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Showing posts with label Anything Chinese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anything Chinese. Show all posts

Sunday, March 28, 2021

China's tough stance in Alaska turns heads

Standing his ground: Yang speaking at the opening session of the talks in Alaska. — Photos: AP

【完整版】中美高层战略对话现场全记录 U.S.-China Summit in Alaska [Full Version]



 

Blinken (far right) speaking at the dialogue as Yang (far left) and China’s State Councillor Wang Yi (second from left) listen.

 

 Chinese diplomats’ face-off with their US counterparts at a recent bilateral meet has won applause from many around the globe.


ALTHOUGH the two-day in-person meeting in Alaska between top Chinese and American officials ended last weekend, the fiery exchanges at its opening session have continued to reverberate and it is now a talking point among Chinese globally.

The strong phrases used by the Chinese diplomats on United States soil against their American counterparts have won applause globally, particularly from Chinese nationals and people of Chinese descent.

To the Chinese who remember history, the great humiliation exacted by the West on China in 1901 was avenged by the opening address of Beijing’s foreign policy chief Yang Jiechi at the Washington-initiated dialogue in Anchorage, Alaska.

Soon after the testy opening on March 18, photos of the Protocol of 1901 reminding readers of the unfair and degrading treaty forced on China began circulating widely on social media.

The treaty was signed on Sept 7,1901, by China’s Qing government after it could no longer muster resistance to invading troops sent by Britain, Germany, the United States, France, Tsarist Russia, Japan, Italy and Austria – the grouping was known as the Eight-Power Allied Forces..

The protocol stipulated that “the Qing government shall pay 450 million taels of silver to the Eight-Power Allied Forces for 39 years”. Together with “reparations” from provincial governments, the total sum of indemnity came to one billion taels of silver, equivalent to China’s revenue over 10 years then, says Chinese history..

According to the Global Talk show on TV station CTI Taiwan, the video of the 16-minute opening address by Yang, director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Foreign Affairs of China, has attracted “explosive hits” all over the world..

“In the past, no country bullied by the US dared to stand up to the US. This is the first time China told them off bluntly and demanded respect. People who are happy with Yang are not only the Chinese but also people from countries invaded by the US or who are suffering from US sanctions, like Iran..

“From now on, Washington must rethink how it should deal with Beijing. Everybody must watch this outstanding speech by Yang Jiechi, ” said commentator Yong See Kuan on the show early last week..

In another Taiwan talk show with opinion leaders, China was voted winner in this “most interesting diplomatic talk in history” and the United States was the loser in diplomacy and legitimacy..

Chinese nationals feel particularly proud, as it is clear that in this first high-level US-China meeting under President Joe Biden administration, the uncompromising and righteous stance adopted by Yang has cast a long shadow over American supremacy and diplomacy..

What was initially meant to be a several-minute photo shoot ended up lasting over an hour as both sides traded barbs. Members of the media were told not to leave so they could listen to rebuttals..

The expected diplomatic niceties were missing when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan commenced proceedings with sharp criticisms of China on issues ranging from bilateral relations and human rights to cyber attacks and violation of international rules..

In response to that hostile opening, Yang responded to each allegation blow-by-blow, shooting past the time allocated..

On human rights, Yang reminded the United States about the killing of African-Americans, saying: “We do hope the US will do better on human rights. The challenges facing the US in human rights are deep-seated. They did not just emerge over the past four years with Black Lives Matter.”.

On cyber attacks, he said: “Let me say that whether it’s the ability to launch cyber attacks or the technologies that could be deployed, the US is the champion.”.

On international rules, he said: “I don’t think the overwhelming majority of countries in the world would recognise that the universal values advocated by the US or the opinion of the US could represent international public opinion.... And the rules made by a small number of people would not serve as the basis for the international order.”.

With choice barbs, Yang belittled the Americans..

He shocked all by saying: “The US does not have the qualification to speak to us from a position of strength.”.

He told the United States to “stop interfering in China’s internal politics” on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan. On this subject, he added in Mandarin emphatically: “China will not buy (accept) the American way.”.

On democracy, he said: “You have your style of democracy and China has its own style.”.

Other phrases that appeared to hit hard at the United States and its Western allies include: “The US does not represent international opinion, and neither does the Western world.”.

Indeed, the 70-year-old veteran diplomat with tertiary British education has become a Chinese hero for showing the United States – and the world – how confident and assertive China can be after rising to become the world’s second largest economy and global power, with technology and military might..

Yang also reminded the United States that China, now led by President Xi Jinping, is not the China of 100 years ago, after saying China has suffered enough..

One of his most notable Mandarin phrase, “Chinese people will not buy the American way” is now appearing on T-shirts, umbrellas and other merchandise that is selling like hot cakes on the Chinese mainland..

Actually, not many observers had high expectations of this dialogue. Ahead of the meeting, top US officials visited regional allies Japan and South Korea and issued statements hostile towards China..

And just before the Chinese diplomats flew to Alaska, the US State Department announced it would impose sanctions on 24 Chinese officials for their role in “eroding” Hong Kong’s electoral system under a new Beijing law..

