Roland Boer's Blog, page 14

On retirement and other matters

A slightly more personal post than usual these days. A little over a week ago, I retired. It was an early retirement, since I am not quite yet 59, which is the average age of retirement age in Australia. I have worked for the last 11 years at the University of Newcastle in Australia, although … Continue reading On retirement and othermatters

Light from the east: red star over Christmas

I have always been intrigued by the biblical ‘light from the east’ that led the wise men in the traditional nativity scenes. Clearly, the East was seen as a place of wisdom and culture, and indeed stars. Obviously, this one is ripe for some communist symbolism, given that the red star is a very communist … Continue reading Light from the east: red star overChristmas

Model workers: Common people doing their jobs with devotion

China is witnessing the return of the old revolutionary idea of the model worker, reshaped for the modern era. These days, it is ordinary people doing extraordinary jobs. It might be a postman in Tibet, or a teacher in a remote village, or a university graduate who has gone to the countryside to upgrade farming … Continue reading Model workers: Common people doing their jobs withdevotion

What is the world’s second most popular destination for international students?

In 2018, 22 percent of global international students ended up in the United States, although this percentage has been in consistent decline over the last few years. In the same year, 10 percent of international students went to the UK and 10 percent to China. Yes indeed, China is now equal second as a favourite … Continue reading What is the world’s second most popular destination for internationalstudents?

Chinese speed: Get ready for Chinese naval superiority

They call it ‘Chinese speed’: a bridge built in 24 hours; a high-rise building in Shenzhen that had a new floor completed every 2 days; from a mobile network follower to the world’s 5G leader; a new aircraft carrier in 24 months … the list goes on and on. And this is not shoddy work, … Continue reading Chinese speed: Get ready for Chinese navalsuperiority

Interpreting phase one of the China-United States trade deal

Yesterday, Xinhua News carried an announcement that phase one of a trade deal between China and the United States has been agreed, subject to lrgal review, checking and translation. If you read the report, the initial impression might be that China has ceded more ground than the United States. While the latter agrees to stop … Continue reading Interpreting phase one of the China-United States tradedeal

A frightful hobgoblin …

You may or may not know that the first English translation of the Communist Manifesto (in 1850) translated the famous opening first line as: A frightful hobgoblin stalks throughout Europe. Unfortunately, the hobgoblin turns up only once, for it is soon replaced with the ‘ghost’.

Dong Desheng (‘Uncle Petrov’) – a member of China’s Russian minority nationality

You may know that China has 56 minority nationalities (sometimes erroneously called ‘ethnic groups’ by outsiders), and that it has the world’s most progressive policies for the minority groups – policies that come out of the socialist tradition and were originally developed in the Soviet Union. But you probably do not know that one of … Continue reading Dong Desheng (‘Uncle Petrov’) – a member of China’s Russian minoritynationality

Why Is China Slum-Free?

One thing you will not find in China is a slum. Why? One reason appears in the following statistics: in 1949, 97 percent of the population lived in poverty and life expectancy was 35; today, only 3 percent live in poverty (and this is unacceptable in China) and the life expectancy is 77. Another reason … Continue reading Why Is ChinaSlum-Free?

Two must-see documentaries on terrorism in Xinjiang

Two recently released videos on terrorism in Xinjiang, with much material not seen until now. The first concerns the ‘East Turkistan Islamic Movement’ (ETIM), with close connections to the Washington-funded ‘World Uyghur Congress’ (WUC). The second concerns the complex and long-term counter-terrorism work in Xinjiang, which is made even more complex by some ‘Western’ countries … Continue reading Two must-see documentaries on terrorism inXinjiang