so and Singapore would have to backup with more friendly gestures towards China. There were some signs of the media publishing more China friendly reports for a while, but somehow, the anti China articles kept coming in greater frequency as before. China could not fail to notice this lack of sincerity to get the relations back to normal, or the back to normal is to continue as before, with more anti China articles by silly academics and foreigners and dumb locals as the norm. Any China watcher could not miss the tone, nuances and the choice of articles and authors that are unfriendly to China being given greater exposure all over again.
Not only words but deeds would be telling of the state of Sino China relations. If my reading is correct, Singapore has taken a hardened path to move away from China and there is no turning back. The biggest pain in the arse in the geopolitical equation in the region is India, the pretentious superpower to be and its hostile and aggressive stance towards anything China. India has been flirting with the Americans, Japan and even Vietnam to be a spoiler in the region against China's interests. India had been involved in bi lateral and multi lateral war games with them around China’s coasts and the enemy is clear as daylight.
Though India is inconsequential to China, it is still an irritant and any country thinking that it was a good idea to invite the Indians to be more involved in the region cannot be seen as being innocent and naive and could not see the part India is playing against China. For Singapore to openly invite India to park its warships in Changi at a time like this is too obvious on the stand of Singapore and its relations with China. No amount of pleas of ignorance would be accepted and forgiven.
The trip by Hsien Loong to Beijing in September is as good as a bad dream, wasted, unnecessary and should not have taken. Singapore's relations with China is far from being on the mend and is fast deteriorating. Well, if that is the intent of Singapore, then there is nothing to cry about. It might as well go that way, quicker, faster and more direct. There is no need to wayang to pretend that Singapore desires to improve its relations with China.
Has Singapore decided to just do it and so be it? The new future of Singapore is to get closer with the pretentious power to be, India. As for the USA, Trump is unpredictable but would not turn away from American supremacy and primacy in this part of the world. In fact Trump has no interest in Singapore and probably Singapore has read this correctly and is not cosying up to Trump. Singapore would never receive the same kind of attention that Obama gave and Hsien Loong would never be able to have the same kind of rapport with Obama in Trump.
Looks like Singapore is going to put all its eggs in the Indian basket. This is my observation. Clever or muddy thinking?
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