Readers Write: China: the United States’ competition for the future

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I love the expression BFF — Best Friends Forever.

I believe.in a few years. BFF will apply to America and China.

We know China is a Communist dictatorship. However. it is acting more like a capitalist system spreading its financial and technological tentacles throughout the world.

Consider the following:

  1. BRICS TO CONTRIBUTE MORE TO GLOBAL GOVERNANCE [WSJ – 9/2/17]

BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

“China is attracting worldwide attention to how Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will shape the bloc’s future course amid challenges and uncertainties stemming from global economic sluggishness, increased anti-globalization sentiments in Western countries….The bloc represents some 44 percent of the world population and 23 percent of world economic volume…

 2. CADILLAC SURGES – IN CHINA [WSJ – 8131/17]

“Of all the world’s booming premium car companies. the biggest surge is happening for a brand many Americans long passed by.

Cadillac sales are growing at the fastest clip since the Reagan administration. The buyers are half a world away in a place where it’s supposed to be hard for U.S. companies to sell.”

 

3. CHINA, U.S.VIE TO MAP MUTATIONS – [WSJ – 9/21/17]

Game on!

“Chinese scientists gather data from millions in an effort to customize treatment for a host of diseases…scientists are advancing the world’s most ambitious effort to save a far-less endangered species: humans…their goal is to collect and analyze vast amounts of genetic data from Chinese citizens to help unearth the causes of diseases from cancer to schizophrenia,and pave the way for novel treatments…China is betting it can meet its collection goal by 2020 – two years earlier than the U.S.says it expects to achieve the same target…”

4. CHINESE LEAD THEWAY IN MOBILE PAYMENT – [WSJ – 9123/17]

‘…China’s digital payments market. by far the world’s largest. is dominated by e­ commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.and social media champ Tencent Holdings Ltd. Now the two are imparting money and knowhow to mobile-money startups in other Asian markets, from Indonesia toIndia.n

 And when it comes to mobile payments, China dwarfs the U.S.: the U.S.in 2011 wa $8.3 billion and in 2016 it was $112 billion. China in 2011 was $15 billion and in 2016 it was $9 trillion!

5. CHINA’S PLAN BRIGHTENS TESLA’S PROSPECTS THERE [WSJ -9/26117]

“China’s considering relaxing rules requiring foreign auto makers to have a local partner…a move that could pave the way for TeslaInc.to manufacture vehicles in the country. Tesla has long dreamed of planting its flag in China, the world’s biggest market for electric vehicles…”

6. ARAMCO lSIN TALKS TO BUY PETROCHINA REFINERY STAKE {WSJ – 8/5/17]

“State-owned oil giant Saudi Arabian Oil is in talks to invest billions of dollars in a Chinese state-owned oil refinery…the deal, which could be valued at as much as $2 billion, would give Aramco a more than 30 percent stake in a 260,000 barrels-a-day owned by PetroChina…SaudiArabia could supply some of the refinery’s crude oil needs…

 7. SOLAR ENERGY [NYTIMES – [4/9/17]

“China is now home to two-thirds of the world’s solar power production capacity and buys half of the world’s new solar panels.”

8. ALIBABA-MARRIOTT DEAL PURSUES CHINESE TRAVELERS [WSJ – 8/18/17]

“Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.said it would team up with U.S. hotel company Marriott

InternationalInc.to expand its online-travel footprint as more Chinese venture aboard… Chinese outbound travel is projected to grow by nearly 20 percent over the next three years.”

9 BRITAIN TURNS TO CHINESE TEXTBOOKS TO RAISE MATH SCORES [NYTIMES – 8/6/17]

“Educators around the world were stunned when students in Shanghai came first in their international standardized testing debut, in 2010, besting their counterparts in dozens of countries in what some called a Sputnik-like moment. Now,some British schools will try to replicate that success by using translated textbooks that are otherwise all but identical to those win public elementary schools around Shanghai.”

The above are just a few examples of why I believe China will be a force that will compete with the U.S. world-wide …which is terrific for keeping us on our toes.

But, how will all this worldwide Chinese activity impact their relationship with North Korea’s killer leader Kim Jong Un?

For years he has seen a useful tool for China, but now he has become an embarrassment. China and Russia turned against him at the recent United Nation’s vote against him on his nuclear ambitions.

I predict the following. Kim Jung Un will be dead in the very near future. He will have a heart attack or suffer an accident

And,of course,you and I know who will be responsible for him “pushing up daisies.”

John Messina

East Williston

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