China likes to portray itself as a benevolent country supplying the world with quality goods at ridiculously cheap prices - but behind this " Bamboo curtain " lurks another China that is not so hospitable.
Liu Xiaobo has been awarded this years Nobel Peace prize. He is known in China for having produced a manifesto calling for democratic reform - and for that he is serving an eleven year prison sentence.
China's displeasure is now extended to his wife, Liu Xia - who has disappeared from the scene and is presumed to be under house arrest. This is probably a ruse to prevent her leaving the country and receiving the peace prize on his behalf.
No dissent in any form is permitted in China by the ruling Communist Party government - and it should be remembered that the planks of the original Communist party called for world revolution - and military domination of all under Communist regimes.
Russia has abandoned Communism - but one of the fruits of China's trading success is the emergence of a huge military machine that is starting to flex it's muscles with neighbouring countries. It seems that while dissent is not tolerated within - those of the outer world are shown Chinese displeasure when they call for a fair trade policy and review of it's under valued currency.
What does the future hold ? That is indeed a good question.
China has the money to keep building an ever bigger war machine. There is the expectation that in a few years this will match that of the United States - and we will be back to that old " two super powers " equation.
It is said that those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it.
Perhaps the future holds a return of another " cold war " !
No comments:
Post a Comment