#taiwan covid support china

[batboyblog]

I fundamentally disagree with your take that any future/ongoing users of TikTok are supporting or enabling trump.

We don’t use TikTok or any other social platform because of the CEO. We use social media because of the communities we form and love.

Obviously trump wants it back because it helped his election campaign, but that doesn’t negate every positive collective action or community that formed on the app. Everything good also has bad, because as the saying goes, there is no ethical consumption under capitalism. We can try to be good, but we can’t only support ethical companies.

Also, what about international users? I’m Australian, and trump impacts Australian politics directly and indirectly, but does me using TikTok support him? It’s still an independent company.

Given the ban was done by congress, not the executive, I have every reason to believe that a Harris/democrat office would also make efforts to stop the ban. It’s easy political points.

I'm gonna try to be nice, which given my mood today, the impending Trumpalypse and the hostage release today have me in a bad mood.

Sooooo I have to reject the idea that helping re-elect Trump could ever be balanced out by any other "good", if such good even exists, that any app, person, or organization does.

before anyone jumps in to smugly tell me they're not an American so Trump being the American President doesn't matter, I'll remind you, we all live on the same planet. One thats getting warmer? in case you hadn't noticed. 2024 was the first year on record to breach the 1.5 degree warming mark that is very bad news. President Biden passed the biggest climate action bill that any government anywhere on earth ever ever has passed. Trump has pledged to repeal that law, and also hold back all the money in it not already spent.

as you can see under Biden we're on goal through 2030, and then more and different policies would be needed to get us where we need to go, which Biden team in the dying days of his administration has set not that Trump will follow through.

so point being helping re-elect Trump might have doomed the planet so idk about anything "good" TikTok could possibly do to make up for being Responsible or the single biggest climate disaster in human history.

any ways, as a Jew when I think of TikTok I think antisemitism

"Jewish teens say life on TikTok comes with anti-Semitism" 2020

"Sliding Through: Spreading Antisemitism on TikTok by Exploiting Moderation Gaps" 2023

"How fast does TikTok send users down the antisemitic rabbit hole?" 2024

being on the internet right now as a Jewish person is fucking wild, buck wild, seeing people in their teens and 20s say NAZI, old school, 1940s Nazi shit on-line, in videos with their faces, it is everywhere and TikTok is some of the worst of it.

on top of which TikTok is spoon feeding massive amount of disinformation to users all the time, from mental health, to Covid Vaccines, to conspiracy theories that are effecting the real world. And studies show its actively hurting teens, pushing them toward self harm

speaking of Australia, its very clear that China is REALLY interested in influencing your country seeking to shift Australian public opinion against Taiwan and in favor of China, as well as push the country toward a more isolationist view. Also they're using data from not just TikTok but other apps to track people, and actively kidnap Chinese nationals in Australia who offend Xi's government. That's a wider problem than just TikTok of course, but it's super fucking scary.

So sorry the app you like is getting the axe in the US? I guess? but short form video in and of itself might be bad for your health. Apps like TikTok don't allow you to do what I've done here, offer links and data to back up what I'm saying so fact checking and accountability is basically 0. Finally there's a lot of evidence that TikTok has put its finger on the scale to push propaganda for Trump, for Xi and generally destabilize the world.

finally, what community? watching videos fed to you by a computer isn't a connection, its certainly not a conversation.

oh also "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism" is not some magical spell, it doesn't do away with the need to do good in the world, its meant to say don't let perfect be the enemy of good, whats the least bad option, nothing is flawless, but that doesn't mean going on to the app who's parting message to America was "big good daddy Trump gonna come save us" like fuck man thats bad

[mariacallous]

Hang onto your stuff. That’s the advice right-to-repair advocates are giving anyone worried about how the tariffs will hit their wallets—and collections of electronic gadgets.

Trade tariffs touch nearly every product, especially when they’re as widespread and sky-high as the ones president Trump announced on April 3. But electronics are especially dependent on worldwide trade. Components used to assemble devices are usually built in manufacturing plants in countries like China, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Cambodia, which are now being hit with tariffs of 30 to 50 percent.

While the price increases as a result of this have not yet gone into effect—and are difficult to fully predict—these economic proclamations have already had broad repercussions. The stock market tanked in the days after Trump's announcement due to “extreme fear” in the market, according to CNN, and there have already been delays while companies assess the tariff impact, like the preorder for the recently announced Nintendo Switch 2.

The economic turmoil and uncertainty make the prospect of buying a new device, especially an already pricey smartphone, laptop, or gaming console, seem like it’s going to become a lot more expensive. And if buying something new becomes harder and harder, it makes more sense to keep what you already have going strong.

“Right to repair could not have come sooner,” says Kyle Wiens, CEO of the repairability company iFixit.

Right-to-repair efforts—actions by consumer advocates intended to raise public awareness and force companies to make devices more repairable—have been in the works for decades. In recent years, the push has made great strides. In 2024, the European Union instituted a ruling that requires companies to make devices more repairable. The right to repair has also garnered widespread bipartisan support in the US, even while in the throes of a chaotic federal administration that seems intent on dismantling many of the systems that keep the country running.

Wiens compares the moment to the early days of the Covid pandemic, a time when the future of how people would be able to get the new stuff they wanted looked similarly bleak. In 2020, Wiens wrote for WIRED that the right to repair would help foster resilience in times of uncertainty. As tariffs kick in and a global trade war ignites, the parallels start to feel very similar.

“We don't know what's going to happen,” Wiens says. “So what do we do? Well, repair is just the default.”

Wiens suggests that people should prepare for new device prices to increase by 50 percent or more. If you apply that same logic to the stuff you already have, it means that hanging onto your smartphone or laptop for another couple of years may be a much better investment then trading it in for something new.

"Just expect to keep anything that you have that's durable in any way,” Wiens says. “So durable goods—microwaves, toasters, cell phones, Nintendo Switches, whatever it is, they’re worth 50 percent more now than you thought they were.”

The tariff era will require a shift in how products are produced and reduced. Wiens says he has also been talking to workers at electronics recycling facilities and telling them not to harvest discarded products if they’re still working.

“Hey, whatever you are going to shred, stop shredding it,” Wiens says. “Whatever materials you're going to export, stop exporting it. That product's going to have more value than you thought.”

Despite the doom and gloom that watching the stock market plummet might invoke in our collective psyche, right-to-repair advocates hope this moment helps make the case for keeping devices in working order.

“I don’t feel like the sky is falling,” says Nathan Proctor, who helms the campaign for the right to repair at the consumer advocacy group PIRG. “First of all, Wall Street people are the 13-year-old girls of social commentary. Everything is total drama all the time. Let's not go overboard. Let's see how this plays out.”

Like Wiens, Proctor believes that repair makes society more resilient and will help people get through this where it can.

“It's going to be very disruptive in the short term,” Proctor says. “I'm not sure how long that's going to last or what the impact's going to be. But I do know that a more resilient society is better.”

Leo Gebbie, a principal analyst at the research firm CCS Insights says that another segment of the market that could benefit from higher tariffs are secondhand markets that sell used devices, like Backmarket. They’ve been doing quite well even before the tariffs were announced, with secondhand devices frequently bought and sold within the US. Now, that popularity is likely to increase.

“They are more cost-effective,” Gebbie says. “There is a strong supply of secondhand iPhones within the US, so for US consumers there shouldn't be a need to import those devices from elsewhere and have them subject to tariffs.”

Backmarket in particular seems to be well aware of its place in this trend, as right now it is cheekily offering a Recession Special where customers can use a code (ELON) to save 10 percent on their purchase. However, if demand for secondhand devices goes up, there could be a knock-on effect where more phones being sold in the US could lead to prices being raised across the board—including in European markets that have tended to have stronger demand for used devices than the US.

“Really we will [only] know more once we see prices change,” Gebbie says. “Obviously consumers are then in a position where they have something to react to.”

Rethinking how we repair and replace our devices already has an analogue for how to guide that behavior. The automotive industry (which is bound to feel its own impacts from the tariffs) offers an example of how to care for products long term.

“Do people buy new cars? Sure,” Wiens says. “Do they keep cars for 20 years? Absolutely. Yeah. Does anyone throw away a car because the windshield's broken? No.”

Sadly, even the repair side of things is bound to feel the effects of tariff inflation. Spare parts and tools needed to fix things depend on global manufactures as much as finished products do. Wiens, who runs a business that sells tools meant for repairing devices, says he will also directly feel the effects of the tariffs and be forced to pass the increased cost onto customers. Even then, he hopes that a silver lining in the tariff chaos will be consumers changing their buying habits.

