June 27, 2008
Today's Links: IOC warns China, Shanghai subway expands and China ranks fifth in the world's millionaire race
- A letter from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued on Wednesday warned the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) to keep politics separate from sports. The letter was issued after the IOC read the remarks of Zhang Qingli, Tibet’s Chinese Communist party secretary, at a torch relay in Lhasa. "Tibet’s sky will never change and the red flag with five stars will forever flutter high above it," Qingli said, adding: "We will certainly be able to totally smash the splittist schemes of the Dalai Lama clique." In response to the IOC’s letter, China has denied injecting politics into the Olympics. While a spokesman from BOCOG refused to comment, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao insisted Zhang’s remarks were made to foster a "stable and harmonious environment for the Olympics" and were not political.
- The Shanghai Metro Company announced Wednesday that 70 trains will be added to Shanghai’s subway network by the end of the year. The addition will mean more frequent trains and longer operating hours, Shanghai Daily reports. By boosting capacity by 60 percent, the metro’s operators are hoping to appeal to those who stopped using the subway because of overcrowding.
- China now stands fifth around the world for its number of U.S. dollar millionaires, Merrill Lynch and Capgemini, the France-based consulting firm, announced in a report on Thursday. With about 415,000 people owning at least U.S.$1 million in liquid assets last year, China has now surpassed France in the rankings (France had 394,000 millionaires). The report found that Asian millionaires were more interested in buying luxury products and vacationing, while European millionaires favored spending money on artwork.
- A trial offering of free blood transfusions was launched in Shanghai’s Xuhui District yesterday. The Shanghai Blood Administration Office announced that a family can be reimbursed for blood payments if a relative donates the same amount of blood the patient receives in a transfusion. Patients from 42 families received a blood card yesterday enabling them to be reimbursed 240 yuan for 200 milliliters.
Photo by exo_sh.
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[ report this ]
Hi,
something it is not clear to me...
what is going to do such a big number of millionaire in a country defining itself as communist?
I read the original book "Das Kapital" in german from Marx, therefore I think I know a bit about his message and it seems that his philosophy is not properly applied over there...
Best regards
Antonio
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No one defines this country as Communist. Not even the members of the Communisty party, so your original question assumes facts not in evidence.
Even going back to the original Marx doesn't work, since Communist China was Maoist, not Marxist/Leninist - a revolution of the peasantry, not urban factory workers as Marx envisioned.
The economic system is "Socialism with Chinese characteristics" - which in reality is stark naked capitalism with high levels of social order control.
Perhaps you may want to return to wondering about why everyone thinks Fiats are terrible automobiles.
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The economic system is "Socialism with Chinese characteristics" - which in reality is stark naked capitalism with high levels of social order control.
Even worse, it's capitalism combined with confucianism. A highly volatile, dangerous combination.
[ report this ]
I see that someone want to know what I think and what I didn't say.
By the way I do not see any form of socialism over there...but just a strong capitalist society, with aspect related to socialism...an a military apparatus that control every single aspect of the society.
Antonio
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[i]Even worse, it's capitalism combined with confucianism. [/i]
Well, it seems to work okay for Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong.
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Hong-Kong and Singapore are just two cities. How can you talk about a social model only for two cities.
You end up with only one single country where this model work...if it works (in Singapore there is a dictatorship and Hong-Kong is under the control of another dictatorship).
Korea I don't know anything about.
Antonio
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Are they going to add cars to lines 4 and 8? Waiting 12-15 minutes for a subway is silly.
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Korea I don't know anything about.
Nor Singapore, Hong Kong or China apparently.
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Antonio: Clearly, it's all about Fiats. Can you stick to the issue at hand?
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For "Vladivostok" and "I",
explain me what's wrong with my post...if you can...
is it Hong-Kong a city or a country? well, was it a city or a country? the same for Singapore...and please don't start saying that officially they are/were, ok?
A country must have a certain size, it cannot confined within a city...otherwise all the cities in the world they are countries...