The timing of the sanctions and anti-China statements caused China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi to make this pointed remark: “This is not supposed to be the way one welcomes guests”..

Amidst these hostilities from Washington, many people had thought that Beijing might cancel the talks unilaterally..

But the Chinese went. By attending this face-to-face dialogue amid insults, China showed off its confidence to the world, attracting much attention..

China’s confidence stems from its achievements since it opened up to the world, according to Wang Wen, a professor at the Renmin University of China..

“In the past decade, China has become the world’s largest manufacturing country, the world’s largest goods trading country, and the world’s largest consumer market. In the next five to 10 years, China will most likely surpass the US to become the world’s largest economy, ” he wrote..

Wang sees China-US relations at their worst since diplomatic ties were established..

“After taking office, Biden has made it clear that he views China as the ‘most serious competitor’ to the US. He takes Donald Trump’s legacy as a bargaining chip in a new round of games with China.”.

Noting that the balance of power between the two countries has changed, The New York Times said in a commentary: “China today feels far more assured in its ability to challenge the US and push for its own vision of international cooperation. It is a confidence embraced since 2012 when Xi Jinping became the top leader of China..

“For decades, China approached American governments from positions of weakness. That forced it at times to accede to American demands, however grudgingly, whether it was to release detained human rights advocates or to accept Washington’s conditions for joining the World Trade Organisation.”.

The newspaper added that the Alaska dialogue shows that the Biden administration’s strategy to curb Beijing is facing a stiff challenge..

Martin Jacques, a visiting professor at the Institute of Modern International Relations at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, said the United States cannot accept the “painful fact” that China is now its equal..

In his opinion piece, he wrote: “Yang Jiechi gave a bravura performance. He let his American counterparts have it with both barrels, challenging not just the US position but also its very legitimacy. This is not normally the Chinese manner on such occasions. It is a sign that something has changed..

“There is a new sense of confidence on the part of the Chinese. That they are winning – or can win – the argument. That they are at least the equals of America. That they speak from a position of strength and America from a position of weakness. That history is on their side.”.

According to the scholar, the Americans have hitherto always thought of themselves as running the show: “The shock visible in the body language of Blinken and Sullivan was the realisation that this was no longer the case.”.

Jacques added: “America is in the process of coming to the painful realisation that China is now its equal. However, it cannot bring itself to accept what is already an historical reality.”.

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What science says about happy, naughty dogs




 Bored and lonely dogs may end up barking inappropriately. Photo: 123rf.com

 

Dogs have lived with us for 20,000 to 40,000 years but we’re still having heated discussions about chewing, stealing and messy eating. Thankfully, dog lovers do get to grips with these issues and behavioural science is helping to suss out underlying issues.

The furry thief
Minnie is a sweet little thief. — Molly Ooi

Minnie is a sweet little thief. — Molly OoiMinnie is a sweet little thief. — Molly Ooi >>

Molly Ooi who lives in Penang has had a steady procession of rescue animals living with her all her life. Her pets have the run of the house and garden, and are never caged or chained. As such, they have plenty of scope getting into mischief.

“All of our pets have their little habits, but one of the sweetest little thieves has to be Minnie, the Pinscher-mix, ” Ooi recalls.

“Although small, she decided early on that she was queen of the house. She was very good about our things, but anything that landed on the floor, she considered hers. Whenever she came across a dropped rubber, pencil, ruler or other item, she’d quietly pick it up and hide it under her mattress.”

The humans figured out soon enough where their belongings were disappearing to. When conducting mattress searches, just like in the films, they’d lecture the little dog.

“When we’d tell her it was our stuff and she wasn’t to take it, she’d listen and look apologetic. She’d stop a while too. But then she’d very quietly revert to old habits, ” Ooi laughs.

For us, the concept of ownership is clear, and guilt is a response to having done something wrong. For Minnie, ownership was established along the line of "finders keepers". So did she understand what her humans were saying? And do dogs feel guilt?

That apologetic look, flat ears and big eyes, has been the focus of several studies recently, and animal behaviourists now believe that this part of our communication is still misunderstood.

In an elegant study in 2015, Alexandra Horowitz, associate professor of psychology at Barnard College, New York, presented a group of pet dogs with an opportunity to steal treats. Then she videotaped owners either pretending not to know or pretending to scold their dogs.

The dogs reacted with the apologetic look only when the owners were visibly upset. As such, Horowitz suggests that pets don’t feel guilty. However, they do know when we are upset. Also, they learn that the big eyes and flat ears make us smile.

So, in effect, our pets are saying, “You’re upset, and I’ve no idea why, but hey, let me do this so we can smile again.”

The messy eaters

Jolene Tan, Sustainable Lifestyle and Mental Health Advocate living in Klang, has five dogs: Coco, Happy, Marco, Cookie and Butter. The little one, Butter, is a Toy Poodle just six months old.

“Toy Poodles are like children; they play with their food before they eat. Butter takes her food out of the bowl, puts it on the floor and makes a mess. I think she wants to play with it, and maybe she wants attention too.”