“Let's stop buying cheap crap. Let's have fewer, nicer things, and let's use them for a long time,” Wiens says. “And so then you say, well, if we're going to stop buying new things, what do we do with the stuff? How do we take care of the things that we have? Well, that's where the right-to-repair world comes in."

[leftistnewsnetwork]

Reasons not to vote for Joe Biden

-Nordstream pipeline bomber. Biggest eco terrorist in human history

-Approved of the willow project

-Broke the rail strike

-Gave federal contracts to union busters

-Sent Covid-19 relief money to the police

-Funded ICE to record levels. 6 billion more than Trump

-Illegally pressuring social media companies to crack down on free speech

-Fighting proxy war with Russia by sending weapons to nazis in Ukraine

-Stealing BILLIONS from Afghanistan, starving their people

-Absolutely unhinged China policy

-Sent weapons to Taiwan

-sent nuclear submarines to Australia

-Hunter Biden pay the play corruption

-Hiring Neera Tanden as White House Domestic Policy Advised

-Hiring Antony Blinken

-Hiring Lloyd Austin from Raytheon as Defense Secretary

-full fledged support to the genocidal state of Israel

-pushing the privatization of water

-Insulting Maui response

-said he would veto medicare for all

-Kamala Harris could become president

If This Doesn't Convince You Here Are A few more

-stole Iranian and Syrian oil

-escalated Cuban embargo

-Actively trying to kill Julian Assange

-Bombed Somalia

-cut SNAP benefits

-Hired notorious war criminal Elliot Abrams

-Hired Victoria Nuland as Deputy Secretary of State

[misfitwashere]

Freedom and safety

A lesson from a demining test

TIMOTHY SNYDER

OCT 18

Maybe, for you Americans out there, it's time for a little break.  We are wonderful at talking to, for, about and past ourselves, and not so good at listening to other people.  So maybe for just a few moments we could pause to remember some of the people who allow us to have our quarrels, to have our election season, to have our elections, some of the people who are actually taking risks for the words like freedom and democracy that we throw around so casually, especially this time of year.

This could many groups, of course! I mean the Ukrainians. They are doing us a lot of good, as we tend to forget. They are holding back a Russian army so that other countries can keep all of their soldiers in the barracks.  They are deterring China from invading Taiwan by showing that offensive operations are risky and unpredictable.  They are making nuclear war less likely by ignoring Putin's bluffs.  They are defending the international order, which is based on states and borders.  And, yes, they are defending democracy as such, including our own.  They have bought us time since 2022 to recover from Covid and economic collapse by bearing the brunt of this crisis on their own.

This month the Biden administration is decising how much it will help during its last three months in office.  President Biden has a chance to leave with a legacy, by creating structures that will allow for aid to Ukraine to continue, and by inviting Ukraine to join our most important institutions.  Given the uncertainties ahead, though, the question goes far beyond that of how President Biden will be remembered.  If we allow Ukraine to lose, or if we vote for Putinist candidates who want Ukraine to lose, the costs will be horrible in Ukraine, but will be felt around the world.

So of course we can hope the president does the right thing.  And we can vote for the right people the next time around.  And if you are American and care about Ukraine, voting, canvassing, and donating for pro-Ukrainian candidates in American elections is likely the most important thing that you can do right now.  But if you are not American, or if you are American and can spare a little money, there are plenty of other ways to make a direct difference.  

You can do something to help Ukrainians be safer, even as they help us to be safer. Let me just suggest a specific step that I know something about, having seen the tools for myself.

When I was in Ukraine last month, I visited a competitive test for mine-clearing robots.  The moment was one of cooperation: private companies had brought their robots for a test organized by a couple of government ministries, with the participation of a presidential tech platform, in connection to a fundraiser supported by people around the world.  Along with Mark Hamill, I am supporting this fundraiser, called Safe Terrain, because mine-clearing robots can save human lives and prepare the way for humans to return to their normal lives.  Mark and I announced the fundraiser on my birthday, two months ago, and we are three-quarters of the way to the goal ($307,000 of $441,000 -- thank you to all of you who have donated!).

There were some fascinating moments at the test.  The detonation of anti-tech mines is very loud. I learned a great deal about the demining technology.  But I wanted to share with you a human detail that has stayed with me.  After it was all over, after the three robots had detonated mines safely, we all took some pictures together: the tech and corporate teams, the officials, the visitors.  Just as the photographer was about to begin, one of the corporate representatives told him to wait: one of the robots was blocked from the shot.  But here is the interesting thing: it wasn't her robot.  It was the robot of one of the other, competing firms.  She wanted to make sure that it was in the picture.

A small thing, perhaps.  Just a momentary gesture, it might seem.  But it was someone doing something for someone else, amidst the pressure of a competitive trial, under the stresses of a war.  It was someone who, for that moment, was not thinking about herself, but about fairness, about the good outcome.  Sometimes people do have to fight for democracy, as the Ukrainians are doing right now, but democracy itself is not a fight.  Freedom is not all about just doing what we feel like doing, just because we want to, right at the moment.  It is about seeing other people, hearing other people, working together, creating a world in which we can all be more free. 

I'm in southwest Ohio now, and I see that spirit here too, not of course in everyone, but in many people, the ones who care about the country, the ones who are not just arguing, the ones who are doing the little things they can do, the ones who want to open things up rather than close them down.  I'm trying to do the little things I can do, too, in my own country, but I don’t want to take for granted that I can. Along the way, today, I am also going to make a donation to those robots, or to the people behind them.

[loneberry]

The new route Russia is using to export its oil to China. Unfortunately global warming and the melting of the icecaps only benefits Russia geopolitically. What’s the big deal? you might wonder. A 10-day reduction in transport time is huge when it comes to the velocity of capital. Power accrues to the nations that control key maritime trade routes.

*

Between climate change and the new Cold War, the future doesn’t look pretty. China’s economy is imploding thanks to their reliance on a debt-fueled real estate bonanza, their misguided zero COVID policy, and Xi Jinping’s head-scratchingly bad policies (and of course, his consolidation of power). Siding with Russia was a huge mistake… Now China’s biggest export markets are trying to decouple or at least diversify away from them. Youth unemployment is so bad in China (21%, but possibly significantly higher) that the government has decided to stop publishing such data. The Philippines and Vietnam are pivoting toward the US. South Korea and Japan are putting their long, historical feud aside to join forces against China. Japanese military neutrality is over. Meanwhile a tiny island called Taiwan makes over 92% of the world’s advanced semiconductors and will likely be invaded in our lifetime. Will an (economically) weakened China make it more or less likely that Xi will invade Taiwan? (Strongmen facing a domestic crisis and loss of popular support do often start wars as a kind of “gamble for resurrection,” but Xi might have become more risk adverse as he observes Russia’s debacle in Ukraine. Plus, an amphibious invasion is logistically extremely difficult to pull off.)

Defense spending worldwide is skyrocketing, climbing back toward Cold War levels. The lines on the map are hardening, particularly in the Asian/Pacific theater and the European theater. A nuclear trifecta of Russia-China-North Korea is emerging. Yes, it is a marriage of convenience, but quite a dangerous one given that Russia will likely transfer technology (specifically, platforms to deliver nuclear warheads) to North Korea in exchange for Soviet-compatible ammunition/arms to use in Ukraine. I hate feeling like the world is a frog getting boiled but as I finish this 26-part BBC documentary on World War I, I can’t help but feel that the geopolitical situation is very unstable.

Oh, the madness of nation states! Wake me up when it’s over.

[beardedmrbean]

China, China, China. Scarcely a day passes without some new scare story about China. The Middle Kingdom was struggling with its image overseas long before Covid, but the pandemic cemented attitudes in the West. Ever since, and with plenty of justification, its every move has been regarded with growing “reds under the bed” paranoia. The feeling is mutual.

The mood has darkened further in the past week. British democracy is under threat from Chinese cyber attacks, the Deputy Prime Minister, Oliver Dowden, told MPs this week in imposing sanctions on a number of Chinese officials. If that’s what standing up to China means these days then the central committee doesn’t have a lot to worry about.

Rather more seriously, the US and Japan are meanwhile planning the biggest upgrade to their security alliance since the mutual defence treaty of 1960.

Not to be outdone by the US ban on exports of hi-tech chips to China, Beijing responded this week by saying it will be phasing out even the low-tech variety on all government computers and servers, replacing foreign chips with its own home-grown ones.

And then of course, there is China’s de facto alliance with Vladimir Putin’s Russia, forming a new axis of authoritarian powers with an overtly anti-Western agenda. The rupture with the West seems virtually complete.

