China is about keeping the cost of everything down. The West is about selling more and more expensive goods

China is not like Japan or Germany, easily taken to the cleaners for trying to be better than the USA. That is the price to be paid if you depend too much on the market in the USA.

China has been able to learn some useful lessons from the humbling experience of the Japanese and Germans. Diverting and spreading out its eggs by not relying too heavily on the USA has been beneficial for China. China did not have to wait for the USA to give permission for it to progress, but just did it, not yesterday, but more than thirty years earlier, building bridges and increasing trade with countries all around the world, helping poor countries to rise to benefit China with a bigger market, securing raw materials it needs, building up its manufacturing base which have resulted in being able to produce goods cheaper than others to dominate markets it goes into.

China has now built up its fortress of independence in many sectors and powering ahead in its export sector and reaping record trade surpluses that unnerves the USA and the Europeans. In the process they are trying to curb the Chinese export juggernaut, even shamelessly asking China not to produce too much and allow them to keep up. Did the world ask the USA not to produce too many weapons for use against other countries or printing too much toilet papers? The USA just ignored what the rest of the world wanted and treating them as mere noises without caring two hoots. It is after all the sole superpower and can do what it wants and brushing aside what the rest of the world thinks. But others have to follow rules they set. That is the hypocrisy.


Anonymous

Marcos and the US have a common objective, to control the Philippines. The ICC is run by criminals controlled by the Americans

Half caste Philippines thinks it can behave like the Europeans, trying to punch above its weight. These rotten prawns do not realize their place in the world, thinking that just because the USA is behind them, they can sashay around like the real McCoys.

It is really mind boggling that the country can allow a disgraced family of crooks to return to the Philippines, after its patriarch, Ferdinand Marcos, stole so much wealth from the Philippines people, and yet be allowed to rule the country. The USA professed to hate dictators but continuously supported Ferdinand Marco's corrupted regime during his tenure as President from 1965 till 1986.

I do think that Bongbong Marcos was a stooge put into power by the USA, knowing that he could be controlled by the USA by holding him hostage with all the wealth still in the USA hands. That he is a puppet of the USA is no conspiracy theory, just hoping to do anything for the USA's interest in order to get his hands on the ill-gotten wealth of his father. Remember that the Pinoy voters were dirt poor and anything can be achieved through just a little fragrant grease, which the USA is well aware of.

To do that they had to demonize the rule of Rodrigo Duterte, painting him as a rogue leader trying to get rid of the drug cartel in the Philippines, a move deemed a violation of human rights. How about the USA using the military to target those Venezuelans accused of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea? Who is going to speak out for those killed by the USA? What is the ICC doing? It cannot just open and close its eyes as it deemed beneficial.


Anonymous

SIA, Singapore national carrier and one of the best in the world, caveat, how long it can remain so

 SIA is Singapore's pride, one of the most successful airline in the world. It has faced many crises but survived. It quickly rebounds from making losses to making profits and regularly rewards its shareholders and employees with good dividends and bonuses. The successes did not come easy. It is not just good reputation but good management, setting high standards of service, quality and safety records and many others. On its own, it is very unlikely that such a well managed airline would go under. It did faced an internal crisis in the 70s and LKY threatened to close it down. The troublemakers got the message and the airline returned to normal service. 

Success breeds success, but also breeds conceit. It is very tempting to keep on expanding, acquisition etc to increase revenue and profit. Nothing wrong with that. But the world is not Singapore. Singaporeans have this tendency to think the world is like Singapore, all decent and proper, plays by the rule, no cheating, no foul play. The way Singapore imports foreigners in the millions and fully trusts their credentials, papers and qualifications is bizarre. Singapore takes them at face value, with little checking or too difficult to verify, so never mind. If the foreigner can outtalk or outwit the Singaporean interviewers it is ok. Fake qualification or no qualification, can work good enough. Can you imagine with the millions of foreigners, many are fakes and cheats, Singapore could hardly fish out the cheats and fakes. But I digress.

SIA has a record of mergers and acquisition, buying up poorly run and money losing airlines. This is not a bad thing, a common thing by corporations seeking to spread their wings. With SIA's good management practices and standards, it should be easy to revamp the operation and services of the new acquisition and turn them around to become better managed and profitable businesses. 

