@@dyu007 Are you aware that the USA is 38 trillions in debt? And that, as well as being a poor metric by which to measure a country's economy, the USA uses misleading data to inflate its GDP, doing the same with its unemployment data too. Lying to others to cover up weakness is permissible, but lying to yourself is not a good idea.
The most insightful message by Yeo is "watch the full video, not just a few snapshots, before drawing your conclusion"! Unfortunately, quite a few making comments here did not seem to get the message. In this easy media era where snapshots are abundant but full videos lacking, people seldom have the patience to watch full videos. Very often I hear comments about China from those who clearly have no idea what China is like and are simply repeating what they read from Western media. There is no exception here.
i watched 10 minutes of it. Ive been struggling not to post a comment about how Yeo doesnt actually answer any questions. It seems more like he is just repeating general rhetoric rather than any practical obsevations or useful information. Seems just. China cool. China interesting. China big. yeah....those things are true...but not an answer, and not relevant.
@@mjlambert210 you are right: Mr Yeo wasn't answering any questions directly. What he was trying to say is: China is way too complicated for casual discussion. Before you try to pass a judgement on China, try to have some basic understanding. Just like if you try to talk about a movie, don't start from a few snapshots. Try to watch it from begin to end a few times first. Of course this is not to say everyone who cares should go to China, stay there for a few years, tour around the country and talk to the people there. But for many politicians, journalists, commentators and analysts, talking about China based on what they read in the media or hearsay is just like talking about a movie based on a few flyers advertising the movie. If you try to find a simple answer, here is one: China is the sleeping lion who is waking up, but she is not a lion who wants to take over the world; it's not in her gene. But she is the Lion King in her territory or sphere of influence. Try to live with her peacefully albeit competitively, she would do the same in return.
@@ymw321 this is a terrible statement. It’s exactly what I was critiquing about mr. Yeo’s statements. You aren’t answering the question of what practical things can the world do to interact with China on a respectful level. To just answer with “you can’t have a casual discussion about china” What? This isn’t casual. This is supposed to be education and informative. An intentional conversation.
@@mjlambert210 I think you just answered your question: being "respectful". Macron was being respectful when he went to China, so he could conduct meaningful and constructive conversations with Chinese leaders. All Chinese leaders want is just that, respect. Unfortunately this is not the case with US politicians. They don't have the patience trying to understand China's values and instead try to impose their values upon the Chinese. That is disrespect. If one insists on some "universal values" and these so-called universal values are defined by the West, then there is no conversation but only "education". I believe this is also the point Mr. Yeo tried to make.
It's the same CCP crap I've heard a thousand times. "China's culture is "different"". Translation: The Chinese people are too dumb to think for themselves and need a mommy-state like the CCP to look over them like children. Asian Logic = Self-Serving Logic.
I'm a Taiwanese. Taiwan, its formal name Republic of China, is a province of China. Republic of China governs the Province of Taiwan, and part of Province of Fujian (Kinmen), which is only 3 km away from Mainland China. Taiwan has been a province of China and a part of China for centuries since the Qing Dynasty, for longer than the history of the U.S.
It's rare to let someone speak with a positive vision of China.I see some people are upset about it in the comments. I have seen many people speak against China without any challenge most of the time, if not all the time
I always admire diplomats from Singapore. Like George Yeo, they are clear minded, full of wisdom and analyse situations in a calm and impartial way. Thank you Alex to bring George on the platform.
I'm a Chinese and I think Mr. Yeo presented the most vital approach to understand China, which is through history. One can not understand China without taking historical element into account, because history has been playing a important, if not the most important role in China's government, foreign affair, commerce, much more.
The Chinese dudes with whom I talked they were all utterly uninterested in history. Which really struck me at the time, to the point that I really got annoyed and even angry with them. Whenever i wanted to talk with them about ANYTHING lying in the past, the stereotypical answer was always: That's ALREADY OVER (这个已经去过了), we can't change it (无法改变了), now we must look forward blablah. It would be wrong if I said "I do not buy that history crap", nay, I DO KNOW FOR SURE that for all normal people, especially the young, who are not working for the government, "history" means nothing.
The westerners will just take all the bad history wrap it up and conclude the Chinese are bad. Simply they love to demonize Asians they think we're obedient and weak. Indeed Americans and Europeans have fought most of wars these 200 years or so. Orientalism in the history, Japan bashing in the 80s, China phobia now, they always do this way looking down on Asians while self reinfocing the idea of their beloved twisted democracy based on the foundation of sacrificing non white human rights.
By comprehending Mr. Yeo's perspectives, I immediate realize Chinese people just have a gift in politics. Facing of many global issues as of now, most of answers seem already being written in chinese collapse-and-resurrection history.
History does help in someway but not for sure or not for that much, cause: 1. History tends to lost in details or sometimes are distorted in recording and understanding or interpretation, besides that, people are forgetful. 2. Even if you know history well, you just can't change the fate of a dynasty, in the past or in the future. Few people are powerful/smart enough to divert the cause of the established system, even if you know the problem, know the answer, just see how Trump MAGA.
The ultimate goal of China is to destroy United States to dominate the world. 😢 😢 ❤ ❤ You know what the meaning of "China" is in Chinese. It means "a country in the middle of ... " or " 'Middle' Country". That is, all tribes around China are "barbarians" or "inferior tribes". The ancient emperors were called "The Son of Heaven (God) or 天子" For more than 3,500 years, the ancient China Dynasties always considered themselves to be superior to all surrounding tribes. For nearly every ancient China Dynasty, once they had got into a united, stable and prosperous state, they started expanding outward, annexing foreign territories, committing genocide on foreign tribes if necessary to eradicate any possible challenges. THIS, is the real China today you are facing. Don't be as naive as these scholars, who know so little about Chinese history.
Just a wonderful & enlightening conversation George has a wealth of knowledge and wisdom which should help guide all leaders in today’s misguided world God bless George!
no. it was a bad comparation. It's only comparable to the middle ages in Europe when church tried to control everybody and every thing. Now the CRC stays out of politics, as it should
A perfect example is the American people's and congresspersons' reactions after 9/11. America was united, but it definitely did get out of control (for an understatement).
