Which country is worse?

[Dinner]

Well.... At least progress is being made. I'll believe as soon as a noncommunist party member gets any say in anything important. Still, I'm glade the red Chinese no longer think it is A.O.K. to starve tens of millions of people to death. Great leap backwards is more like it.

[ranskaldan]

Huh? Some people's perception of China is about 10-20 years out of date. I suggest these people take a stroll around Beijing and Shanghai, instead of talking about it to the people who already have.

If China becomes a superpower, it can no more afford to destabilize the world than America can now. Hence China is no more a threat to world peace than America is. Of course, if you're asking about the biggest threat to American hegemony, then that is probably China. Of that I am proud.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by ranskaldan
Huh? Some people's perception of China is about 10-20 years out of date. I suggest these people take a stroll around Beijing and Shanghai, instead of talking about it to the people who already have.

If China becomes a superpower, it can no more afford to destabilize the world than America can now. Hence China is no more a threat to world peace than America is. Of course, if you're asking about the biggest threat to American hegemony, then that is probably China. Of that I am proud.

Ran : I don't doubt China has changed mucho since Deng came to power. The time of massive starvations and wanton massacres of the population belongs to the past, and that's great. But China still executes many more people (in proportion too) than the US, and regions are demanded to provide a ratio for death penalties. The one-child policy forces poor women to abort by millions, and the public opposition to the government is harshly punished, whether with exile, liaogai, or death.

China is not the monster regime it was under Mao, but still remains a real authoritarian place. A heaven when compared to the delirious North Korea, but not a really likable place by western standards.

[ranskaldan]

Originally posted by Spiffor

Ran : I don't doubt China has changed mucho since Deng came to power. The time of massive starvations and wanton massacres of the population belongs to the past, and that's great. But China still executes many more people (in proportion too) than the US, and regions are demanded to provide a ratio for death penalties. The one-child policy forces poor women to abort by millions, and the public opposition to the government is harshly punished, whether with exile, liaogai, or death.

China is not the monster regime it was under Mao, but still remains a real authoritarian place. A heaven when compared to the delirious North Korea, but not a really likable place by western standards.

Well yes. Of course, many problems exist in China. We are still trying to sort many of them out without creating more.

I would disagree with you on the one-child policy, but then, that would belong in another thread. (As for the quota on death penalties: do you have a source?)

edit

Heck, I'm going to explain my viewpoint on the one-child policy whether or not that leads this thread astray.

The implementation of this policy may be draconian. But the consequences of not implementing this are even more horrendous. China is already overflowing with surplus labor, which is probably the single biggest threat to this country's stability and development. Without draconian population controls, China would already have exploded itself over the entire region.

[Dinner]

Amen brother...

(refering to spiffor)

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by ranskaldan
(As for the quota on death penalties: do you have a source?)

I have read this some years ago in a French newspaper. Basically, it meant that minor offenses could be punished by death in some provinces (what's the chinese name for provinces ?) where there were too few major offenses. The journalist took the example of a pig thief that has been condemned to death.

There are also (not-journalistic) rumors that the family of the condemned has to pay for the bullet. Don't know if they are an urban legend or not though.

[ranskaldan]

Originally posted by Spiffor

I have read this some years ago in a French newspaper. Basically, it meant that minor offenses could be punished by death in some provinces (what's the chinese name for provinces ?) where there were too few major offenses. The journalist took the example of a pig thief that has been condemned to death.

Definitely the first time I'm hearing about this.

And i've edited the one-child policy in in the thread above.

[Dinner]

I do hope China can peacefully transform itself though this would be the first time in its five thousand year history.

[ranskaldan]

Originally posted by Oerdin
I do hope China can peacefully transform itself though this would be the first time in its five thousand year history.

Of course. If Europe can arrive at a common currency and North America can rule the world, I don't see why anything is impossible.

[Dinner]

fair enough

[Firelad]

I read someplace that Texas has more executions than China in proportion to population. No like though so don't trust me
Although I WOULD rather live in Texas than in China, definitely. Methinks. Hm.

[Dinner]

Texas is a fine place to live if you don't murder any one. If you do then they'll put you in a casket.

[Kuciwalker]

The US has millions of shootings each year? Excuse me, the leading cause of death in the US is heart disease, which IIRC kills 400,000 a year. Plus, how could a country of about 250 million people support MILLIONS of deaths by guns alone every year?

[ranskaldan]

Originally posted by skywalker
The US has millions of shootings each year? Excuse me, the leading cause of death in the US is heart disease, which IIRC kills 400,000 a year. Plus, how could a country of about 250 million people support MILLIONS of deaths by guns alone every year?

He's deliberately saying that it's a ridiculous generalization - one that is, incidentally, held by many people living in the Far East, not just China.

His point is that, in the same way, there are many strange, often illogical generalizations held by some westerners about China.

[Dinner]

Ranskaldan: You must admite that everything I have said about communist China (vs Taiwan) has been completely factual. I have not made up a single thing.