Years of integration into the global economy, in the hope that it might make China more like us, have backfired and are now going powerfully into reverse.

But does the nature of the threat fully justify all the noise which is made about it? In military terms, possibly, even if China plainly poses no direct threat to Europe, and unlike Putin, has no plans to lay claim to any part of it.

It does, however, pose a clear and present danger to Taiwan, where President Xi Jinping would plainly like to crush the life out of this vibrant, free enterprise economy in the same way as he has in Hong Kong. His rhetoric is bellicose and hostile, and we must therefore assume he means what he says.

In economic terms, however, the China threat is receding fast. After decades of stellar growth, China’s medium to long-term economic prospects are at best mediocre and at worst grimly dispiriting.

Now gone almost entirely is the idea of China as an unstoppable economic leviathan that will inevitably eclipse the US and Europe. Already it is obvious that this is not going to be the Chinese century once so widely forecast. Instead, Western commerce is looking increasingly to India as the economic superpower of the future.

Nor is this just because of the immediate causes of China’s economic slowdown – a woefully unbalanced economy which in recent years has relied for its growth substantially on debt-fuelled property development.

For China is indeed, to use the old cliche, getting old before it gets rich. Demographic factors alone are highly likely to floor President Xi’s grandiose ambitions for economic hegemony before they can be realised.

The fundamentals of China’s predicament, in other words, do not support the narrative of democracy under threat from an insurgent totalitarian rival.

There’s been a lot in the papers about demographics over the last week following a new study, published in the Lancet, on declining fertility rates. At some stage in the next 60 years, the global population will peak, and then fast start contracting.

The birth rate is projected to fall below population replacement levels in around three-quarters of countries by 2050, with only a handful of mainly Sub-Saharan nations still producing enough babies to ensure expanding populations by 2100.

In China, however, it has already started, with the population falling in 2022 for the first time since the Great Famine of 1959-61. This wasn’t just a one-off blip: last year deaths continued to significantly outnumber births.

There may be a slight pause in the decline this year. Some couples may have delayed their plans for children in anticipation of the Year of the Dragon, synonymous in Chinese mythology with good fortune.

Any relief will be only temporary. According to projections by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, which correctly forecast the onset of Chinese population decline, it’ll essentially be all downhill from here on in, with the population more than halving between now and the turn of the century.

This is a huge fall, with far-reaching implications for economic development and China’s superpower ambitions. What’s more, there is almost nothing the Chinese leadership can do about it, beyond imprisoning China’s fast-declining cohort of women of child-bearing age and forcing them to breed.

Across much of the developed world and beyond, the birth rate has long since declined below the 2.1 offspring per woman generally thought to be the level required to maintain the population. But thanks to its dictatorial one-child policy introduced in 1980 to curb China’s then almost ruinous birth rate, China has a particularly acute version of it.

China abandoned the one-child policy – limiting urban dwellers to one child per family and most rural inhabitants to two – in favour of a “three-child” policy in 2016, but too late.

Even if women of child-bearing age could be persuaded to have more babies, there are simply not enough of them any longer even to maintain today’s population, let alone increase it.

The one-child policy may have perversely further accentuated this deficiency because of the Chinese preference for male offspring over female, though most studies on this are inconclusive.

In any case, China finds itself classically caught in a “low-fertility trap”, the point of no return, where precipitous population decline becomes inevitable.

The implications are as startling as the statistics themselves. The Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences forecasts that the working-age population will fall to 210 million by 2100, having peaked in 2014, and the ratio of working-age citizens to notionally non-working from 100 to 21 today, to 100 to 137 at the turn of the century.

One thing we know about ageing populations is they like life to be as comfortable and settled as possible. They also don’t like fighting wars, which have historically required a surplus of testosterone-fuelled young men desperate to prove themselves on the battlefield.

The turn of the century is of course still a long way off; there is easily enough time for several wars in between. The nature of warfare has also changed. It no longer requires the bravery of the young.

Even so, totalitarian dictatorships may well struggle with selling the multiple other hardships of war to an elderly population. Putin may seem to disprove this observation, but in doing so he is also demonstrating anew the futility of expansionist warfare. They make a desert, and call it peace.

A couple of other points seem worth making about our propensity to exaggerate the Chinese threat. Anyone would think that China is already a dominant force in the UK economy. It is not; in fact it is still only our fifth-largest trading partner after the US, Germany, the Netherlands and France. Even on imports alone it’s not as big as the US and Germany.

Whether because of the growing diplomatic standoff or other factors, moreover, this position is eroding. The size of trade with China fell last year. The same is true of direct investment by China in the UK economy, which was just 0.3pc of total foreign direct investment in 2021.

We worry about China’s imagined ability to close down our critical infrastructure, but should that really be allowed to influence decisions on whether the Chinese battery company EVE should be building a new gigawatt factory at Coventry Airport, or for that matter whether super-tariffs should be charged on Chinese EVs?

Should they exist at all, these risks can surely be managed. In any case, no nation that hopes to trade with others would deliberately turn the lights off, even if it could. In over-reacting to the Chinese threat, we only shoot ourselves in the foot.

China has lied, copied, stolen and cheated its way up the economic league tables, but ultimately it is a closed economy which increasingly repudiates foreign influence and thereby severely limits its own powers of innovation.

The danger is that now at the peak of its powers, it hubristically lashes out. But in the medium to long term, the demographic die is cast, and it spells a future of waning influence and economic heft.

[stele3]

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-wants-shakeup-palestinian-authority-run-gaza-after-hamas-2023-12-16/

[wumblr]

t. Background in polisci and works for the government:

Genuine question because i want to hear your opinion: do you think PLA pilots performing stupid risky maneuvers in front of US pilots operating with due regard better highlights:

>the PLA trying anything they can to ward off Americans

or

>American disregard for sovereign nations.

Like I guess what im asking is who is in the wrong here (in your opinion). Im conflicted because on one hand the US acting as a security force in the region is probably a good thing for global trade and it’s funny to watch the PLA flip shit over aircraft minding their own business within international airspace. But the backside of that is the PLA dunking on American jets is cool as fuck and they’re also the extant arm of American imperialism lol.

i think the answer lies in the fact that they have to insist they are "lawfully operating" in every paragraph. also, yes, this is happening in the theater of the south china sea, absolutely because the united states considers taiwan to be "rightfully" a sovereign nation while china and taiwan have operated under one china policy since time immemorial, this even being formally recognized by the US since 1972. as far as i can tell, the only people agitating for taiwanese independence in taiwan are far-right extremists who want to make a buck. you know, the eternal temporarily embarrassed billionaire

i'm concerned about the phrase "a good thing for global trade," do you mean to say profitable? if global trade is the salient priority, why sanctions? don't you think diplomatically collaborating with china to manufacture semiconductors would be more efficient? (you don't have to answer these, unless you want to)

as for the question of safety... personally i am far more reassured by PLA response than US presence. if we have to take evasive manuevers every time they show up, then we can't drop any bombs. i'd sure like to keep it that way! of course none of this is necessary but there wouldn't be a response without the presence, would there. (sure you could argue wargame rehearsal in the south china sea is in response to the taiwan question, but as i've said, this would still make the US the aggressor)

in addition, the timing of the instance where they made radio contact and the PLA pilot offered an "expletive" is relevant: if i remember correctly, this was during china's zero-covid policy protests, which could easily be regarded as having gone on for two years when it could have taken weeks or months, very simply because we didn't do shit to mitigate covid. (these were naturally overblown in the western press, because it's impossible to imagine a one-party state that would not survive without popular support)

[barragerofenvy]

Tariff War -> War #NOONTRUMP

Sorry, this is like what it would say on ALL the scrolls, those manuscripts, those bible saying, the bible, a War with Asia is one thing, but China is just pure suicide. #America

AND THAT'S JUST LIKE MAKING A DEAL WITH SOMETHING REALLY SCARY. Why China? Why not Barbados, a Caribbean Country. China but Not HONG KONG, MACAU, or TAIWAN, the Administrative Countries OF CHINA??? I DON'T UNDERSTAND. Cambodia is an even BIGGER country.

The economy MUST be booming. Higher prices, low wages, cost of goods going up, it's like eco nomic survival in my city. I'm not even satisfied going to this place (restaurant) but McDOnalds might work. LOLOL WTF is this life??? Even Olive Garden became a norm.

I miss school. I love it so much. I don't even think it's open though. Even if people say it is. Like the school across from the street. Plus, Covid is just getting way way way deep, too intensive, spacial, and even down right scary. Polio will spread, now my mom wanted to open her own egg farm, eggs just sell like crazy, hers is organic so MAYBE it won't have POLIO, IN CONCLUSION, BUY HER CHICKEN EGGS.