For your information, there is a group of originally Chinese citizens who have migrated to other countries due to a few reasons: especially during the era before 2010 when China was not so prosperous, was being swayed by the so-called freedom of the world outside China, for the well being of their future generations, etc. However, as China is becoming more and more prosperous and successful nowadays, it has created a rather unique situation where it has caused imbalance and twisted inner mind to this group of immigrants in the sense that they feel inferior to their peers who remained staying in China, especially when comparing to their close friends and relatives who have done much better than them. In order to strike a phycological balance, this group of people tend to spread any info in trying to smear and defame China while continue worshipping the so-called freedom and human rights of their newly adopted countries whenever possible. They just couldn't live a day without thinking back of China and the decisions they have made, kind of mental struggle. These people are called the "motherland haters". What a weird and miserable species of human🤭
I thoroughly enjoyed this interview and found it to be quite insightful. However, I couldn't help but feel that it could have benefited from a longer duration, allowing for a deeper exploration of the topic and the inclusion of nuanced perspectives, similar to the podcasts hosted by Lex Fridman.
@olivierverdys4673 The most insightful message by Yeo is "watch the full video, not just a few snapshots, before drawing your conclusion"! Unfortunately, quite a few making comments here did not seem to get the message. In this easy media era where snapshots are abundant but full videos lacking, people seldom have the patience to watch full videos. Very often I hear comments about China from those who clearly have no idea what China is like and are simply repeating what they read from Western media. There is no exception here.
@@cachet633it has an opinion said China is a civilization pretended to a country,many of Chinese agree with it(including me).China have a same political religion,the political religion have changed and grown through the history river,but the objective never changed,in Chinese its called 大同，its birth in a ariticle write about 2500years ago,these 2500years China gov(whatever kinds of goverment)and people do all the things its wants to close to it.the first sentence of it :the most common and right way is public(大道之行也，天下为公）. these kind of public including a peason can change his social class,and so on( in the article have discrbled soe of them).China is similar like a religion,difference with western its,its for political not for thology.
This remark also applies to all parties. Everyone is preaching their own gospel but not many are actually interested to listen and learn about their differences
Because the West loves China too much. Westerners love China so much, all Westerners have become Jesus, willing to die to bring democracy, justice, happiness, human rights, etc. to Chinese people. So, it has nothing to do with whether we are right or wrong about China.
Much needed insight on China to help the west understand it better. And avoid the catastrophic consequences of misunderstanding and fear on the geopolitical stage. Thank you !
The West's behaviour clearly shows they don't care for insight and understanding. They want what they want and if they don't get it. You're the problem not them.
Great to see that George Yeo was invited to share his views and thoughts. Yet, a major pity that Alex accepted his assertions as is, without the slightest challenge, resulting in a simplistic one-sided view without any robust arguements to support it. A pity, considering its George Yeo, who has such a wealth of knowledge and experience about China as a third party. I was looking forward to a more robust exhange. A quick look through the comments page showed I wasnt the only one feeling disappointed.
Amazing, so many guys so much cleverer and much more knowledge-able than George Yeo. World is so peaceful with so many extremely knowledgeable people 😯
@@toothpick5932 lol! you are so desperate that you have to pull out an example from ancient history before the birth of Jesus Christ, lol again. Perhaps you can't make the chinese invasion of vietnam territory in 1979 in support of their ally Cambodia because they voluntarily withdrew after less than 3 weeks?
@@Qiushishuo It was much less then a century and get fucking over it. 2 world wars happened since and all the people involved in both those wars get along well now. Germany and France are actually allies... Why do all China's neighbors hate China? Because of the west? Why are Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Burma and even Mongolia so anti Chinese? Because of the selfish actions of the Chinese, not the west. Funny that the US has much better relations with Vietnam compared to China considering they had the most recent war with them. How many centuries will you keep on humiliation Tibet and the Uygur people?
@@jeromestavros He has twisted history and facts to support the CCP's narrative. Fortunately, the world knows better now. Taiwan doesn't belong the PRC, and the CCP repeating that it does won't make it more true.
Would b good to do an interview with Taiwanese leader also. If opinion of someone who plays both sides matters, someone in the middle of the conflict should matter too?
You mean the tw leader who had been approved by Americans before he became a candidate? He will say whatever American wants him to say anyways, why even bother? 😊
@@ysw8291 Americans are the allies of my country and they are defending the right of navigation and democracy. I very much disagree with any philiosopy that advocates killing of people - like in Ukraine today for defending human rights. By your definition I have no right to life.
What we get wrong about China is how peacefully they torture Uighur muslims and other minorities and demolish their places of worship. And how shamelessly and hypocritically the OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries) and Pakistan ignores this while being concerned about the democracies of Israel, India and the West :D
Because the West loves China too much. Westerners love China so much, all Westerners have become Jesus, willing to die to bring democracy, justice, happiness, human rights, etc. to Chinese people. So, it has nothing to do with whether we are right or wrong about China.
Want to understand China? Think of the Catholic Church! Actually, the most illuminating advice I heard in a long time. It was a pleasure to listen to this interview. Thank you.
Indirectly George Yeo confirmed my earlier understanding and believe that Catholic Church is a political entity. It probably was never a religious entity right from the beginning.
No, China didn't want to. If you are saying the long history, read some books in Yuan, Ming, Tsing Dynasty. There was certain complexity rather than "China conquers them".
Excellent interview! I have great respect for Mr. Yeo, he, like many other Singaporean leaders, has penetrative insight and pragmatic wisdom. With all due respect, may I point out one minor misunderstanding about Chinese revolution: the genuine female equality: women's education, equal employment and equal pay, bound feet ban, arranged marriage ban and equal rights to community property, child custody, the right to inherit, and etc., were all done after 1949, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. The revolution in 1911 only had certain ideals, but no implementations. I remember one of my relatives talking about 1949, small working groups of the local gov and the PLA would get to the rural areas helping women to release the binding of their feet, ban parents from binding the feet of young children (it must be done seven eight years old, otherwise the bones get too hard), organizing women to learn to read to become literate, to support young women to marry b/c of love (escaping arranged marriage etc.)... It's the CPC.
I agree with seeing China as a whole and thoroughly from history, where western countries forget that China already has civilization that has brought western countries forward; gunpowder, rockets, compasses, toothbrushes, mechanical clocks, etc.
@@ysw8291 let’s not pretend similar tools didnt exist before the tooth brush, like frayed twigs/chew sticks. The toothbrush is nice but it’s not that important for progress. And why does it matter which civilization invented what? Some individual humans are behind inventions. Nationality, race or religion is not that relevant here.
@@SSDDssed It's the butterfly effect. Toothbrushes might seem like just another invention, but having it play a part in maintaining and resolving dental hygiene leading to people being healthy > making differences in the country in their own way that we cannot see. Thus I don't think toothbrushes "not important for progress" is the more accurate statement here. It's like saying torchlights are not as important for progress when you can just use candles imo
there were already compasses in the roman empire. And of course in the roman empire they invented concrete, people used short hair an toke a bath at least once a week for health reasons. after every thing was forgotten. I just don't understand why they did't invented a sewer system. If they had, we all would be talking Italian. Anyway It was a Jesuit that teached the seasons to the Chinese court so they could order the peasants to plant the crops accordingly an not random, so people would die with famine. and we gave china the writing as they gave us the mechanical clock. Two inventions in different parts of the world at different times that had nothing to do with each other...