In reality this is not that simple, not always the case. Things are not that simplistic. The culture and politics of the acquisition could be very messy and beyond control. If SIA has no ability to take full control of the management, to run the new acquisition into another little SIA without interference, it is better to play safe and avoid the risk. Remember, SIA is public money and have to be careful with how money is invested, and has to answer not only to the shareholders, but to the employees and the govt. SIA is best to play it safe in M and A.

Some countries are very good in playing dirty, attract investments and then run down the corporation and making big losses, and demand the investors to pick up the tab, pay for the losses. Paper gains or losses are very easy to cook. They make money from stupid investors by raping the investors. And if the stupid investors refuse to pay up, they will sell off the corporation to their left hand with big losses to wipe out the investors. Either way, stupid investors will lose and lose and eventually becoming an ATM without being wiser.

The world is not as clean, decent and proper like sanitised Singapore when management is above board and operates under proper rules and regulations. Many countries make easy money by cheating and raping their stupid investors. And suckers are born every day, and thinking they are not suckers. Period.

Lebanon is the next Gaza, day by day, piece by piece, under the white men's rules based order

BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Saksakiyeh killed at least seven people, including a child, and wounded 15 on Saturday (May 9), Lebanon's health ministry said.

The Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah militants in the town, accusing them of planning attacks against Israeli soldiers.  CNA

Anyone hoping that the Israelis would stop killing Arabs and Muslims, and Iranians, must soak his head in the toilet bowl for a good wash. Netanyahu just announced that the war is not over. The arrogant Israeli terrorists are very clear in what they want...kill the Arabs and Muslims and takeover their lands.

Poor Palestinians are about to be wiped out, being neglected and rejected by the whole world with no one to turn to except the Hezbollah, Hamas and Houthis, and Iran. Every Palestinian in Gaza and the West Bank are waiting to be terminated, and it would not be long. UN and other international agencies are too busy with the superficial things that would not annoy the Americans and the Israelis. 

Now the Israelis are turning fully at Lebanon, to repeat what they had done in Gaza. And similarly, the Lebanese are being bombed and killed daily. Did anyone in the kind and compassionate West bothers to say anything? Did the American terrorists, the champion of human rights and protection of the weak Muslims bother to say anything, do anything? Did any country bother to open their big mouth to speak for the Lebanese or to condemn the genocide happening in Lebanon?

The bottom line, who cares? If the murderers are the American and Israeli terrorists, who dares to speak out to offend their masters? Even the Arabs and Muslims are too busy cozying up to the Americans and the Israelis. Where got time for their brothers and sisters in Gaza, Palestine and Lebanon. The Palestinians and Lebanese should be thankful that the Arab and Muslim states did not join the American and Israeli terrorists in the genocide. UAE is starting to join the American and Israeli terrorists to kill Iranians.

What happens to democrazy, human rights, protection of Muslim minorities....?

Venezuela is a good example of traitors selling out their country

 Venezuela's interim Government had already given the country to the USA on a platter by betraying Maduro and I am hardly surprised. The interim Government of Venezuela can try to put on a good show, but I am not convinced and I am sure many others too. When traitors are conniving with the enemy, it is very difficult to do anything. The saying that it is more difficult to counter a thief in the house than one from the outside is absolutely true!

Xi had been very astute in getting rid of those he could not trust and who can blame him for being too careful. We know that white ants are not ants but termites hiding among the woodwork and can take down the whole country if they are allowed to destroy the foundation. You cannot see them openly, hidden from sight, but they are doing very destructive work that you are not even aware of. Oh yes, the USA and the West will chant that the Chinese Communist Party is very cruel and wicked for not allowing the termites to destroy the country. And the doggies will follow up by singing the chorus.

I am beginning to think that George Orwell, who wrote Animal Farm, to use satire to vaguely criticize the Soviet Union's communist regime, did not foresee that what is happening with democratic USA is the exact mirror of what he tried to tell us about the Soviets. The Ruling Elites (The Pigs) in the so-called Democratic Government of USA had been brainwashing the population (the other animals) by chanting the twisted propaganda - two legs bad (represented by China) and four legs good (representing the USA) and the people had been totally brainwashed into believing in the propaganda.

Thankfully, some USA people, living in, working in and travelling to China have managed to destroy the propaganda of the USA and the world can now see the hypocrisy of the USA, after having taken off their tinted lenses and discarded their prevalent view of China.

Anonymous