I've been to Disneyland. Trust me. But this is fucking hell. Had to wait in line for a Magic Key Pass, cannot go every day or whenever you want to, must make reservations for the park, it's extremely tedious. It's hard to get food but easy to get a frozen banana. Makes no SENSE. People barely eat, that same restaurant is FULL (Pirates of the Caribbean), AND THE SHOW DOESN'T EVEN PLAY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING. All these propaganda articles, even Micket was just being my friend, AND I had the Imagine Key Pass. I saw The Evil Queen, and the bonus, Princess Aurora before I left. JUST WALKING BY HERSELF. What a world.

I did win my Hunger Games. It was amazing. Thank you so much. I mean, I really want to Win. It was just so so so so good. Thank you Sapphire, Velvereen, Diamond, Pubo, Jungshin, Ashley, and the entire team. District One Luxury. Thank you so so so much for the support! The food here is divine. So many parties. It was great. Even the free time is fun. I was seriously exhausted so I finally got some rest (tons of it) and ready for what's next. Panem Today. Panem Tomorrow. Panem Forever.

Hey Kikwang, Loaf You Later. LOLOLOLOL He's a District 9, Grains. I'm a District 1, Luxury.

YOU'RE NOT THINKING BIG.

That Royal Flush from KING's, a Cocktail, was just so so so GOOD. Loved drinking it. I never done anything like it (The Booze). Also bought some sushi. It was great. Refreshing. The time of my life~

This HBO show pops up...maybe it's HBO. But it seriously got so big, I even thought it was talking about my Sister, Hallie. ALSO Hallie happened to be in one of the videos, and I was like holy xxxx my sister is on a TV show? It's such a good show, even if it was just a clip. PLUS, the way they talk is just so so so good. Give yourself a clap. Way more enthralling than the typical XOXO. I saw that girl also. At Disneyland. It was just such an adventure. You can slip into Disneyland when the exit gate opens up and the people just exit out and you can just slip in. That's at Disneyland btw. And there's also a bench near the exit, so I really don't know what else to say. The show is Euphoria. They have cool names, like Cassie, Maddie, Lexi, Nick, etc.

Recently, I've been playing Billiards aka Pool on YouTube. Making videos, playing matches with people and having a good time. I even got into USC or I hope I did, from these matches. It's USC. Troy was there. Even Nick. BUT the thing is...I beat them also. There you have it. Victor just enjoying life. Winning winning winning. Experiencing great experiences. Beating powerful people. It's great. Wonder what the prizes are. Definitely fun. Nick is really hot btw. The one in Euphoria. And Troy goes to USC. Common App. Supplement. Grades. EASY. My FATHER said I can go to USC. The UNiversity of Southern California. Pharmaceutical dream, I dream of, but Performing Arts, definitely. Trojans!~ Cardinal and Gold. UCLA Rivalry. Private school. It's perfect.

SMTOWN 2025 is coming this year. I was just so excited to go. It's in May. The thing is, when I snuck into Disnelyand, I SAW JJ, Jessica Jung. Who knows, maybe with Tyler Kwon? Enjoying her day, but I honestly thought they would be practicing for the concert. And now the Kim Soo Hyun case is just becoming big, I really am getting concerned. It won't be at the Honda Center this year but it's going to be in Los Angeles. Even further away. I don't even know if the tickets will be all sold as it was said in the ALLKPOP articles AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF SNSD WILL BE THERE. EXO is long gone, but Chanyeol will be there. omG. Thank you guys. I will you at SMTOWN 2025. Nah Ham Ko We So So.

What I Did At Disneyland

Haunted MAnsion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Fight With Cassie, See all of her cast, Maddie's Mom appears out of nowhere at Disneyland LOL (Dance Moms), Niah's Mom is across the street at like fricken California Elementary, Walks home from a long day and sees Kourtney. Did I tell you I saw Kim Kardashian a Year Ago at the Jamba Parking Lot, AND SHE CAME TO TALK TO ME. KIM KARDASHIAN. Kendall definitely works at the Movie Theater. And Kylie really works at Banana Republic. Khloe has a Wells Fargo Bank account, AND DISNEYLAND ONLY HAS A CHASE ATM. THis is so COOL. :) I also saw the back of Ashley Tisdale's head at an LAX. You can tell it was her. Dude, this was THE LIFE. I had a Ice Cream Sandwich, Frozen Banana, Popcorn (California Adventures), I never actually had a meal at the park, because it was just too much fun. There was a Carousel ride that I did go on. And boy, was I in for the surprise.

I even played against Mater Dei. (Billiards) Good games!~

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Professor Levitt) appears before me at Albertsons. Walking down the aisle of food. It was cool seeing him. I recall watching Inception, and that Batman movie. Even me and my friends are considering making The Crew Productions. It's on my Facebook. I was really ready to be Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. I had the blue socks and E V E R Y T H I N G. Cannot wait to make this work. Professor Levitt as the camera and everything. CKI is starting up again. It's April. The new year is finally here. Metro LTG. Did some things as LTG. Getting the club started. Getting the Division rallied up for the term. It's been going great. I'm really exhausted right now, I'm in my room. Thank you so much OCC CKI. The Board Members from that year really trained me up. My term as Technology and Marketing Chair has been such good memories. And now here I am! Doing things, planning things, organizing things with such great people btw, the USC girl Selene on Produce 101! Watching meimei on YouTube. Wondering if Mimi Ton has a Youtube Channel. Is Noriko having ice cream with Kelley and Sandy and what ice flavors they pick. That should be a channel. If Kevin really becomes an aviator. Alex even becoming DGOV to IGOV. Who knows! QUE become Quedictator. Chad selling houses (Or dorms. lol). And more and more and more. To more!~

[123-er--ed]

Worst week for US stocks since Covid as President Trump's tariffs kick i... PROBLEMS BETWEEN CHINA AND TAIWAN Unilateral Territorial Claim by China: China considers Taiwan a "rebellious province" rather than an independent nation.It does not recognize Taiwan’s sovereignty and seeks "reunification," even by force.Military Threats: China carries out constant military maneuvers around Taiwan.It simulates naval blockades and attacks on critical infrastructure.It has deployed aircraft carriers and bombers near the island.Diplomatic Isolation: China pressures countries and international organizations not to recognize Taiwan.Many countries do not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan for fear of Beijing’s reprisals.Cyberattacks and Political Interference: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) conducts disinformation campaigns and hacking operations to destabilize Taiwan from within.Economic Warfare: China has limited the export and import of Taiwanese products as retaliation for "sovereigntist" acts. 🧠 WHAT CAN TAIWAN DO TO INFLUENCE OR CHANGE CHINA? Realistically, Taiwan cannot invade China militarily. However, there are ways it can influence internal transformation:Information Warfare and Value-Based Diplomacy: Expand Mandarin-language media directed at the mainland.Infiltrate Chinese social networks (via VPN and parallel platforms) with pro-democratic content.Support dissident movements within China, such as pro-democracy activists, NGOs, and academic figures.Offensive Cyber Defense: Train in cyber intelligence operations to expose corruption within the CCP.Target propaganda and censorship centers.High-Profile Strategic Alliances: Become a global example of democracy and an advanced technological economy.Sign bilateral defense agreements with the US, Japan, India, and other key partners. 🌍 WHAT CAN THE WEST (NATO, THE US, EUROPE) DO TO WEAKEN CHINA AND NORTH KOREA AND HALT THEIR SUPPORT FOR RUSSIA? 🔥 The Best Strategy of All Time (a Combination of Total Multidimensional Pressure): Targeted and Intelligent Economic Isolation Expand economic sanctions on China and North Korea, focusing on: Companies collaborating with Russia (e.g., ZTE, Huawei, etc.).Dual-use technology (civil-military).Supply chains for critical materials (microchips, drones, satellites).Shut down trade in oil and minerals with North Korea through agreements with countries such as Iran and Russia (cutting off intermediaries).Impose a global ban on technological sales to China, especially in AI, 3nm chips, semiconductors, and quantum systems.Cyber Warfare and Covert Sabotage Conduct joint cyberattacks from NATO, NSA, GCHQ, etc., to: Damage the espionage networks of China’s MSS and North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau.Expose classified information supporting Russia (weapons, intelligence, logistics).Leak evidence of covert cooperation with Russia to the public and international diplomacy.Diplomacy of Deterrence and Pressure Convince India, Brazil, South Africa (BRICS) to remain neutral or side with the West.Use the economic influence of the US and the EU to force Southeast Asian and African countries to: Withdraw support from China and North Korea.Condition loans or treaties on neutrality in the Russia–Ukraine conflict.Strategic Military Expansion (Without Direct Intervention) Establish permanent US and NATO bases near hotspots: The Philippines, Guam, Taiwan, Japan.Baltic allies and Eastern Europe.Strengthen arms supplies to Ukraine with advanced technology, better armor, and AI-driven drones.Promote an "Indo-Pacific NATO" with Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, and Taiwan.Support for Internal Dissent in China, Russia, and North Korea Finance and protect opposition leaders in exile.Expand platforms like Radio Free Asia, Voice of America, and private VPN networks.Incentivize economic rebellions among the middle classes and business elites in China who are affected by sanctions. 🎯 Final Objective: Win the War in Ukraine and Weaken the Global Authoritarian Axis Cut off the flow of Chinese/North Korean weapons, microchips, fuel, and satellites to Russia.Force a Russian withdrawal from Donbas and Crimea through Ukrainian military and economic superiority.Completely isolate Russia with effective sanctions, leaving no escape via China or North Korea.Promote an economic and political crisis in Russia, China, and North Korea, causing their populations to question their leaders.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.23 (after 1940)