1. What we get wrong about China ? 2. The root cause is the wrong mindset and incorrect perception. In other words , it can be stated that many countries do not have open mind and BIG HEARTS to accept China's rise. They are filled with jealousy and anger which are not good for their countries' advancement. 3. What is most important is that these countries should scrutinize China's " success formula " and adopt those portion which can suit their countries' domestic and unique conditions. 4. It is good to understand that ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME. The mindset of " Democracy and Liberal Plutocracy -- the best political system " can no longer be practical for all countries.
What we get wrong about China is how peacefully they torture Uighur muslims and other minorities and demolish their places of worship. And how shamelessly and hypocritically the OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries) and Pakistan ignores this while being concerned about the democracies of Israel, India and the West :D
Because the West loves China too much. Westerners love China so much, all Westerners have become Jesus, willing to die to bring democracy, justice, happiness, human rights, etc. to Chinese people. So, it has nothing to do with whether we are right or wrong about China.
They have been used to such pride and arrogance for decades. Only when the western hegemony ends, people from the collective west can accept others’ merits with empathy.
I'm not jealous about China's 'rise'. Didn't even hear/know anything about China until 2019 because it cuts itself off from the outside unfortunately. It was the CCPs atrocities against its own citizens that made me aware of China. The CCP is the thing everyone is critizising, not chinese culture or increased wealth over the last decades. Your blind swallowing of state propaganda is unfortunate and will not benefit you in life.
His understanding of China is somewhat outdated, but it is still a lot better than most Western policy makers. In his discussion of China's cultural and philosophical underpinnings, he understates the degree to which the regime has influenced cultural values and how traditional Chinese philosophy has, in return, restructured the regime's understanding of its own ideology. The PRC has been and continues to be shockingly candid and insightful about itself. There is no doubt in my mind that they represent the great majority of Chinese people, despite how lacking or un-democratic their electoral system might be.
cultural values = confucianism beliefs. That has been a Chinese universal beliefs regardless of your religion. It has never been outdated. Sure, we may disagree with their political system but at least the art of war has been maintained and uphold. China historically even till today do send their officials to Singapore to study governance and the art of policies making.
@reubenkhj4296 There is far more to Chinese culture and philosophy than Confucianism. While the roots of those values and philosophies generally trace back to 500-200 BCE, and while they generally follow the same themes, they are far from static. Confucianism, for example, meant different things at different points in history. What we have seen in the past decades in China is a revitalization of those founding values of Chinese culture and a resurgence of philosophical debate and dialogue, the likes of which haven't been seen in centuries. What the PRC regime has accomplished is an alignment of political ideology with cultural values and philosophies. Over the course of a century, historical trends and events have pried China away from its previously sedentary and outdated framework of governance. The result, however, is not the abandonment of traditional values and philosophies, but rather their revitalization. In more recent decades, through much struggle and suffering, the persistence of said values and philosophies have selected, molded, and adapted the regime's understanding of its own ideology and style of governance. The folly of likening China to the late USSR is that China's "socialism with Chinese characteristics" is more about Chinese than it is about socialism, just as the USSR was more about Russia than it was about socialism. China doesn't give a shit whether you want to become just like China. China is only concerned with how China is to be managed and directed towards a brighter future for its people and itself. China has never become strong by vanquishing its foes. Rather, China vanquished its foes by virtue of its strength. What western policy makers need to realize is that China isn't out to get you, so don't make yourself its mortal enemy. China has been a superpower for most of its existence, and there is no way that it wouldn't relapse into being a superpower again. Except this superpower of 1.4 billion people and 29% of world industrial output is perfectly happy to just be left alone. The gentle giant has even shrugged it off when you poked it with twigs. Don't keep challenging its core national interests and sovereign integrity. Keep doing that, and it might just get angry at you. You don't want that to happen.
Didn't you listen to what he said? Except for a brief period when China established the "Republic of China" (partly democratic in 1912 to 1949 when KMT was governement) all the rest of history has China being ruled by an authoritarian government. Authoritarian rule is all they know in their 5,000 year of history. They are used to authoritarian rule, they like authoritarian rule. The people are willing to give up some of their rights/freedom (mostly political freedom) in exchange of a government that will take care of them and provide them with security, protection, homes, so they can have a good living. You ask them if they want to be able to vote and they would say "Why?". It would mean them having to invest their time and learning all the issues to be able to be an intelligent voter. They'll just say, "leave that to the party members who are committed and know what its all about. They are more interested in making money for themselves.
@rap3208 First of all, the Republic of China from 1912 to 1949 was not a democracy. Secondly, Chinese people do get to vote. I personally witnessed their voting process while I was working in China, much to my surprise. Sure, their system is rigged elsewhere to make sure their dominant political party stays in control, but China does have other political parties, and some of those representatives do get elected at times. Lastly, to claim that any nation or people is grossly uninterested in the governance of their society is simply bigotry. Yes, Chinese people have a lot of faith in their government, but so do Canadians and Americans. It's not an isolated incident that you'd come across Canadians and Americans claiming that someone in their government must have done the research and made intelligent and informed decisions on any given subject matter. For example, let's start with why we must make China our number 1 enemy. All you'd get is regurgitation of official policy. Nobody can give you an answer when you keep digging with more why's. Everything about China is blown way out of proportion here, but the average person doesn't seem interested in questioning the direction of our foreign policy. Does that mean that Canadians and Americans don't care for democracy? Oh, and on money... Who on earth doesn't want to make more money? I'm not a billionaire. I want more money.
Yes but Kipling was also talking about an entirely different century. We now live in 2023, where Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, for example, have far more in common politically and the values they hold with the West compared to say, the CCP's prison state of mainland China.
No- Chinese opium smugglers meet in the middle to smuggle opium in to the internal areas Westerners could not venture (outside of Concession on pain of death)
"For China, Taiwan is a matter of historical justice" - it is for the same reason that Spain cannot allow Catalonia to secede. Great observation indeed 😂😂❤
The video title is what do westerners get wrong about China, but I've heard most of the points he covers before. Some new insight, but I was hoping for more. I suppose there is more if you compare what he says the aspirations are to what has historically happened.
It's a very good interview which make people understand China, instead of knowing China from propaganda with bias and lies. George Yeo leads audience to understand China along the lines of its history and culture, and realize that the systems created by different cultures will be different too. Isn't imposing one's own values on others a form of disrespect?
