Roland Boer's Blog, page 15

China’s military technology at least four years ahead of the rest

More and more aspects of Chinese technology have now leapt ahead of the rest of the world, from high speed trains to internet technology. Now it is military technology. I remember reading this article by Vasily Kashin in October, soon after the amazing 70th anniversary celebrations of the New China. I have mentioned this article … Continue reading China’s military technology at least four years ahead of therest

How anti-China stories are concocted (updated)

The gossip-scoop formula of a few media outlets in a small number of former colonising countries seems to have developed a fondness for anti-China stories. We know well enough at a general level that they are based on selective misinformation, but recently two clear examples of how such a process functions came to light. The … Continue reading How anti-China stories are concocted(updated)

How anti-China stories are concocted

The gossip-scoop formula of a few media outlets in a small number of former colonising countries seems to have developed a fondness for anti-China stories. We know well enough at a general level that they are based on selective misinformation, but recently two clear examples of how such a process functions came to light. The … Continue reading How anti-China stories areconcocted

A Forgotten History: East European Market Socialism

‘The alternative is still either Socialism or a market economy’ – these deceptive words come from Count Ludwig von Mises and they have haunted much economic thought concerning socialism and indeed communism ever since. They were initially uttered in 1932 in a moment of exasperation. Von Mises sought to respond to first successful communist revolution, … Continue reading A Forgotten History: East European Market Socialism

From Germany embracing Huawei’s 5G to Chinese economic prowess

While I have been researching Eastern European market socialism, with its breakthroughs and logjams, have not posted so much recently. But there are some interesting recent developments. First, despite all the hype about Huawei in small corners of the world, business is booming with company sales improving more than 25 percent compared to last year. … Continue reading From Germany embracing Huawei’s 5G to Chinese economic prowess

The value of farming

Since I now live in a regional area (when I am in China), I meet farmers like this everyday. Only a few minutes’ walk away is a local market, where I buy fresh fruit and vegetables, beans, spices, and freshly made tofu. These photographs come from Sichuan, but you can see similar scenes all across … Continue reading The value of farming

Believing in Ghosts in Hong Kong

In an earlier piece, I proposed that the dominant narrative concerning China in a small number of former colonising countries (usually known as ‘the West’) is like believing in ghosts. What is the narrative? It is the pure fancy that the Communist Party of China is a ‘secretive’ and ‘paranoid’ outfit, which is terribly afraid … Continue reading Believing in Ghosts in Hong Kong

Celebrating 70 Years of the New China: A Foreigner’s Perspective

There is a saying very common in China these days: keep the mission firmly in mind, do not forget your original desire. I begin with this saying since it is part and parcel of the momentous occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the New China. I am currently in China, witnessing firsthand … Continue reading Celebrating 70 Years of the New China: A Foreigner’s Perspective

While you were looking elsewhere … China now builds the best bridges in the world

While you may have been distracted by the way ‘Western’ countries (that is, a small group of former colonisers) are tearing themselves apart, China has quietly become a world leader in another area: bridge building. You may know that the best and most advanced mobile phones are designed and contructed here (Huawei Mate 30), or … Continue reading While you were looking elsewhere … China now builds the best bridges in the world

On State Capitalism

The following is the fourth part of the lecture on why foreign scholars are as yet unable to understand China’s socialist market economy. It deals with ‘state capitalism’, which is probably the most widely used term in both Marxist and non-Marxist traditions. As will become clear, what they mean differs considerably. By 2008’s Atlantic financial … Continue reading On State Capitalism