Cookie and Butter, messy eaters. Photo: Jolene Tan
Cookie and Butter, messy eaters. Photo: Jolene Tan

Animal behavourists point out that play in wild dogs is significantly different from play in pets. Current theory is that this is partly due to our preference for breeding animals that retain puppy behaviour into adulthood, and partly because dogs are very social and are therefore keen to bond with us, their human families.

An excellent paper by vets John Bradshaw, Anne Pullen and Nicola Rooney at the University of Bristol, England, points out that pet dogs use play in complex ways. Sometimes it’s about prey instinct but more often it’s social. Interestingly, dogs also have pretend-play like little human kids where adult dogs pretend to be puppies and puppies pretend to be adult dogs. Dogs also watch and copy games they see other pets and humans play.

Dogs may play with food out of a predatory hunting instinct or because they are bored.

Interestingly, there is a third possibility. Dogs also learn very quickly how to get attention from their humans. So when clever pups learn that putting their food on the floor has their best human over to look, the doggo sees dinner time as a pawsome bonding opportunity.

Put it into context with the mismatch in communication, and it may be that we humans say, “Oh lord, you are a messy pup” is interpreted by our pets as, “Let’s have a happy time together messing about with meat!”

The destructive chewer

Josephine Lui, a consultant image professional in Selangor, lives with Benji, who is 12 years old. Although Ben is now a beautifully behaved gentleman, he was a super naughty pup with a strong chew instinct.

“I adopted Benji from the SPCA when he was about one year old, ” Lui remembers. “He chewed shoes but also the autogate wire.


<< Benji was a big chewer when he was a pup. — Josephine Lui

“After we had to get it fixed, I put up bricks to conceal the wiring. Five minutes later, Benji had removed the bricks and chewed again.

“I then found a plastic cover that protected the wiring, and he was okay – until we went out. The second we were out of the gate, he chewed off the cover and the wire.

“We had to embed the wiring into the wall, cementing it in. But when friends came, he chewed their shoes. He only chewed the soles, not the top, and one shoe out of each pair – but our guests were not happy. But he’s a dog, right?’

Unfortunately, Benji wasn’t interested in chew toys. So Lui tried training. “Of course, don’t hit or scold, as he won’t understand. He’s a dog and they chew. What I did was watch, and when he chewed something forbidden, I would put him on the leash for an hour.”

It took some months but it worked and adult Benji is a Good Boy.

All dogs chew and they must do so for their physical and mental health. In the wild, adult dogs gnaw on bones for fun and relaxation but also to keep their teeth and gums clean. Likewise, pet adult dogs need a steady supply of bones and dental chews in order to keep them happy and to prevent periodontal disease.

For dogs under two years old, there are three chewing stages. Tiny puppies get their milk teeth when they are two to three weeks old. Their adult teeth grow in when they are about four four months old.

During both times, your pet’s gums hurt and chewing helps relieve the pain. So, it’s really important to have chew toys and bones around 24/7 – just like human babies need their teething rings.

When your puppy is about eight months old, it should have adult teeth. However, over the next 12 months or so, the teeth have to be set firmly into the jawbone. Again, this takes more chewing.

Basically, any young dog is going to chew. A lot. And while you can distract dogs with toys, and put your shoes up high, you can expect some destruction.

Stopping unwanted behaviour

It is not possible to train a dog to be un-doglike. However, below are tips to eliminate undesirable canine behaviour:

Be reasonable. Dogs will chew, shed, drool, bark, run around, and be their canine selves. Also, puppies are like tiny babies. Don’t expect amazing behaviour instantly.

Never punish. Hitting or shouting just makes your pet afraid of you. It’s not just cruel; it’s not useful. Instead, redirect behaviour and reward-wanted behaviour.

For example, your pet will chew, it has to obey its natural instinct and have healthy teeth and gums. So watch your puppy and reward it with praise and petting for chewing of bones and toys. If it takes your shoe, remove the shoe (nicely!) and hand over a chew toy. Then praise. Also remove temptation like autogate wires.

Bored and lonely dogs may end up barking inappropriately. Photo: 123rf.comBored and lonely dogs may end up barking inappropriately. Photo: 123rf.com

Be social. Dogs love company and they need it for their mental health. Bored and lonely dogs will be sad. Extreme loneliness can result in canine mental health issues, and they may end up biting their fur, barking inappropriately, and so on.

Healthy dogs need several hours a day minimum with you, and that time has to be spent bonding. For dogs, quality bonding means going out for a walk together, playing a game, or sitting together and petting. If you have only a few hours a day, get two dogs so they keep each other company.

Adopt Me

Photo: PAWS/Celine Chum

Photo: PAWS/Celine ChumPhoto: PAWS/Celine Chum

Jack is one year old, happy, healthy, vaccinated, neutered and flea-free. He is a medium-sized boy, super playful and affectionate. He enjoys walks, games and chilling with people. He is looking for a happy forever home. Interested adopters please contact PAWS Selangor and ask for Jack, Tag No: P539 (120920). Note: Due to the pandemic, please call first and make an appointment. PAWS Selangor, Pilmoor Estate, Subang Airport Road, 47200 Subang, Selangor (phone: 03-7846 1087).

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