He had obvious vested interests as a former Singapore foreign affairs minister. Had no doubt what he said had good basis but there’s also obvious omission of other equally or even more important facts of what’s really ongoing now.
What explicitly do you believe was actually 'constructed' during or as a consequence of the conversation besides some tired old, hackneyed support for autocracy, sir? Please explain yourself. 14:12
I was born in China and raised in Australia. I think it’s so rare to see a video in social media that is actually not bias and actually explain the situation correctly to the public. It is sad to see how the mainstream media picturing China as a villain where the actual threat is not China. China never started any war, and forced people out of their homes and become refugees of the world. It is fascinating to see how the media can turn everything around. Of course, China has a lot of problems, but mostly they are trying to contain this internally. I think being so much hate is not wise, especially how the world is now at its worst financial situations and so many ppl are suffering. Hating China is not going to make our lives better. Everyone need to work together to get through it.
When Yeo, Put it as Taiwan joining China as German Unification is the total opposite, the first thing is East German people were the ones who asked for unification, not West Germany. And Germany Supported when Hong Kong Unified with China, and look how things turn out for the people of Hong Kong. Oh, about China could only be governed through autocracy is an absolute nascence. Democracy is a human right.
So how things turn out for the people of Hongkong now?Do you know how things turn out before?Why pretend that you know the history of Hong Kong and the feelings of its people?
Unified with who, the leasing agreement was expired and UK had no other choice but to return to China, it is china who would governed Hong Kong and it wasn't UK business to worry about hk. Since when coloniser cares about her former colonies well being and their economies. They always want them to be weak
The future of China and the global order is uncertain. However, it is clear that China's rise will have a profound impact on the world. It is important to understand China's motivations and goals, and to develop strategies for managing the relationship between China and the United States. However, I do think that Yeo raises some important points. He is right to say that Europe needs to understand China better in order to play a constructive role in the global order. He is also right to say that China's rise is a challenge to the United States, but it is not an existential threat. The best way to manage the China challenge is through dialogue and cooperation. China and the United States have a lot to gain from working together, and they have a lot to lose if they allow their rivalry to escalate.
Dialogues and cooperation between China and US have been going on from early 1970s until recent years. US, Europe, Japan, Taiwan all played big and constructive roles when China opened up in late 1970 through investments, capitals, know-how and technology transfers, entrepreneur management, market economy etc. US, Europe, and Japan helped China into the WTO - which propels rapid economical growth in China. China's high-speed rail system benefits tremendously from Japan and Europe's technology transfers. Many key components of China's newly developed commercial jet C919 are from the west. It costs less to ship a small package from China to US than a US domestic package from east coast to west coast - which is vital to many Chinese vendors selling goods through eBay, Amazon, Temu etc. There is a very substantial difference between the car import tax rate between US and China with US imposes a lot less tax rate. It didn't stop China from their military expansion in South China Sea and from threatening Taiwan - in addition to the tightening of freedom of speech in China under Xi and human right violations. What course of workable actions do you propose?
China must be destroyed and returned to its natural position- on its knees begging in a nation rife with warlordism and chaos. China overestimate the ability to resist this reversion to natural state.
In business it is called stalling while putting a knife in your back. Chinese can handle things way faster than anyone if they want. So therefore dealing with China needs faster decisions no discussions at all my friend. Not sure if you have ever done business or lived in China ?
@@als8627 true that efficiency is often valued in business transactions, it is important to approach generalizations about an entire country or culture with caution. China, like any other nation, consists of a diverse range of individuals and businesses with varying approaches to decision-making and negotiations. in international business, it is crucial to establish effective communication channels and engage in discussions to ensure mutual understanding and successful outcomes. While there may be instances where quick decisions are necessary, many business transactions benefit from thorough discussions, exploring different perspectives, and reaching mutually beneficial agreements. furthermore, personal experiences and cultural understanding can greatly influence business interactions. While I don't have personal experiences or knowledge of your specific background, it is essential to approach cross-cultural business interactions with an open mind
@@justinchang817As for workable actions, maintaining open lines of communication, promoting dialogue at various levels, and fostering diplomatic relations are crucial. Encouraging transparency, adherence to international laws, and promoting respect for human rights can contribute to building trust and finding common ground. Additionally, engaging in multilateral forums and organizations can facilitate discussions and collaborations on regional and global issues. Its all been done.
The more I've listened to Lee Kuan Yew speeches the more I believe this. This mentality also applies to the Taiwan and other Chinese places not just the mainland.
Really ? The Taiwanese I know have intention to fall under communist claws. Funny how human rights are put at the very end if at all of all these speeches
@jacksmith6015 and communism has killed how many hundreds of million people ? It is not wrong has been done in the past that it shld be excused And big difference between Afg, Lybia. And Iraq second war Iraq season 2 the Americans invaded without cause
@@cchrist1964 The one which is killing the most in the peace time is the medical system in the USA. Every year, there are two hundred fifty thousand to four hundred and forty thousand patients killed by medical error. No body seems to be concerned. In the war time, Japanese was the ones who killed the most Chinese people. China has thirty five millions casualties during the Japanese occupation. It's Unforgiven!
Lee Kwan Yew bowed down to Suharto, spreading flowers on the graves of harun and Isman, the heroes of bombing MacDonald House in the Straits Settlements an acknowledged British Intelligence facility. Indonesia has taken away the air from Singapore. Only below military altitudes the Singaporeans are allow to control. For Singapore to conduct any military exercise or fly/sail anywhere it has to request Indonesian permission. Chinese overestimate their intelligence. Chinese overestimate their capacity for strategic thought. Chinese are predictable and have common fears like hunjun, hunlun or hunluan.
I've been a fan of the series, but can't say I found George very persuasive. He would have to have been presented with quite a few (I think pretty obvious) pushbacks to address them satisfactorily, vs a number of unsubstantiated assertions he makes here.
George Yeo wasn't trying to be persuasive. He gave his views on China from the perspective of a person of Chinese ethnicity who is from Singapore. What George Yeo is trying to do is to get the word out there that there are almost 8 billion people in the world and the western's persective of China isn't the only perspective and on the contrary the majority view of China (population wise) may be totally different from the western's view. You may think that the entire world hates China but the fact may well be quite different. You are likely raised in a society and environment that is based on Judeo-Christian tradition (you may disagree) and that trumpets that the western liberal democracy is the panacea for all the ills in the world and there is only one system that works (like there is only one God). George Yeo knows about the mindset of the west for he himself is a devout Catholic. He knows that no amount of persuasion can sway you from your upbringing. The irony is that there may be more brainwashing in the west that there are in China.
