Trump cedes global EV market to China; US to continue driving ICE vehicles; should RedNote be allowed in the US if X is not allowed in China? Elon, make a deal!
China is winning the global PR war
Singaporean Sean Foo does a good job examining the likely consequences of Trump’s eliminating EV purchase subsidies
China advocate Cyrus Jenssen says life in China is great. I have watched many independent videos by US and other nations’ expats about life in China and have come to the following conclusions:
Most Chinese (80 percent, according to surveys) like the social credit system, as it “keeps people honest” (same for total surveillance).
There is no free speech in China. You comply and don’t criticize the government if you want to keep your credit score up and be able to travel, get a job, etc. Their social media are monitored and censored in real-time. Chinese netizens have learned to use VPNs to access Western media and are very quick to copy dissident Chinese online posts so they don’t disappear forever.
Inequality is high in China, with the two major classes being the residents in the “Tier 1” cities, who have access to good social services, and the rural residents whose land is now being taken away from them for collective farming, in a chilling reminder of the kulaks in Soviet Russia.
The infrastructure in Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities is phenomenal. Their subway stations are nicer than our best airports. The high-speed rail system spans most of the country and comprises 29,000 miles (47,000 kilometers).
Youth unemployment is high, and young people are unhappy. The real estate collapse has destroyed the middle class’s primary source of savings; correcting this problem will require creative financing and fiscal stimulus. While its exports remain robust, China’s domestic demand is only slowly growing, which most analysts say is the solution to their “over-production problem.”
Elon Musk should tell Xi that RedNote (discussed in Janssens’s video, and owned in China) will be banned unless X is allowed in China.
Let free speech determine who wins the global PR war!
Wild times! Pray for peace!