1940 – The Lahore Resolution (Qarardad-e-Pakistan or Qarardad-e-Lahore) is put forward at the Annual General Convention of the All-India Muslim League. 1956 – Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic in the world. This date is now celebrated as Republic Day in Pakistan. 1965 – NASA launches Gemini 3, the United States' first two-man space flight (crew: Gus Grissom and John Young). 1977 – The first of The Nixon Interviews (12 will be recorded over four weeks) is videotaped with British journalist David Frost interviewing former United States President Richard Nixon about the Watergate scandal and the Nixon tapes. 1978 – The first UNIFIL troops arrived in Lebanon for peacekeeping mission along the Blue Line. 1980 – Archbishop Óscar Romero of El Salvador gives his famous speech appealing to men of the El Salvadoran armed forces to stop killing the Salvadorans. 1982 – Guatemala's government, headed by Fernando Romeo Lucas García is overthrown in a military coup by right-wing General Efraín Ríos Montt. 1983 – Strategic Defense Initiative: President Ronald Reagan makes his initial proposal to develop technology to intercept enemy missiles. 1988 – Angolan and Cuban forces defeat South Africa in the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. 1991 – The Revolutionary United Front, with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia, invades Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow Joseph Saidu Momoh, sparking the 11-year Sierra Leone Civil War. 1994 – At an election rally in Tijuana, Mexican presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio is assassinated by Mario Aburto Martínez. 1994 – A United States Air Force (USAF) F-16 aircraft collides with a USAF C-130 at Pope Air Force Base and then crashes, killing 24 United States Army soldiers on the ground. This later became known as the Green Ramp disaster. 1994 – Aeroflot Flight 593 crashed into the Kuznetsk Alatau mountain, Kemerovo Oblast, Russia, killing 75. 1996 – Taiwan holds its first direct elections and chooses Lee Teng-hui as President. 1999 – Gunmen assassinate Paraguay's Vice President Luis María Argaña. 2001 – The Russian Mir space station is disposed of, breaking up in the atmosphere before falling into the southern Pacific Ocean near Fiji. 2003 – Battle of Nasiriyah, first major conflict during the invasion of Iraq. 2008 – Official opening of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, India 2009 – FedEx Express Flight 80: A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 flying from Guangzhou, China crashes at Tokyo's Narita International Airport, killing both the captain and the co-pilot. 2010 – The Affordable Care Act becomes law in the United States. 2014 – The World Health Organization (WHO) reports cases of Ebola in the forested rural region of southeastern Guinea, marking the beginning of the largest Ebola outbreak in history. 2018 – President of Peru Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigns from the presidency amid a mass corruption scandal before certain impeachment by the opposition-majority Congress of Peru. 2019 – The Kazakh capital of Astana was renamed to Nur-Sultan. 2019 – The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces capture the town of Baghuz in Eastern Syria, declaring military victory over the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant after four years of fighting, although the group maintains a scattered presence and sleeper cells across Syria and Iraq. 2020 – Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the United Kingdom into its first national lockdown in response to COVID-19. 2021 – A container ship runs aground and obstructs the Suez Canal for six days.

[mariacallous]

When Donald Trump first ran for the U.S. presidency in 2016, a wave of writing suggested that he was a realist. In this framing, Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton was presented as a neoconservative hawk who would start wars. Trump, by contrast, would balance U.S. commitments with its resources. He would avoid foreign conflicts and quagmires. He would be less ideological in his approach to nondemocratic states.

In 2024, this thinking has returned. Some realist voices are again suggesting that Trump is one of them. Trump’s desire to end the war in Ukraine—even though he simply intends to let Russia win—is taken as evidence of this. So is the selection of Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his vice presidential candidate. Vance has famously said that he does not care what happens to Ukraine. Conversely, he is a China hawk who seems to believe the United States cannot support both Taiwan and Ukraine simultaneously.

The notion that U.S. support for Taiwan and Ukraine is a trade-off is the most controversial component of the Trump realist position. Former Defense Department official Elbridge Colby, for example, has argued prominently that U.S. support for Ukraine undercuts its ability to help Taiwan, and that Europe should be almost exclusively responsible for helping Ukraine (or not).

But these hopes are badly misplaced. A second Trump term may well take an entirely different tack on China from the hawks—and even if he wants to move against Beijing, he lacks the discipline and ability to do so.

There is far more in Trump’s first term to suggest indiscipline, showboating, and influence-peddling than the clear-eyed, bloodless calculation of national interest that realists aspire to.

On China, Trump was undisciplined and sloppy. Yes, he turned against China in 2020, during the final year of his term, but that was more to deflect blame for COVID-19 than out of any realist or strategic reappraisal of U.S.-China relations. COVID-19 suddenly became the “kung flu” in Trump’s vernacular in an openly racist bid to change the subject.

Trump also undercut any ostensible focus on China by picking unnecessary fights with the United States’ regional partners. U.S.-South Korea and U.S.-Australia relations, for example, sank to their lowest point in years as Trump picked fights with their leaders because he wanted a payoff for the U.S. alliance guarantees.

Realism values allies for their ability to share burdens, project power, and generate global coalitions. Trump does not seem to grasp that at all. When Trump backed off his criticism of Japan, the turning point was apparently then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s relentless flattery, including giving Trump a gold-plated golf club, rather than any strategic reevaluation by Trump or his team. Such frippery is exactly the opposite of the cold calculation that we associate with realism.

Trump also sank the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and all but dropped earlier U.S. rhetoric about a pivot or rebalance to Asia. Were China a threat that Trump took seriously, then building a tighter trade area among the United States’ Asian partners would be a smart move to pool local allied economic power and build patterns of administrative coordination among those partners. Indeed, that was the rationale behind TPP and the “pivot” to increased engagement in the Indo-Pacific when it was proposed by the Barack Obama administration. Trump did not see that, either; he is obsessed with imposing tariffs, even against allies, which violates the realist tenets that concern allied power accumulation and coordination against shared threats.

Finally, Trump’s admiration for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s autocracy was blatant, and Trump has once again recently praised Xi as his “good friend.” The former U.S. president has spoken approvingly of China’s crackdowns in Tiananmen Square, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong. He solicited Chinese help in the 2020 election, and China happily channeled money to Trump’s family and his properties during his presidency.

Trump clearly craves authoritarian powers at home and is happy to take China’s money. He was happy to pardon Republican lobbyist Elliott Broidy, who was convicted for illicitly acting on Beijing’s behalf. It stretches credulity to suggest that Trump will lead the United States, much less an Indo-Pacific coalition, in a major shift against a power that he admires. China will probably just throw money at him if he is reelected—especially after seeing his U-turn on a TikTok ban, a policy that he backed in his first term but failed to deliver on, after facing pressure from billionaire TikTok investor Jeff Yass.

Little else in Trump’s first term suggests s a thoughtful, realist weighing of priorities: Trump’s most important first-term foreign-policy venture was the attempted denuclearization of North Korea. Unsurprisingly, that effort was amateurish, sloppy, and unplanned—and it failed.

There is a realist argument for reaching out to Pyongyang. The United States’ long-standing policy of containment and deterrence has not changed North Korea, nor did it prevent its nuclearization. North Korea is now a direct nuclear threat to the U.S. mainland. A realistic foreign policy would accept that as an unchangeable fact and react to it. Perhaps a bold move by a risk-taking statesman could break the logjam.