@@civicblade1 You are right. It is very funny for someone who only knows the West way to question the wisdom of George, who knows both China and West very well, on China without any solid evidences.
Far away? Yes, before the internet. Yes, before oil. Not much said about global modern international trade was there? Not a word. There is nothing historic about China and Taiwan's current day global trade positions. That is very modern power. How can anyone compare the reunification of DDR and W Germany with the reunification of Taiwan with China from a financial and trade perspective of the two countries involved? Was DDR the 11th largest global goods exporter or making 60% of the world's technology building blocks (semiconductors) and 90% of the most advanced tech (highest tech semiconductors)? No. That technology is already firmly embedded in every facet of modern day culture and infrastructure in so many countries globally.
@@jam99 You mean the principles go out the window if you're dealing with entities with different power status (bigger or biggest exporter or biggest tech producer or whatever) or with different asset valuation. Come on what happened to "Do the right thing ... Did it ever cross your mind "
I enjoy listening to George Yeo's views - it provides a perspective that isn't very often aired in Europe. However, I thought that Alex didn't explore some interesting issues. If China doesn't want to rule non-Han peoples - why has it colonized Tibet (and other minority areas in the West). Is this not a sign that China wants to at least secure its border lands and where does this border end? The South China Sea? The countries surrounding the South China Sea? African resources? There appears to be a contradiction here that needs discussion and I would have liked to hear George's viewpoint. Similarly, the reunification of Germany was done with the acceptance of both of the German peoples. That was the "Western" basis for justifying the reunification. How do we weigh this Western idea that the people's will is important versus other arguments. What is the basis for the Chinese demand for reunification? I understand about the Cairo Declaration - but I don't think this is the only idea driving China's justification for unification. Similarly, is there not a different justification for splitting up a country (e.g., Spain, the UK, Belgium) than forcing two countries together? I would like to have had these ideas explored as, if we don't understand them, we don't really have a deep enough understanding of the potential conflicts we face. I am sure George has some important, well informed and thoughtful views - so I was disappointed not to hear them. Still, an interesting video.
My wife is from Shandong province and we live & do business in South East Asia. Every time we watch Hollywood movie in the cinema she always says that the storyline is so simple & predictable. According to her, Chinese movie is far more complicated with so many up & down, left & right, compared to Hollywood movie in general. That is the difference between Chinese & Western cultures. You guys in the West think 100 steps ahead & Chinese thinks 10000 steps ahead. Chinese always thinks long term when taking action. They love money for sure, but they also love wisdom.
is that the reason they are so much cultural diverse and scientific and technological advanced compared to the western culture, of witch Hollywood is a tiny part? Do they have many movies about freedom of speech, political parties, religion, etc. Maybe they are all about that, but they are so much more complicated that you don't notice it. They have such a wisdom that they didn´t understand the seasons of the year and when to plant crops before 1500, when a Jesuit priest teached them. All cultures are important and we all can learn with different cultures.
PASS ON YRS & YR WIFE'S THOUGHTS....CHINA HAS RARELY EVER WANT TO CONFRONT, & YR COMMENTS ON THE MOVIES & U TUBE SERIALS ARE QUITE SPOT ON.......I AM A CHINES 76 YRS OLD , CLOSE LINK WITH CHINA BUT LIVED O/SEA FOR 50+ YEARS........I LIKE TO SHARE MY CHINESE WAYS IN ALL THE COUNTRIES I LIVED/WORKED IN . EVEN NOW I LEARN ALOT ABOUT HOW CHINA TACKLE/HANDLE THE EVER MORE MESSY/COMPLICATED SOCIAL ISSUES THAT THE WEST HAVE BROUGHT SINCE INTERNET/SMART PHONES FILTRATED INTO 80% OF CHINESE YOUTH'S HANDS
His view is not profound precisely because it completely ignores the distinction between China and the CCP, the absolute destruction and therefore disconnect between historical Chinese culture and China post-CCP coup, and the fact that he keeps saying "For the Chinese" as if the CCP were the same as the Chinese people. If he made these distinctions his views would be more accurate because he wouldn't be able to make such broad, inaccurate statements about "The Chinese".
George Yeo, Singaporean apparatchik, talking out both sides of his mouth. Pretty sure he and others of his ilk would be singing a different tune if, say, Malaysia starst insisting they have the right to take back Singapore because of historical reasons (the Malays being the original inhabitants of the island of Singapore).
Malays sold SG to British East India Company. They did not take SG by force. Malaysia and SG separation is official which both parties agreed. Malaysia has no right to say SG is still part of Malaysia or belongs to Malays. Are you from the jungle David Koh?
or how LKY get rid of the communists in Spore, LKY didnt think that they are harmless or good for Spore, that was not that long ago, george yeo shld know the spore history of how LKY deal w the communist
An excellent conversation and great to hear another viewpoint on China. It's easy to see how sharp Mr. Yeo and he makes some very insightful points that I hadn' t considered before. Very low volume was annoying though.
Comparing Chinese government to Catholic church in the perspective of autocracy is a brilliant way to demystify as well as to understand how Chinese government works.
@@level1selamat155 of course they claim kinda world dominance based their long history of chinese civilization. Especially in the asia-pacific region, especially in front of their asian neighbors… the US- presences in this region is because of the safety of the tradeways per sea
Yellow peril discourse came from Germany. As did hitler and final solution. People don;t think "uber alles" like you. I think that's your history, not other people's history
Maybe this video got so much criticism in comments cause he was speaking very general things like "watch the whole movie". But it doesn't work, it isn't like that. You can watch a move, it takes only 2 hrs. But you cannot practically watch a nation's culture, anyway it will be only snapshots. And the better mr. Expert picked them for you the better you understand the culture. But he refused to, he shifted that responsibility to you.
How would US feel if Hawaii suddenly had plans to be independent and China supported them? There’re so many similar situations in Europe too and if China supported them is Europe ok with that? 😊
Euhm Taiwan is independent because you had a civil war... There are no civil wars in Europe atm. And also US states actually have the power to leave the union. But not one state is ever dumb enough to do it, because it's the unity that gives them more leverage and power. Also Hawaii is not ruled by an entirely political entity with a totally different economical and political system... There are no similar situations in Europe. Also what about Tibet?