Moreover, this Mr. "I" seems he knows everything about Asia, so please for the other forum member: do not contradict him, because he knows everything...
Ciao!
Antonio
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only for "I":
you wrote this:
Korea I don't know anything about.
Nor Singapore, Hong Kong or China apparently.
so please give us a lecture, Prof. I, we are waiting for!!
Antonio
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He is T, not I, you dumbass.
Not only do you NOT know anything, you can't even read!
Now get your ass back to that Fiat assembly line!
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A country must have a certain size, it cannot confined within a city...otherwise all the cities in the world they are countries...
I don't think its really my place to provide you with a proper education that you should have received in high school, but I'm sure the Vatican, Singapore and San Marino are horrified that a certain Antonio Napoli of Fiat's PR department thinks they don't meet his threshold for statehood.
As for me, I think countries are probably more defined by things like, oh I don't know, having ones own currency, government, passport, customs, monetary policy, etc. etc. And while that might be not always the case (especially around these parts) that does give a place like Hong Kong at the very least state-like presence, since - even as a colony, and now as a special administration region, they do have their own currency, passports, monetary policy, border controls, police force, Disneyland - so it does seem proper to call them a "Special Administration Region" - and hey! that's exactly what they are. Funny that.
I do realize the above definition does pose some problems around the greater China region, so I'll just say that I have zero opinion either way on Taiwan that I care to share, and the above is not an opinion on whether Taiwan is a state or not.
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Fiat's are pieces of shit. They are like driving a donkey cart.
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Hallo,
I am sorry to say the following...but politness does not seem a a common thing here.
For Vladivostok:
I do not work for Fiat, do you feel better now?
By the way, I don't know where are you from, but in this world there are not so many countries able, as Italy, to make beatiful cars. You will be able to offend me, to denigrate me, but you will never able to negate what is a fact. And the beaty of italian car is a fact.
For I:
You think that I am stupid, but I also think that you are not clever at all.
Vatican does not exist because of his currency, his militar force, his police etc. etc. #
Vatican exist because the church has build his power along the last 2000 years. This power is also monetary power.
Honk-Kong does not exist as a state any more. And it existed as a state, just because England needed that it existed.
San Marino exists because the people have to do the money laudary somewhere. And San Marino is not the only example.
In my opinion, a state is a sum of things, like common history, common traditions, common language, if you want common race, although I don't like to use this word.
Therefore, in my opinion Kurdistan is more a state than Irak (create sitting around a table by UK and US), Tibet is more a state than Hong-Kong, and Chapas in Mexico is more a state than Singapore. is it clear now?
This is what I meant, and if you are educated enough you should somehow understand my point. I don't pretend/want that you agree with me, but at least I would like understand my point.
About my education. It is very poor...what can I do? how can I compete with you?
I got only a master degree and a PhD and I speak (fluently) only 5 languages...
For Moneyinabox:
I don't answer unpolite persons. You are only able to insult. This is the only thing that you can do. Someone that consider Ferrari a dokey car, is someone that has no idea about what a car is.
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For I,
are you not brave enough to express your opinion about whether Taiwan is a state or not?
You must be a very brave guy:-)
In my opinion Taiwan is a state. I know taiwan
preatty well, since my girlfriend comes from this amazing island.
But, on the other hand, I believe that Taiwan will join China in the future.
Taiwan and China share the same language, the same food and the same great history (so according to my personal definition they are a state).
The unification will not happen until China is a dictatorship.
Only a dramatic change in Chinese politics will make taiwanese people willing to share their future with China.
In believe we will not live enough to see this great event.
As you see, I am not so smart as you believe to be, but at least, I have no problems or fears to express my opinion about anything we discuss.
best regards,
Antonio
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No, actually the reason that I didn't want to talk about Taiwan is because its clearly not the topic here, but thanks for making assumptions, asshole.
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are you always so polite?
I will refer this nice comment of your to the owner of the forum, so you will finally forced to leave the forum. Sorry, but you deserve it.
Antonio
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Hi I,
by the way, you didn't answer about how I define a country, didn't you?
Antonio