Iran and the Houthis have proven the Americans are unable to control chokepoints, not even the Straits of Malacca

The more they try using blockades, the more they are going to shoot their own feet. China is weaning itself away from depending too entirely on the Straits of Malacca chokepoint for decades now.

The Suez Canal is no longer as beneficial being used as a chokepoint with the Houthis controlling the Bab Al-Mandab. Even without controlling the passage directly, the Houthis can just sit around lobbing drones and missiles from Yemen and entry to the Suez becomes a gamble to take and shipowners and insurers will know what to do.

Now, the Panama Canal is dying as well, with climate change depriving it of fresh water for raising ships transversing. In fact, traffic has already dropped massively over the last two years. I believe other South American countries are exploring building alternatives to the Panama with Chinese backing.

So, the USA is now using allies to blockade China's trade routes. But China is now building new trade routes, not through USA allies, but through neutral countries and countries having bones to pick with the USA. The fact that these countries are benefiting from such route diversion is a bonus for them. Why should they not welcome new trade opportunities offered by such infrastructures?


Anonymous

How long will Starbucks survive in China?

In China, Starbucks had a rule that outside food is not allowed, even if one had ordered a cup of coffee. A controversy has erupted over a Chinese customer eating food bought from outside and being told to eat outside the outlet. The irony was it was another Chinese Starbuck employee admonishing the Chinese customer in front of everyone.

This has created an uproar among Chinese netizens on social media, with one netizen accusing Starbucks of double standards. He said that he had seen White customers munching on Macdonald burgers without being told to eat outside at other outlets. And there were others who also witnessed the same thing in other Starbuck outlets. What is worse was that Chinese Starbuck employees just turned a blind eye as far as White customers breaking the rules are concerned, but unforgiving toward their own kind. This is sick.

Starbuck now has a new rule that says - Order your food before sitting down. Ever wonder why Starbuck is losing customers in China to Luckin Coffee and other Chinese brands? There is a saying that you do not mess with customers in China and India if you want to do business in their country.


Anonymous

China is now ahead of America. To the sillies that said China but...

 

22 min clip telling the unpleasant to the ears of the Anglophiles that are still worshipping their white gods. China is now ahead of America in 66 of 74 leading technologies, not about making a better plate of chicken rice or a cup of teh tarik, China is producing more than 70,000 Ph Ds in STEM fields annually.

What are the implications of these numbers for the world of science and technology going forward? China is not trying to win a few more Michelin stars or getting into the Guinness Book of records.

China in decline, China collapsing? No, China is accelerating.

China's saving per household is about 40%. Assuming there is 400m households and each household has a saving of US$10,000, that would mean US$4,000,000,000,000 or 4 trillion savings conservatively, adding to China's national reserves. The Americans want the Chinese to spend and spend, the Chinese said, no, we are saving and saving more, no need state welfare or pension funds. This is financial security. 

China still has pension funds and cheap universal medical and healthcare. Free education up to secondary level and cheap university education relative to the West.

India crying that China is sabotaging their EV battery and solar panel industries...really?

 China does not care what is India doing or thinking. For the next 50 years, India will not appear in China's rear mirror. India is inconsequential in Chinese global strategies. When Indian economy is half of China's, maybe China will still to take notice. For now, for a long while to come, India is not in the face of China. Who cares about India?

China is fighting an existential war with the Americans. The Americans are going all out to put down China, throwing everything in China's way and trying to break China's legs and killing China if they can. This is the real preoccupation of China. Everything the Chinese is doing is to defend their national interests, in retaliation to the American sanctions, bans and sabotage. India? What India?

The Chinese sanctions, restrictions and licensing on exporting rare earths, high tech processes, keeping technologies closed to their chests, are not just commercial necessities but to keep them away from the Americans. If there is no tech war with the Americans, the Chinese will still be happily selling rare earths to everyone in the whole world, sharing more technologies, transferring more technologies as they upgrade and move on to new industries. But because of the pressure being put on China by the Americans, the Chinese cannot be that stupid not to protect their own national interests. 

Chinese technologies in solar panels, EVs etc are gained from heavy investments in these areas. Commercially they would want to protect them and make profits from them, just like American high end chips. The Americans refused even to sell the high end chips to China to stop China from progressing and competing. And what did China do? China did not cry foul. China tightens its belt, sit up and say, we will find out own ways. China did not stop selling solar panels to India or EV batteries to India. China is selling them, unlike the American ban of Nvidia high end chips and EUV machine to China. India can buy all the solar panels and EV batteries from China as finished products. China only guards the manufacturing processes. This is all commercial and everyone is doing the same.

India crying foul that China is sabotaging their aspirations to build their own solar panel and EV batteries! How so? China is not tying India's hands and legs to develop their own technologies as best they can. Stop crying like a silly boy for failing the exam. Work hard, try harder. No country or company is going to hand their technologies on a silver platter to India for free. Did Japan offer their high speed train technology to India? Did America offer their jet engines and F35s to India? The Americans and Japanese are India's good friends, allies. But they will not give anything of value to India, not even selling them the finished products. No aircraft engines for the Tejas, maybe old or obsolete engines. Oops, 6 delivered, 2 crashed, from an order of more than 100 after several years of waiting. Definitely no F35s. 

Why don't the Indians cry to Washington that they are sabotaging their ambition to build their own fighter jets? Why don't the Indians complain that Trump is stopping Indians from entering USA and undermining Indian's American Dream?

Stupid Chinamen think the Poles can be friends by offering a few drumsticks and chicken wings...even a whole chicken will not make them like Chinese

I read that Shein is investing 500 million Euros in Poland, which really puzzles me. Why choose Poland now when it is in the bad books of China?

Poland has enacted measures to cut off Chinese rail links to Europe running through its territory from Belarus, citing security reasons. In September 2025, 300 Chinese trains were left stranded trying to cross through Poland. Although the crossings have later been reported being lifted, the damage is already done.

China has already done serious work on three other alternative routes to cut off train services going through Poland. The reason is obvious. China cannot depend on Poland after having been given a taste of what the Poles will do when pressured by USA and Nato Europe. This is what China can do to counter and will do. The Chinese are pragmatic and will find alternatives even before the shit hits the fan, which it thinks is unavoidable. Poland, like Lithuania will suffer the consequences with slow strangulation by China. Trade with Poland will shrink. China is an important trading partner for Poland outside of Europe.

China has now launched three alternative corridors - the first being the Arctic route, even though not operational throughout the year. The second is the Trans-Caspian route through Kazakhstan, crosses the Caspian Sea, goes through Azerbaijan, then Georgia and Turkey before reaching Europe. The third corridor is the Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan railway now under construction.

China's plan is all long term, while countries like Netherlands, Lithuania and Poland are betting on short term attempts to derail China. They are finding out their mistake the hard way. When China decides to leave or cut off links, it is terminal. No going back and no mending of ties already broken.

As some people say, do not mess with China. This is not the era of the opium war, or the eight nations period with attempts to divide up China.


Anonymous