China in Europe’s Future and Europe in China’s Future - A keynote speech by George Yeo th-cam.com/video/PEbsmzOA5Hs/w-d-xo.html
底下评论真的充分体现英文世界的愚昧不堪。如果欧美还是这种民主专制，洗脑化、宗教化的认知水平，早晚有一天中华文明已经开启星际文明，你们还在地球打嘴炮。中国的成功关键很简单，遵循实践是检验真理的唯一标准，所有概念理论，都必须结合中国的实践来判断是否正确。欧美很擅长制造新概念来让维护自身地位，但面对中国打破他们的宣传后，就越来越多依赖于谎言了。
Communist China occupied Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia - Yeh definitely China isn't"expansionist" 😂😂😂
@@jasha9sandhu you should learn more about history before yapping around make a stupid comments. jealousy is a poison for your heart.
@@jasha9sandhu
How ignorant you are!🙄
George, you know what is 漢賊不兩立?
Have you pointed out even 1 wrong doing of China? Or are you intellectually honest?
Americans have never met an Asian who will say "no" to them until they met Chinese. That's what is making Washington uncomfortable.
Because China is as powerful as American now
How can American stand that
China's GDP still $7 trillion behind US. China still has a few years to go yet.
@@dyu007
Are you aware that the USA is 38 trillions in debt? And that, as well as being a poor metric by which to measure a country's economy, the USA uses misleading data to inflate its GDP, doing the same with its unemployment data too. Lying to others to cover up weakness is permissible, but lying to yourself is not a good idea.
@@WingkKongit’s why they see China as their greatest enemy because it terrifies them
The most insightful message by Yeo is "watch the full video, not just a few snapshots, before drawing your conclusion"! Unfortunately, quite a few making comments here did not seem to get the message. In this easy media era where snapshots are abundant but full videos lacking, people seldom have the patience to watch full videos. Very often I hear comments about China from those who clearly have no idea what China is like and are simply repeating what they read from Western media. There is no exception here.
i watched 10 minutes of it. Ive been struggling not to post a comment about how Yeo doesnt actually answer any questions.
It seems more like he is just repeating general rhetoric rather than any practical obsevations or useful information.
Seems just. China cool. China interesting. China big.
yeah....those things are true...but not an answer, and not relevant.
@@mjlambert210 you are right: Mr Yeo wasn't answering any questions directly. What he was trying to say is: China is way too complicated for casual discussion. Before you try to pass a judgement on China, try to have some basic understanding. Just like if you try to talk about a movie, don't start from a few snapshots. Try to watch it from begin to end a few times first.
Of course this is not to say everyone who cares should go to China, stay there for a few years, tour around the country and talk to the people there. But for many politicians, journalists, commentators and analysts, talking about China based on what they read in the media or hearsay is just like talking about a movie based on a few flyers advertising the movie.
If you try to find a simple answer, here is one: China is the sleeping lion who is waking up, but she is not a lion who wants to take over the world; it's not in her gene. But she is the Lion King in her territory or sphere of influence. Try to live with her peacefully albeit competitively, she would do the same in return.
@@ymw321 this is a terrible statement. It’s exactly what I was critiquing about mr. Yeo’s statements.
You aren’t answering the question of what practical things can the world do to interact with China on a respectful level.
To just answer with “you can’t have a casual discussion about china”
What? This isn’t casual. This is supposed to be education and informative. An intentional conversation.
@@mjlambert210 I think you just answered your question: being "respectful". Macron was being respectful when he went to China, so he could conduct meaningful and constructive conversations with Chinese leaders. All Chinese leaders want is just that, respect. Unfortunately this is not the case with US politicians. They don't have the patience trying to understand China's values and instead try to impose their values upon the Chinese. That is disrespect.
If one insists on some "universal values" and these so-called universal values are defined by the West, then there is no conversation but only "education". I believe this is also the point Mr. Yeo tried to make.
It's the same CCP crap I've heard a thousand times. "China's culture is "different"". Translation: The Chinese people are too dumb to think for themselves and need a mommy-state like the CCP to look over them like children. Asian Logic = Self-Serving Logic.
I'm a Taiwanese. Taiwan, its formal name Republic of China, is a province of China. Republic of China governs the Province of Taiwan, and part of Province of Fujian (Kinmen), which is only 3 km away from Mainland China. Taiwan has been a province of China and a part of China for centuries since the Qing Dynasty, for longer than the history of the U.S.
😅
That is so true. Ever since 1683. Part of the U.S. today was still a British colony.
@@sekaiinfini 1783* and just 13 colonies.
It's rare to let someone speak with a positive vision of China.I see some people are upset about it in the comments. I have seen many people speak against China without any challenge most of the time, if not all the time
So you don't think the CCP should be challenged when they threaten to "Nuke" other countries ???
This is called freedom of press, which really presses you when you have different opinions.
Amen
@@adamcroft3705 : So you support threatening to "Nuke" other countries.
@@buildmotosykletist1987 US has done so numerous times but I don’t see the likes of you complaining
I always admire diplomats from Singapore. Like George Yeo, they are clear minded, full of wisdom and analyse situations in a calm and impartial way. Thank you Alex to bring George on the platform.
Because he echoes the Communist line.
He has lots of BS.
@@markiobook8639 1450
@@markiobook8639 What is ideological bias, you gave the answer.
@@markiobook8639 😅smart
I'm a Chinese and I think Mr. Yeo presented the most vital approach to understand China, which is through history. One can not understand China without taking historical element into account, because history has been playing a important, if not the most important role in China's government, foreign affair, commerce, much more.
The Chinese dudes with whom I talked they were all utterly uninterested in history. Which really struck me at the time, to the point that I really got annoyed and even angry with them. Whenever i wanted to talk with them about ANYTHING lying in the past, the stereotypical answer was always: That's ALREADY OVER (这个已经去过了), we can't change it (无法改变了), now we must look forward blablah. It would be wrong if I said "I do not buy that history crap", nay, I DO KNOW FOR SURE that for all normal people, especially the young, who are not working for the government, "history" means nothing.
Common understanding of history formed the backbone of Chinese culture, not religion.
Yes, the history of Mao's communist revolution. And don't you think that communism, Mao or revolution are used in some bad way. No.
@@strassmanncai you mean, common indoctrination?
The westerners will just take all the bad history wrap it up and conclude the Chinese are bad.
Simply they love to demonize Asians they think we're obedient and weak. Indeed Americans and Europeans have fought most of wars these 200 years or so.
Orientalism in the history, Japan bashing in the 80s, China phobia now, they always do this way looking down on Asians while self reinfocing the idea of their beloved twisted democracy based on the foundation of sacrificing non white human rights.
Fascinating conversation about China with George Yeo. This is the first time I watch any video twice!
@olivierverdys4673who are you again?
Thank you, values, of singapore minister george yeo.😊
Mr Yeo really knows what he is talking about. Hope more people watch this video. Thank you
Yeah, they'll see him sprouting CCP propaganda and know the threat that the CCP is to the free world.
