Comments by "Alan Friesen" (@alanfriesen9837) on "South China Morning Post" channel.

  1.  @condorX2  It looks like there is a definite generational divide.
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  2. Just out of curiosity, what would it take to convince you otherwise?
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  3. Taiwan is more like a body part.
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  4.  Follower of Christ777  Trump is everyone's enemy, even those who think he's their hero.
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  5.  @leethal59  At some point Hong Kong is going to become the Banking District of Shenzhen. Once the One Country-Two Systems policy sunsets then Hong Kong can properly integrate and the people of Hong Kong won't be trapped in their little enclave.
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  6.  @litchi4507  Hong Kong isn't a Chinese territory, it's a Chinese city—with a complicated history.
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  7.  Dark of the knight  Over the last decade (and more) the CCP has proven itself to be much more of a solution than a problem.
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  8.  @angphilipian3921  There's no credible evidence that China is engaged in ethnic cleansing. Of course, you believe what you want to believe.
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  9.  @8964Louis  My understanding is that kidnapping is a capital offense in China.
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  10.  @Jumptohistory  "But I don't think your argument is going to stop the world from sympathizing the Taiwanese." The "world", or at least the more meddlesome parts of it, will sympathize with Taiwan the same way they sympathize with Tibet and Xinjiang, with essentially the same results. China will be annoyed but not the least bit deterred.
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  11.  ilgamesh  One billion Chinese see it as a civil war. To them this is unfinished business, and a scar on their soul. That's not going to change until Taiwan is back under the control of the central government.
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  12. If he was working for the NED instead of the people of Cambodia then the arrest may be warranted.
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  13. Actually, this is the lead up to rice being grown on the moon.
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  14.  @atlanticatracking7286  "And before you go say that Tibet is part of China, don't. Tibet is a country." Whether that's true or not, it's still part of China.
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  15.  @yoshi7390  China was much weaker (and Britain much stronger) when that agreement was made. Perhaps China should honor the 50-year commitment, but they no longer have to.
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  16.  Young Tang  You may make an argument that Hong Kongers for independence and freedom, but that act will in no way maintain and secure the future of peace and prosperity for Hong Kong. In fact, the results will be quite the opposite.
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  17. No killing, no disease, no theft of land, maybe some forced education to a small percentage of the population. Troubling? perhaps. I'd hardly call it genocide.
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  18. What kind of action do you think could resolve the situation at this point? I'm seriously asking, not trying to dismiss you.
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  19.  @Harthorn  Not uncommon in history.
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  20.  @guodunniu  His best future is to go back and face justice and just move on from there. But that's really a hard decision to make knowing how painful justice can be. Fortunately he's only thirty and not fifty and he has time to have a life afterwards.
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  21. They're engineers.
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  22.  @chonghauhan  I have massive respect for engineers. I'm just teasing 'em for being nerds. Of course they're highly successful as a career group and consequently highly desirable as mates. But I'm not going to tell them that. Their heads are big enough as it is.
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  23.  @ebonymaw8457  You have way to much confidence in our allies, but then again, the pretense was pretty absurd.
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  24.  @ebonymaw8457  The United States is stronger than either China or Russia, but our allies are not. In a genuine war setting Russia would have more war fighting capacity than any single country except for the United States and China. Europe might have a comparable war fighting capacity, but they'd have to come together in a way that they aren't now. It's not just about the economy. In a full on war money can be disregarded and Russia has one of the best situations for doing just that. What matters in the long run are human capital, industrial capacity and raw materials. Iran is weak when compared to the other world powers (USA, China, Russia, Europe), but they are not weaker than their neighbors. None of these countries (or Europe) are going to lose in their own backyard, much less in their own territory, the terrain advantage is too strong, unless two or more world powers gang up on them alone. Non world powers would play an appreciated but insignificant role.
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  25.  @ebonymaw8457  "There's just no way NATO's coming down from the outside my guy. Not in any conventional war anyway..." 100% agree with that statement. NATO is composed of two global powers and Britain, Canada, and Turkey. Russia is one global power and nobody. If Russia tries to invade NATO, they will lose. The question is, could NATO invade Russia. I think the answer is yes, if they act in concert, because two global powers is greater than one global power. But if we're just talking about Europe, or just the United States, then I think the answer is no. Iran is definitely stronger than Saudi Arabia. Turkey is a harder call. Turkey is definitely stronger as part of NATO, but I think by itself that it's probably pretty close. Turkey has some better hardware, but Iran is less dependent on allies and it has more people. I don't think either could take the other in a fair fight. You are comparing "The West" to these individual countries and I think that that logic maybe losing its pertinence. NATO did not rally behind the United States in either Vietnam or Iraq. If the United States attacks somebody else, they will probably be on their own. The same is even more true of Turkey. Neither China, Russia, nor Iran are going to attack a NATO member unless they are attacked first, and all of them have particularly complex relations with Germany which complicates Europe's role in anything. I just don't see "The West" fighting a war in the future anymore.