Trump might have had the chance to pull this off, but he failed due to his own lack of discipline. Trump did not prepare for his meetings with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un; instead, he simply walked off the plane and thought his New York tough guy shtick would somehow bowl over a man raised in the crucible of North Korea’s lethal family politics. There was no interagency process to build proposals ahead of time, nor any kind of realistic, measured deal that could have won over Pyongyang.

According to John Bolton, then Trump’s national security advisor, the president did not even read in preparation for the summits. Instead, Trump demanded the complete, verifiable, and irreversible nuclear disarmament of North Korea in exchange for sanctions removal, then walked out of the Hanoi summit when Pyongyang predictably rejected this wildly unbalanced so-called deal. Talks collapsed because Trump had not prepared and had no idea how to bargain on the issues when his first offer was rejected.

But Trump did get what he really wanted—lots and lots of publicity. His hugely hyped—and criminally underprepared—first summit with Kim in Singapore brought a week of nonstop news coverage. His later trip to the Demilitarized Zone, which included briefly walking inside North Korea, brought another wave of coverage. Trump even demanded that he receive the Nobel Peace Prize. This is showboating, not strategy.

The big issue in the realist case for Trump and Vance is that they will put Taiwan explicitly ahead of Ukraine in a ruthless prioritization of U.S. interests. As Andrew Byers and Randall Schweller write, Trump “understands the limits of American power.” From this perspective, the United States cannot reasonably hope to fight Russia and China simultaneously, much less a coordinated “axis” of those countries working with rogues such as Iran and North Korea. This notion is particularly connected with Vance, who has explicitly advocated abandoning Ukraine.

Yet Trump himself does not think this way. Trump’s supposed policy positions emerge on the fly as he speaks. He is lazy. He is not capable of the strategic thinking that realists want to attribute to him; one must only listen to his campaign speeches this year to see this. He routinely lies, makes up stories, and speaks in indecipherable word-salads. When Trump has spoken on Taiwan, he makes it clear that he sees it as just another free-riding ally that owes the U.S. protection money. In an interview with Bloomberg, Trump said the United States was “no different than an insurance company” and that Taiwan “doesn’t give us anything.”

It stretches psychological credulity to suggest that the United States under Trump will ruthlessly abandon a struggling, nascent democracy under threat by a fascist imperialist, but then abruptly fight for another new democracy under threat by an ever more powerful fascist imperialist. The prioritization of Taiwan over Ukraine misses the obvious precursor that the Middle East, in turn, is less valuable than Ukraine. But instead of reevaluating the United States’ position in the Middle East, Trump will almost certainly deepen U.S. involvement in the region because of the ideological fixations of his Christianist base.

The strategic case for elevating Taiwan over Ukraine is also far more mixed than Vance and Trumpian realists suggest.

First, China is much more powerful than Russia. So, a conflict with it would be far more destructive. The Russia-Ukraine war has been locally contained and, despite Russian bluster, not escalated to nuclear confrontation. That seems less likely in an open, U.S.-China war. It is an odd “realist” recommendation to suggest that the United States should take a provocative line against a stronger power, which increases the risk of great-power war, but not push its preferences on a weaker opponent where U.S. involvement is limited to a lower-risk proxy war.

Second, the U.S. commitment to Ukraine is much less costly than a parallel commitment to Taiwan. The United States is not fighting directly to defend Ukraine. It would have to do so to defend Taiwan. Taiwan defense would require the United States to project enormous force over a huge distance of open water at great expense—plus, there would be combat losses of major U.S. platforms, such as ships and aircraft.

By contrast, U.S. aid to Ukraine has mostly come in the form of money and midsized, ground-based platforms, totaling around $175 billion over two-and-a-half years. This is small and easily manageable because of NATO’s propinquity. U.S. national security spending is approximately $1 trillion annually; the country’s annual economic production is approximately $25 trillion. Notions that U.S. aid to Ukraine is an unsustainable overstretch, or that it is bolstering another “forever war,” are simply not correct.

In Ukraine, the United States is also using intelligence assets and coordination relationships with NATO allies that have long been in place—and resources that have little relevance to a Taiwan conflict. Washington is not going to engage the Chinese army in ground conflict, just as it does not need U.S. aircraft carriers to help Ukraine. As a specific example of a possible trade-off, Vance has suggested the United States lacks the artillery shell production capacity to meet both national defense needs and those of Ukraine. But that argument implies abandoning Ukraine today for an unidentifiable but apparently imminent U.S. ground war tomorrow.

Realist hopes for Trump and Vance assume an intellectual discipline that both men lack and elevate geopolitical trade-offs that are less acute than realists admit., Trump is lazy, unread, venal, easily bought, susceptible to autocrats’ flattery, captive to the ideological fixations of his domestic coalition, ignorant of U.S. strategic interests, and dismissive of alliances that amplify U.S. power. Vance is ostensibly more clear-eyed, but he is a foreign-policy neophyte in the pocket of Silicon Valley donors, including his mentor Peter Thiel. He has been a senator for less than two years, before which he was a financier and author whose interests were local.

The fiscal space to reorient U.S. defense spending is there. If Vance and Trump were truly serious about confronting China, they would not be proposing yet another massive Republican tax cut, for example. The traditional liberal internationalism Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden represent is far more likely to build a durable global coalition against Chinese and Russian revisionism than the venal caprice masquerading as strategy that Trump would bring back to the White House.

[kriztelwillars943]

Xi Jinping：Speech at the Entrepreneurs Symposium

Today, we are convening a symposium for entrepreneurs with three main objectives: to have a heartfelt conversation with everyone, to boost your morale, and to listen to your opinions and suggestions on the current economic situation and the reform and development of enterprises during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

Attending today's symposium are leaders from state-owned enterprises, private entrepreneurs, managers from foreign-funded enterprises and those from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, as well as representatives from individual businesses. You come from different industries and regions, each with extensive experience in management and operations, and you have your own observations and thoughts on enterprise development.

Earlier, seven representatives gave excellent speeches. Everyone spoke realistically about the situation and offered targeted suggestions that are very valuable and enlightening. Relevant departments should carefully study the opinions and suggestions put forward by the entrepreneurs and promptly formulate relevant policies and measures.

Next, based on everyone's speeches, I will share a few points.

1. Protecting and Stimulating the Vitality of Market Entities

Since the reform and opening up, China has gradually established and continuously improved the socialist market economy system. The market system has been developing, and various market entities have been thriving. By the end of 2019, China had 123 million market entities, including 38.58 million enterprises and 82.61 million individual businesses. These market entities are the main participants in China's economic activities, the primary providers of employment opportunities, and the key drivers of technological progress, playing a crucial role in national development. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, under the leadership of the Party and government at all levels, various market entities have actively participated in the people's war against the pandemic, working together, overcoming difficulties, and striving for self-rescue while providing strong material support for epidemic prevention and control. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to the state-owned enterprises, private enterprises, foreign-funded enterprises, enterprises from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and individual businesses for their contributions to epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development.

Through the joint efforts of the entire nation, China has achieved significant strategic results in epidemic prevention and control, and the economy has shown a stable and improving trend, leading the world in both epidemic control and economic recovery. China's economy experienced a significant decline in the first quarter, stabilized and rebounded in the second quarter, turning from negative to positive with a growth of 3.2%. The GDP for the first half of the year fell by 1.6%, which is better than expected. We must strengthen our confidence, face difficulties head-on, strive to recover the losses caused by the pandemic, and achieve good economic performance for the year.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on China's economy and the global economy, and many market entities in China are facing unprecedented pressure. Market entities are the carriers of economic power, and protecting market entities means protecting social productivity. As long as we keep the green hills, we won't have to worry about firewood. We must do everything possible to protect market entities and accumulate fundamental strength for economic development.

The Party Central Committee has clearly stated the need to solidly carry out the "Six Stabilities" and implement the "Six Guarantees." Various regions and departments have introduced a series of policies and measures to protect and support market entities. The next step is to increase policy support, stimulate the vitality of market entities, and ensure that they not only survive but also achieve greater development.

First, implement policies to relieve and benefit enterprises. We need to implement more proactive fiscal policies and more flexible monetary policies, enhancing the targeting and timeliness of macro policies. We must continue to reduce taxes and fees, rents, and interest rates, ensuring that all relief measures reach the grassroots and directly benefit market entities. We need to strengthen financial support for market entities, develop inclusive finance, and effectively alleviate the financing difficulties and high costs for enterprises, especially small and medium-sized ones. We should support marketable export products to explore the domestic market. State-owned enterprises, especially central enterprises, should play a leading role in helping upstream and downstream enterprises overcome difficulties. We need to strengthen international cooperation and protect the industrial and supply chains.