China only believes in self-benefits... the rest is a waste of time.
Thank you,the great George Yeo of Singapore!
a china lackey ?
unbelievable mind! what a great interview
Our Mr George Yeo has the indept knowledge of history of the world. A true statesman.
And man in the street as well. That is how Chinese are brought up.
a china lackey ?
I watched the whole video throughout my dinner, enjoyed it thoroughly. 😊
Thanks Alex for the very informative interview with Mr. Yeo. I really enjoyed listening to this conversation.
Mr George Yeo, when you were in PAP, I ignored all your speeches. This video gave me a refreshed view of you.
His Catholic Church analogy is spot on. But, I think neither the CPC nor the Church like this comparison. Great interview.
Salaam Geirge Yeo
Such clarity and grasp of geopolitical realities and possibilities
Excellent discussion!
By comprehending Mr. Yeo's perspectives, I immediate realize Chinese people just have a gift in politics. Facing of many global issues as of now, most of answers seem already being written in chinese collapse-and-resurrection history.
你说对了 5000年的成人和247年的孩子在对理解人生的真谛理解一样，谁懂得会更多？ 高下立判。
History does help in someway but not for sure or not for that much, cause:
1. History tends to lost in details or sometimes are distorted in recording and understanding or interpretation, besides that, people are forgetful.
2. Even if you know history well, you just can't change the fate of a dynasty, in the past or in the future. Few people are powerful/smart enough to divert the cause of the established system, even if you know the problem, know the answer, just see how Trump MAGA.
@@晋国草民
一個 經過 5,000年進化的老人, 對於 尊重人權 尊重人性 尊重民主自由 的修為, 竟然 不及一個 進化只有 247年的小孩.
你是否覺得 這老人的 品質 品格 極為劣質, 不配做人類？
The ultimate goal of China is to destroy United States to dominate the world. 😢 😢 ❤ ❤
You know what the meaning of "China" is in Chinese. It means "a country in the middle of ... " or " 'Middle' Country". That is, all tribes around China are "barbarians" or "inferior tribes". The ancient emperors were called "The Son of Heaven (God) or 天子"
For more than 3,500 years, the ancient China Dynasties always considered themselves to be superior to all surrounding tribes.
For nearly every ancient China Dynasty, once they had got into a united, stable and prosperous state, they started expanding outward, annexing foreign territories, committing genocide on foreign tribes if necessary to eradicate any possible challenges.
THIS, is the real China today you are facing.
Don't be as naive as these scholars, who know so little about Chinese history.
@@justice9325 现在美国人会战斗到最后一个乌克兰人 以后美国人也会战斗到最后一个台湾人 只有美国人才配享有自由 其他的生物都是为实现美国自由的养料而已.
Just a wonderful & enlightening conversation
George has a wealth of knowledge and wisdom which should help guide all leaders in today’s misguided world
God bless George!
Wow! HE George Yeo hit the right notes by comparing the Chinese and the Catholicism leadership. Spot on.
no. it was a bad comparation. It's only comparable to the middle ages in Europe when church tried to control everybody and every thing. Now the CRC stays out of politics, as it should
Except the catholic church has be far more progressive
👏👏👏 bravo for Mr Yeo
"The passions of a democratic electorate can sometimes get out of control." Jeezus...
A perfect example is the American people's and congresspersons' reactions after 9/11. America was united, but it definitely did get out of control (for an understatement).
Spoken like a true authoritarianism who doesn't love populism or the need to channel the will of the people.
I’m really disappointed this guy has a ccp troll and gives him airtime.
It’s disgusting.
What’s wrong with this statement? Remember how Hitler got his power?
Is he wrong?
Singapore officials, like this one, are always a two cuts above the typical bureaucrats you find in gov't.
For your information, there is a group of originally Chinese citizens who have migrated to other countries due to a few reasons: especially during the era before 2010 when China was not so prosperous, was being swayed by the so-called freedom of the world outside China, for the well being of their future generations, etc. However, as China is becoming more and more prosperous and successful nowadays, it has created a rather unique situation where it has caused imbalance and twisted inner mind to this group of immigrants in the sense that they feel inferior to their peers who remained staying in China, especially when comparing to their close friends and relatives who have done much better than them. In order to strike a phycological balance, this group of people tend to spread any info in trying to smear and defame China while continue worshipping the so-called freedom and human rights of their newly adopted countries whenever possible. They just couldn't live a day without thinking back of China and the decisions they have made, kind of mental struggle. These people are called the "motherland haters". What a weird and miserable species of human🤭
People who can't live with their mistakes....sad, but nothing new really
You nail it! 👍👍👍👍👍
Really sorry for these guys.
On top of that they wouldn't mention they are being treated like second class citizens in their adopted countries
So damn right!
This is called "convert fanaticism"
I thoroughly enjoyed this interview and found it to be quite insightful. However, I couldn't help but feel that it could have benefited from a longer duration, allowing for a deeper exploration of the topic and the inclusion of nuanced perspectives, similar to the podcasts hosted by Lex Fridman.
I used to be a fan of Lex until he brought Yeonmi Park on there. Giving her a platform for more propaganda was just insane.
@@monophthalmus3254 "insane".
@olivierverdys4673 The most insightful message by Yeo is "watch the full video, not just a few snapshots, before drawing your conclusion"! Unfortunately, quite a few making comments here did not seem to get the message. In this easy media era where snapshots are abundant but full videos lacking, people seldom have the patience to watch full videos. Very often I hear comments about China from those who clearly have no idea what China is like and are simply repeating what they read from Western media. There is no exception here.
agreed - I could watch this if it was 2 hours
@@monophthalmus3254 i couldnt agree more.
“China and the Catholic Church” that was brilliant 😂
???? What does it mean? Country and Religion? Doesn't make sense
@@cachet633it has an opinion said China is a civilization pretended to a country,many of Chinese agree with it(including me).China have a same political religion,the political religion have changed and grown through the history river,but the objective never changed,in Chinese its called 大同，its birth in a ariticle write about 2500years ago,these 2500years China gov(whatever kinds of goverment)and people do all the things its wants to close to it.the first sentence of it :the most common and right way is public(大道之行也，天下为公）.
these kind of public including a peason can change his social class,and so on( in the article have discrbled soe of them).China is similar like a religion,difference with western its,its for political not for thology.
Thank you George Yeo! 👍🙏🙂
Such great wisdom. Excellent insight.
a china lackey ?
Fascinating conversation. George’s explaination on China by George from a very different perspective
Different from an American perspective - yes I would agree.
He's preaching the Chinese propaganda, that's all.