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  26. The girl's injured eye is admittedly tragic and I hope she's recovering and I hope that permanent damage can eventually be healed (last I heard she lost the eye). Nonetheless, from my vantage point in the United States it looks like the struggle between the police and the protesters has been remarkably light on casualties considering both the numbers involved and the duration of protests. I think the protests are beginning to lose the overall support of the world's people. There's less coverage now than there has been and I think more people are seeing tear gas and dyed water compared to thrown bricks and home-made incendiaries and thinking that the protesters represent the more violent group. I think more people are sympathizing with the police force than before as they think of the tedium annoyance faced by the police. The fact that the police are Hong Kong police rather than PRC police or soldiers makes a lot of people view them as less villainous. Also, comparing the anti-China protesters to the pro-China protesters, one sees a distinct age difference. The anti-China protesters are masked and dressed in black like paramilitaries while the pro-China crowd looks like it's made up of middle-class office workers. Optics are definitely swinging away from the youth movement.
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  27.  @ayi3455  My interpretation of China's island building campaign is that they want to have reach deep into the South China Sea to control the trade routes and to be able to guarantee safe passage through the Straits of Malacca. I think they are trying to be cagey about their purposes, but I think resource acquisition is secondary.
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  28.  @ayi3455  Ulan Bator is the capital city of Mongolia. Mongolia is a recognized sovereign state. On this I think we can agree. In the end it's probably not going to matter though. China will do what it feels is in their best interest weighing their political, economic and military strengths and weaknesses accordingly.
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  29.  @ayi3455  I'm afraid I don't understand. What's the Quad team?
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  30.  @kaybee65  Thanks for the info. I don't see Biden breaking that up. Neither party in the U.S. is comfortable with Chinese power, in no small part to Chinese actions and assertions mentioned earlier in the thread.
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  31.  @kaybee65  Yeah, I think you're right.
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  32.  Vladimir Putin  Only if they lose… maybe. That's why Taiwan hasn't been reincorporated yet, because victory is not yet certain.
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  33.  @samuellinchen5793  China's success has many fathers. Socialism is one, capitalism is another, history is a third. China has been well managed and it has taken advantage of its resources in recent decades. That's likely to continue for some time.
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  34.  @Harthorn  I disagree with your assessment of our future. This last election has given me a great deal of relief in this respect.
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  35. What did they say about Iran?
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  36.  @alfreddozier832  Right
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  37.  Follower of Christ777  That'll counter the brainwashed minds attacking them.
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  38. Perhaps the protesters should come up with a reasonable and realistic set of demands, negotiate, and quit moving the goalposts when the government agrees to one of their terms.
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  39. I hope Biden somehow sees this.
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  40. These Chinese sound very American. Way to cover the spectrum there.
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  41.  @Jumptohistory  That will be the end result.
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  42.  @sangwoo9686  Because the United States patrolled the straits enforcing separation in 1950.
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  43. I'm afraid actions have consequences. I hope he hasn't totally ruined his life.
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  44. Why is that?
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  45.  @SirBaited  That's not communism's fault.
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  46.  @ittastelikekool-aid7483  Do you have any proof for that assertion?
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  47.  @lynnji2260  Yeah, I'm not holding my breath, but it would be nice.
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  48. Apparently the official merchandise is made in California but there is some confusion as to the source of the materials.
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  49.  @Dididong11  For a lot of people the masks are troubling. It comes off as cowardly: willing to upset the apple cart but unwilling to pay the price for doing so. If there's more meaning to it please let me know.
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  50.  @Dididong11  I understand why they wear the masks. Part of a successful civil disobedience action is facing consequences defiantly. By wearing the masks the protesters are signifying that they don't care enough about their issue to advocate openly. I don't think I would necessarily be braver than they are, but when you compare them to the marchers at Selma or the followers of Ghandi these kids look, rightly or wrongly, both more thuggish and less ideologically committed.
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