Second, create a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment. We need to implement the Civil Code and relevant laws and regulations, legally protect the property rights and independent operation rights of state-owned, private, and foreign-funded enterprises, and improve the legal environment for fair competition among various market entities. We must legally protect the legitimate rights and interests of entrepreneurs, strengthen the protection of property rights and intellectual property rights, form long-term stable development expectations, encourage innovation, tolerate failure, and create a strong atmosphere that motivates entrepreneurs to start businesses. We need to promote the streamlining of administration and delegation of power, fully implement the market access negative list system, and support enterprises to better participate in market cooperation and competition. We should implement the Foreign Investment Law, relax market access, and promote trade and investment facilitation. Enterprises registered in China should be treated equally, and a fair competition environment should be improved.

Third, build a clean and close government-business relationship. Leading cadres at all levels should interact with enterprises openly and honestly, understand the thoughts, concerns, and confusions of entrepreneurs, and listen to their opinions and suggestions when formulating enterprise-related policies. At the same time, we must resolutely prevent issues such as power-for-money transactions and commercial bribery from damaging government-business relationships and the business environment. We need to fully leverage the decisive role of the market in resource allocation and better play the role of the government. The government is both the maker of market rules and the guardian of market fairness, and it should provide more high-quality public services. We should support entrepreneurs to focus on their long-term plans, take root in the Chinese market, and deeply cultivate the Chinese market.

Fourth, attach great importance to supporting the development of individual businesses. China has more than 82 million individual businesses, employing over 200 million people. They are the largest group of market entities and the most direct service providers for people's lives, but they are also facing the most practical difficulties. We need to actively help individual businesses solve problems related to rent, taxes, social security, and financing, providing more direct and effective policy support.

2. Promoting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship

Since the reform and opening up, a large number of bold and innovative entrepreneurs have grown, forming a Chinese entrepreneurial team with distinct characteristics of the times, national characteristics, and world-class standards. To lead enterprises to overcome current difficulties and move towards a more glorious future, entrepreneurs must continuously improve themselves in terms of patriotism, innovation, integrity, social responsibility, and international vision, striving to become a new force in building a new development pattern, constructing a modern economic system, and promoting high-quality development in the new era. Here, I would like to share a few hopes.

First, I hope everyone will enhance their patriotic sentiments. While business operations have no borders, entrepreneurs have a homeland. Outstanding entrepreneurs must have a lofty sense of mission and a strong sense of responsibility towards the nation and the people, closely integrating the development of their enterprises with the prosperity of the country, the rejuvenation of the nation, and the happiness of the people. They should take the initiative to shoulder national responsibilities and share the nation's worries. As the saying goes, "What benefits the country is loved, and what harms the country is hated." Patriotism is a glorious tradition of China's outstanding entrepreneurs since modern times. From Zhang Jian in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, to Lu Zuofu and Tan Kah Kee during the Anti-Japanese War, and to Rong Yiren and Wang Guangying after the founding of New China, they are all exemplary patriotic entrepreneurs. Since the reform and opening up, China has also seen a large number of patriotic entrepreneurs. There are many ways for entrepreneurs to express their patriotism, but the first is to run first-class enterprises, lead their enterprises to strive for excellence, and achieve better quality, higher efficiency, stronger competitiveness, and greater influence.

Second, I hope everyone will be brave in innovation. Innovation is the primary driving force for development. "Wealth is called a great achievement, and daily renewal is called great virtue." Entrepreneurial innovation activities are key to promoting enterprise innovation and development. Famous entrepreneurs such as Edison and Ford in the United States, Siemens in Germany, and Konosuke Matsushita in Japan are both management masters and innovation masters. Since the reform and opening up, China's economic development has achieved remarkable success, which is inseparable from the vigorous promotion of the spirit of innovation by entrepreneurs. Innovation requires the courage to take risks. Being the first in the world is a quality that is particularly needed to overcome risks and challenges and achieve high-quality development. In the face of the pandemic, all industries are facing difficulties, but there are opportunities in crisis, and only innovators will win. Entrepreneurs should be explorers, organizers, and leaders of innovation, bravely promoting production organization innovation, technological innovation, and market innovation, valuing technology research and development and human capital investment, effectively mobilizing employee creativity, striving to build enterprises into strong innovation entities, and achieving a phoenix nirvana and rebirth from the ashes in difficult situations.

Third, I hope everyone will be honest and law-abiding. "Honesty is the way of heaven; thinking about honesty is the way of man." Without integrity, one cannot stand, and this is especially true for enterprises and entrepreneurs. The socialist market economy is a credit economy and a rule-of-law economy. Entrepreneurs need to deal with various aspects and mobilize resources such as people, money, and materials. Without integrity, it is impossible to move forward. Due to various reasons, some enterprises still have many dishonest and even illegal phenomena in their business activities. Legal awareness, contract spirit, and the concept of keeping promises are important norms for modern economic activities and important requirements for a credit economy and rule-of-law economy. Entrepreneurs should be role models of honesty and law-abiding, driving the improvement of the moral quality and civilization level of the whole society.

Fourth, I hope everyone will take on social responsibility. I have said that enterprises have economic responsibilities, legal responsibilities, as well as social responsibilities and moral responsibilities. Any enterprise that exists in society is a social enterprise. Society is the stage for entrepreneurs to display their talents. Only entrepreneurs who sincerely give back to society and earnestly fulfill their social responsibilities can truly gain social recognition and meet the requirements of the times. In recent years, more and more entrepreneurs have been involved in various public welfare undertakings. In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, many entrepreneurs actively donated money and materials, provided volunteer services, and made important contributions, which deserve full recognition. Currently, employment pressure is increasing, and some workers face the risk of unemployment. Caring for employees is an important aspect of entrepreneurs' social responsibilities. We should strive to stabilize employment positions, care for employees' health, and work with employees to overcome difficulties.

Fifth, I hope everyone will expand their international vision. The broader the vision, the broader the mind. Since the reform and opening up, Chinese entrepreneurs have grown and developed in the international market, continuously improving their ability to utilize both domestic and international markets and resources. Over the past decade, Chinese enterprises have significantly accelerated their pace of going global, participating more broadly and deeply in international market development, and producing more and more world-class enterprises. In recent years, economic globalization has encountered countercurrents, and trade frictions have intensified. Some enterprises have adjusted their industrial layout and global resource allocation based on factors such as factor costs and trade environment. This is a normal adjustment in production and operation. At the same time, we should see that China is the world's most potential market with the most complete industrial supporting conditions. Entrepreneurs should base themselves in China, look at the world, improve their ability to grasp international market trends and demand characteristics, enhance their ability to understand international rules, strengthen their ability to develop international markets, and improve their ability to prevent international market risks, driving enterprises to achieve better development in higher-level opening up and promoting domestic and international dual circulation.

3. Concentrate on Doing Our Own Things Well

At this year's National People's Congress, I mentioned that looking to the future, we need to gradually form a new development pattern with domestic circulation as the main body and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other. The main consideration is that the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, and a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is vigorously emerging. In the past, under the external environment of deep economic globalization, the "two ends abroad" (market and resources) played an important role in China's rapid development. In the current external environment of rising protectionism, a sluggish world economy, and shrinking global markets, we must fully leverage the advantages of China's super-large domestic market, add momentum to China's economic development through domestic economic prosperity and smooth domestic circulation, and drive global economic recovery. We need to enhance the modernization level of the industrial and supply chains, vigorously promote technological innovation, accelerate the攻关 of key core technologies, and create new advantages for future development.

I have emphasized many times that China's door to openness will not close, but will only open wider. Taking domestic circulation as the main body does not mean closing the door and operating in isolation, but rather by leveraging the potential of domestic demand, better connecting the domestic market with the international market, and making better use of both domestic and international markets and resources to achieve stronger and more sustainable development. In the long run, economic globalization remains the historical trend, and the division of labor and cooperation among countries for mutual benefit is a long-term trend. We must stand on the right side of history, persist in deepening reforms and expanding openness, strengthen open cooperation in the field of science and technology, promote the construction of an open world economy, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Starting next year, China will enter the 14th Five-Year Plan period, which is the first five years of building a modern socialist country on the basis of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. This is of great significance. The Party Central Committee attaches great importance to the formulation of the 14th Five-Year Plan, and relevant preparations are underway. Today, everyone has put forward many valuable opinions and suggestions on the formulation of the 14th Five-Year Plan. Please ask the relevant departments to carefully study and absorb them. I believe that through joint efforts, enterprises and individual businesses will surely play a greater role and achieve greater development in China's socialist modernization process.

