Posts by chris

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  • OnPoint: Google to Embargo China,

    "Within the PRC government, the PLA maintains a semi-autonomous existence. The PLA reports not to the State Council of the People's Republic of China but rather to two Central Military Commissions, one belonging to the state and one belonging to the party. In practice, the two CMC's do not conflict because their membership is almost identical.

    By convention the chairman and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission are civilian members of the Communist Party of China, but they are not necessarily the heads of the civilian government. It was the case with both Jiang Zemin and Deng Xiaoping, that the retained the office of chairman even after relinquishing their other positions.

    In contrast to other nations, the Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of China is not the head of the military, and is in fact a rather low ranking official.

    Branches: People's Liberation Army (PLA), which includes the Ground Forces; Navy (includes Naval Infantry (marines) and Naval Aviation); Air Force, Second Artillery Corps (the strategic missile force); People's Armed Police (internal security troops, nominally subordinate to Ministry of Public Security, but included by the Chinese as part of the "armed forces" and considered to be an adjunct to the PLA in wartime)"

    ...


    "During the 1980s and 1990s, the PLA became extensively involved in creating a business empire including companies in areas not normally associated with the military (i.e., travel and real estate). Much of the motivation for this was to supplement the PLA's normal budget, whose growth was restricted. Chairman Mao's belief that people and groups should be self-sufficient also played a role in the PLA's varied business interests. In the early 1990s, the leadership of the Communist Party and the high command of the PLA became alarmed that these business transactions were in conflict with the PLA's military mission. The business interests of the PLA were eroding military discipline, and there were reports of corruption resulting from the PLA businesses. As a result, the PLA was ordered to spin off its companies. Typically, the actual management of the companies did not change, but the officers involved were retired from active duty within the PLA and the companies were given private boards of retired PLA officers. Military units were compensated for the loss of profitable businesses with increased state funding."

    http://www.fact-index.com/p/pe/people_s_liberation_army.html

    real estate.

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

  • OnPoint: Google to Embargo China,

    I am concerned, particularly as a citizen of a small country at the likely limited extent of China's support for a rules-based world

    I think that depends who's making the rules.

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

  • OnPoint: Google to Embargo China,

    Second point - I think China is an unreformed corrupt one party state run by people whose thinking about realpolitik is still in the mid-twentieth century.

    one party with 76 million members. Keith's totally down with the reality of what's going on with the reference to the urban male with a job, a future and a WoW character.

    I have no doubt no one in China wants a war,

    No, they have people like you in China too Tom.

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

  • OnPoint: Google to Embargo China,

    Tom, the armies came, disguised as finger puppets. mugs and soft toys, their generals were cheap prices, their prisoners your income. This is the 21st century, this is the main brunt of Chinese foreign policy.

    It is New Zealand and not China that is still engaging in that older fashioned form of foreign policy i.e. armies killing Afghans or whoever's up this US President's term, your paranoia seems largely rigidly ensconced within this conceptual framework.

    if we have to bow to some big guy I would rather bow to tha age old wisdom of China than the rabid rightiousness of America.

    I concur Steve.

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

  • OnPoint: Google to Embargo China,

    but it's very, very far from trivial.

    150,000,000 internet users may not care Keith.

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

  • Speaker: Towards a realistic drug policy,

    I see more people people smoking cannabis than tobacco in New Zealand anyway, I thought it was already legal.

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

  • OnPoint: Google to Embargo China,

    Yeah, Baidu is bastly superior for entertainment, I know very few who take google as their first choice search engine. I'm not convinced this doesn't have anything to do with the 6 months long blocking of youtube. tug o war.

    Would China care? I'm sure any intellectual technology Google brought to China has been long since rinsed evident in the hacking of the accounts, and so, thanks for your effort towards the cause Google.

    Benny and Joon folks
    http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/aGVa80enu6U/

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

  • OnPoint: Google to Embargo China,

    Question is, of what interest are images of 六四事件?

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: You've got to listen to the music,

    longtimers

    <euphemism siren>

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: You've got to listen to the music,

    Yeah you are right about Muse Russell, those fellows effectively built a career sucking the greenmeanies from Mr F. Mercury's post-party schnoz.

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

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