So has there been a coup in China?

I know a fair few Chinese people who emigrated and their general view of China is just that they never trust the government to be anything other than authoritarian - assume nothing, distrust motives etc. They’re more just wary and weary of it and have no particular desire to live there again.

I just hope the Russian experience might at least make some western interaction a bit more cautious. Europe in particular was far too optimistic about assuming Russia was in a path towards being a friendly neighbour and trade partner. The reality of it seems to be that the political culture there really does not share that worldview at all and was always going to see strongman authoritarianism - effectively a king who can deliver power and wealth, as far more important than any abstract notions of individualism, rights and democracy etc.

I don’t think China will have that bellicose and imperial mentality. It’s far more isolationist and inward looking and seems to be always concerned about control and stability, except with Taiwan and Hong Kong Kong etc which are seen as old scores to settle and anomalies to be normalised, but the interactions with the liberal trade and democracy models abroad aren’t necessarily going to be what we might like to think they are.

I’m not saying they’re not but I think there’s a very overly idealistic world view from the EU and smaller European countries that genuinely seem to believe everyone just wants to hug, kiss, trade and share open standards.

They’re often just bounced around by the major powers, including the old ones within their membership at times.

The energy crisis we are experiencing right now wouldn’t have happened if there had been a strategy and there really wasn’t any. It was a mixture of naivety, expediency and a sort of “ah sure it’ll be grand” mentality, ironically coming largely from Germany - a country that can get very tied into domestic political knots on NIMBYish type stuff, that while very different, isn’t entirely unfamiliar to an Irish electorate either…

You’re seeing it though with the inability to critique Chinese purchases of key infrastructure. The unwillingness to accept that there might be genuine issues about Chinese telco gear, sure we are still lashing in the Huawei fibre to home gear, great stuff all together! Sure what would major international intelligence agencies know. It’s been fully audited by Eircom!

A bit of pragmatism, strategic thinking and the precautionary principle wouldn’t necessarily be a terrible idea.

Speaking of the CCP, has the government here done anything about the Chinese police station on Capel Street in Dublin?

Allegedly it’s just a typical, entirely normal police station - nothing to worry about at all, established in a foreign country to provide essential police services (lol) to the Chinese diaspora, some of whom likely moved here for a new life, with the hope of never needing to interact or see the Chinese police or authorities again. Nothing strange about the appearance of a police station at all

I know there were questions raised about it a couple of weeks ago, but I’ve heard no more.

It’s all a bit odd and I have my doubts that China would tolerate a Garda Station in Beijing, or even more provocative a London Met Police, NYPD or French Gendarmerie branch office..

I doubt we’d tolerate a London Met Police or PSNI office tbh either. There’d uproar from many, yet this is just somehow … “meh sure we’ll look into it..”

Here it is : https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2022/10/08/government-seeks-answers-from-chinese-embassy-on-police-service-station-in-dublin/

There would never have been the need to create the EEC/EU if Europeans genuinely believed such to the case. The EU is a bloc to place Europeans on a relatively playing field with the US, China, or the range of associations/organisations that exist around the world.

TBH I'd say that European nations tend to be more pragmatic about what the world is really like, and the need to compete against them.

It's the short term mentality that exists with all democratic systems, considering that parties only stay in power for 4ish years, so they rarely see the effects of their long-term strategies come into effect, or have to bear the consequences for their policies. Instead, everything is decidedly short-term. There's rarely any definite plan involved.. and the energy crisis was always going to happen eventually, the same with all crisis's because that's what happens in Western civilisations. We bounce from one crisis to the next.

Nope, I'm seeing it through my Business degrees, and my having lived in China for 13 years. I'm perfectly capable of analysing China and discussing what's involved. The problem is that my views don't necessarily match with yours.

Let’s not get into duelling degrees. You seem to be assuming I’m basing my opinions on a whim.

Jesus..