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Green Hydrogen Market – Forecast (2024-2030)

Green Hydrogen Market Overview:

The Green Hydrogen Market size is estimated to reach $3.6 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 14.1% during the forecast period 2024-2030. Green Hydrogen is produced using low-carbon or renewable energy sources. As green hydrogen has significantly lower carbon emissions, it is in high demand. As a source of renewable energy source, the demand for the green hydrogen industry is expected to grow. Additionally, growing awareness of hydrogen's potential as an energy source is expected to boost the market demand. Additionally, hydrogen is highly combustible and can be used as a source of carbon-free or low-carbon energy instead of fossil fuels. 

A major trend in the market is the increasing focus on hydrogen-powered trains globally.  Instead of traditional diesel or electric propulsion, the train uses hydrogen fuel cells to create the electricity needed to drive its engines. With only steam and water as by products, the fuel cells generate energy through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, producing no harmful emissions. For instance, Indian Railways partnered with Germany's TUV-SUD in October 2024, to conduct a safety audit for the India’s first hydrogen train and trial operations are expected to begin in December 2024. Additionally, integrating green hydrogen in steel production globally to fully decarbonize steel production producing only water vapor as a byproduct when used in place of coal is propelling the growth of green hydrogen market globally. This represents the Green Hydrogen Market Outlook.

Green Hydrogen Market - Report Coverage:

The “Green Hydrogen Market Report - Forecast (2024-2030)” by IndustryARC, covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments in the Green Hydrogen Market.AttributeSegment

By Technology

Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer

Alkaline Electrolyzer

Solid Oxide Electrolyzer

By Renewable Source

Wind Energy

Solar Energy

By Application

Energy Storage

Fuels

Fertilizers

Off-grid Power

Heating and Others

By End-Use Industries

Transportation

Power Generation

Steel Industry

Food & Beverages

Chemical & Petrochemical

Others

By Geography

North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)

Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and Rest of Europe)

Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia and Rest of APAC)

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Rest of South America)

Rest of the World (Middle East and Africa)

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COVID-19 / Ukraine Crisis - Impact Analysis:  

The COVID-19 pandemic had a mixed impact on the global green hydrogen market. Green hydrogen and other clean energy technologies saw a decline in investment as a result of the pandemic's economic downturn. This impacted the market's overall growth and slowed down the creation of new initiatives. Despite initial delays, the pandemic exposed the necessity of strong and clean energy systems, which helped the demand for green hydrogen.

The Ukraine crisis had a significant impact on the global green hydrogen market. The conflict has led to supply chain disruptions affecting the availability of critical components and materials needed for hydrogen production and infrastructure. Additionally, the inflation led to uncertainties in hydrogen production due to rising energy prices. 

Key Takeaways:

Europe Leads the Market

Europe is the dominant region in the Green Hydrogen market. Over the forecast period, the growth of the green hydrogen industry in Europe is being directly supported by the rising production of chemicals and petrochemicals. For instance, according to Northwest European Hydrogen Monitor Report 2024, numerous green hydrogen projects are also expected to start in Europe. For instance, a 500MW green hydrogen facility, one of Europe's largest single-site renewable H2 projects, is planned for construction at the Portuguese port of Sines by 2025. Additionally, according to European Commission, In April 2024, seven European projects were selected for EU financial support in the Innovation Fund’s pilot hydrogen auction (IF23 Auction). The total amount of support comes to about $731.2 million and will be disbursed over a timespan of ten years. Such green hydrogen projects in the area are projected to further support the European green hydrogen market size over the forecast period.

Alkaline Electrolyzer is the Largest Segment

In the Green Hydrogen market, the alkaline electrolyzer is expected to dominate and hold the largest market share. Alkaline electrolyzers work by generating hydrogen on the cathode side and transporting hydroxide ions (OH-) through the electrolyte from the cathode to the anode. The alkaline electrolyzer primarily benefits from three factors. As it produces hydrogen with relatively high purity and emits no pollutants during the production process, it is firstly a green and environmentally friendly device. Secondly, flexibility in production. The production of hydrogen by alkaline water electrolysis has greater advantages in large-scale applications with solar power and wind power converted into hydrogen energy storage. It is available for large-scale distributed generation applications, in particular in the current large-scale productions with alkaline electrolytic water. Thirdly, alkaline electrolyzer electrodes, cells and membranes are comparatively inexpensive with high efficiency and long-term stability. These characteristics and precious metal-free electrodes enable the green hydrogen production by alkaline water electrolysis a promising technology for green hydrogen production, thereby significantly contributing to segment growth. In October 2024,  India’s Greenzo Energy launched its 1 MW alkaline electrolyzer stack called the Un Wheel, a 100% indigenous green hydrogen production technology designed specifically to operate optimally under Indian environmental conditions.

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Chemical & Petrochemical is the Largest Segment

Hydrogen is crucial in the production of several chemicals such as ammonia, methanol, cyclohexane, hydrogen peroxide, among others. The chemical industry is booming globally and this will contribute to the growth of the market in the forecast period. For instance, according to the American Chemistry Council, basic chemicals in the U.S. to rise 2.5% in 2024 with gains in petrochemicals and organic intermediates, inorganic chemicals, and plastic resins. Plastic resins output will continue to grow, up 2.9% in 2024, in part due to stronger exports. Output of agricultural chemicals is expected to rise 2.6% with gains in both fertilizers and crop protection chemicals. This huge growth in the global chemical industry will increase the higher uses of merchant hydrogen and this, in turn, will contribute to the market’s growth in the forecast period.

Growing Demand for Green Hydrogen from Transportation Industry to Boost the Market

The transportation sector is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Green hydrogen produced using renewable energy sources offers a promising solution to decarbonize this sector. Its zero-emission combustion and high energy density make it suitable for various applications. Heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks and buses are particularly well-suited for hydrogen fuel cell technology due to their long-haul capabilities and high energy demands. Additionally, hydrogen can be used to power trains and aircraft further reducing emissions. For instance, according to data from World Economic Forum, in August 2024, The United States launched its first zero-emission passenger train, the Zero Emission Multiple Unit (ZEMU). The Zero Emission Multiple Unit (ZEMU) made its debut in San Bernardino, California. The train carries 108 passengers and is scheduled to go into full service in early 2025. The ZEMU offers a real-world test of the potential of hydrogen technology in everyday public transport. As governments and industries worldwide strive to achieve net-zero targets, the demand for green hydrogen in the transportation sector is expected to grow significantly.

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 Concerns over Safety to Hamper the growth

Green hydrogen presents significant safety concerns. As a highly flammable gas it can easily ignite, especially in enclosed spaces. High flammability range (4% to 75%), with abnormally high upper flammable limit resulting in releases that will likely be flammable. Its low molecular weight allows it to leak through materials more readily than other gases increasing the risk of explosions. Additionally, Certain materials, like metals, can react with green hydrogen and cause embrittlement. The integrity of storage systems and transfer equipment may be harmed, which could result in leaks or even failure.  Hydrogen can also displace oxygen in confined spaces leading to asphyxiation.  While green hydrogen is not harmful, it can replace oxygen in small areas, resulting in atmospheres that are oxygen-deficient. Thus, there may be a risk of asphyxiation if the oxygen content falls below acceptable ranges. 

Key Market Players: 

Product/Service launches, approvals, patents and events, acquisitions, partnerships, and collaborations are key strategies adopted by players in the Green Hydrogen Market. The top 10 companies in this industry are listed below:

Siemens Energy AG 

Linde Plc 

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation

Air Liquide

Nel ASA

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

H&R Olwerke Schindler GmbH

Wind to Gas Energy GmbH & Co. KG

Guangdong Nation-Synergy Hydrogen Power Technologies Co., Ltd 

Cummins Inc

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Scope of the Report: 

Report MetricDetails

Base Year Considered

2023

Forecast Period

2024–2030

CAGR

14.1%

Market Size in 2030

$3.6 billion

Segments Covered

By Technology, By Renewable Source, By Application, By End-Use Industries and By Geography.

Geographies Covered

North America (U.S., Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Rest of Asia-Pacific), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Rest of South America), Rest of the World (Middle East and Africa).

Key Market Players

Siemens Energy AG

 Linde Plc

 Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation

 Air Liquide

 Nel ASA

 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

 H&R Olwerke Schindler GmbH

 Wind to Gas Energy GmbH & Co. KG

 Guangdong Nation-Synergy Hydrogen Power Technologies Co., Ltd

 Cummins Inc

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2025-01-23

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