This remark also applies to all parties. Everyone is preaching their own gospel but not many are actually interested to listen and learn about their differences
@@taiwanlife6531 ... Says the CIA bot. Stop making sh->yyit up.
Because the West loves China too much. Westerners love China so much, all Westerners have become Jesus, willing to die to bring democracy, justice, happiness, human rights, etc. to Chinese people. So, it has nothing to do with whether we are right or wrong about China.
Much needed insight on China to help the west understand it better. And avoid the catastrophic consequences of misunderstanding and fear on the geopolitical stage. Thank you !
it is not misunderstanding. it is toxic hate and jealousy
@@alsetalokin88 you are the one filled with toxic hate, etc, evidently
@@Lost_Johnny you're making no sense and in denial
@@Lost_Johnny stop consuming the toxic hateful lying western media right away. there is still hope.
The West's behaviour clearly shows they don't care for insight and understanding. They want what they want and if they don't get it. You're the problem not them.
Great to see that George Yeo was invited to share his views and thoughts. Yet, a major pity that Alex accepted his assertions as is, without the slightest challenge, resulting in a simplistic one-sided view without any robust arguements to support it. A pity, considering its George Yeo, who has such a wealth of knowledge and experience about China as a third party. I was looking forward to a more robust exhange. A quick look through the comments page showed I wasnt the only one feeling disappointed.
My thoughts exactly. A bit of a wasted opportunity in my opinion.
George Yeo and his ilk are shills for the CCP.
I agree with you completely. In history China conquered other countries like vietnam. So I do not agree with Yeo . He is Chinese so he is biased
Amazing, so many guys so much cleverer and much more knowledge-able than George Yeo. World is so peaceful with so many extremely knowledgeable people 😯
@@toothpick5932 lol! you are so desperate that you have to pull out an example from ancient history before the birth of Jesus Christ, lol again. Perhaps you can't make the chinese invasion of vietnam territory in 1979 in support of their ally Cambodia because they voluntarily withdrew after less than 3 weeks?
Great discussion. So many more questions to ask him!
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻love you George Yeo, world must have more wise man like you
Jumping from the 1911 revolution to 1979 skips so much important history
One century of humiliation history from west should be important as well.
@@Qiushishuo It was much less then a century and get fucking over it. 2 world wars happened since and all the people involved in both those wars get along well now. Germany and France are actually allies... Why do all China's neighbors hate China? Because of the west? Why are Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Burma and even Mongolia so anti Chinese? Because of the selfish actions of the Chinese, not the west. Funny that the US has much better relations with Vietnam compared to China considering they had the most recent war with them. How many centuries will you keep on humiliation Tibet and the Uygur people?
I always learned something after watching George’s speeches. A great thinker
He simply parrots CCP propaganda. I don't think that "thinking" is involved at all in his analysis.
@@kenharvey8161stupidest comment..
@@jeromestavros He has twisted history and facts to support the CCP's narrative. Fortunately, the world knows better now. Taiwan doesn't belong the PRC, and the CCP repeating that it does won't make it more true.
Thank you very much for George and Alex with their insightful conversation. Thanks a lot...
Great conversation.
Would b good to do an interview with Taiwanese leader also. If opinion of someone who plays both sides matters, someone in the middle of the conflict should matter too?
Oh the Taiwanese leader who is half Japanese you mean.
Not the one who doesn't follow its constitution.
How about Hawaii, Catalonia, or Scotland be invited too?
You mean the tw leader who had been approved by Americans before he became a candidate? He will say whatever American wants him to say anyways, why even bother? 😊
This is excellent!! Hard to find such deep curiosity and inquiry around history today in the USA
sadly this was not in the US ... but in Europe :)
Not sure I would agree with what was said. But very interesting to see how the Han view themselves and American sailors
@@ysw8291 Americans are the allies of my country and they are defending the right of navigation and democracy. I very much disagree with any philiosopy that advocates killing of people - like in Ukraine today for defending human rights. By your definition I have no right to life.
What we get wrong about China is how peacefully they torture Uighur muslims and other minorities and demolish their places of worship. And how shamelessly and hypocritically the OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries) and Pakistan ignores this while being concerned about the democracies of Israel, India and the West :D
Because the West loves China too much. Westerners love China so much, all Westerners have become Jesus, willing to die to bring democracy, justice, happiness, human rights, etc. to Chinese people. So, it has nothing to do with whether we are right or wrong about China.
Best discussion yet!!!
Bravo 👏 👏 👏
Well said! Keep going Peace for the world 🙏
A good communication between two great minds out of East & West. Thanks!
Good CCP propaganda between two small minds out of East & West.
您有什么高见呢
Mr. George Yen’s sentiment aligns Beijing’s perspective as well.
Want to understand China? Think of the Catholic Church! Actually, the most illuminating advice I heard in a long time. It was a pleasure to listen to this interview. Thank you.
Indirectly George Yeo confirmed my earlier understanding and believe that Catholic Church is a political entity. It probably was never a religious entity right from the beginning.
Wanna to understand Amarika?
Think of Epstein and Irak.
Completely incorrect erroneous and simplistic understanding of the Catholic Church. False similarity. Catholic Church never murders.
@@markiobook8639 sure, RC priests sure brings a whole new meaning to loving them altar boys. LOL
@@markiobook8639have your ever heard of burning at the stake? The church also had its dark history of killing heretics in the past.
"China never wanted to conquor other nations"?
What did it do to Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and Xingiang?
No, China didn't want to. If you are saying the long history, read some books in Yuan, Ming, Tsing Dynasty. There was certain complexity rather than "China conquers them".
The 3 provinces you mentioned were inherently china's since time immemorial not being conquered !
Chinese women mostly liberated not because of 1911, but because of 1949
Great discussion. China as the Catholic Church makes perfect sense.
Excellent interview! I have great respect for Mr. Yeo, he, like many other Singaporean leaders, has penetrative insight and pragmatic wisdom.
With all due respect, may I point out one minor misunderstanding about Chinese revolution: the genuine female equality: women's education, equal employment and equal pay, bound feet ban, arranged marriage ban and equal rights to community property, child custody, the right to inherit, and etc., were all done after 1949, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. The revolution in 1911 only had certain ideals, but no implementations.
I remember one of my relatives talking about 1949, small working groups of the local gov and the PLA would get to the rural areas helping women to release the binding of their feet, ban parents from binding the feet of young children (it must be done seven eight years old, otherwise the bones get too hard), organizing women to learn to read to become literate, to support young women to marry b/c of love (escaping arranged marriage etc.)...
It's the CPC.
And land reform!
Thank you for this really informative and necessary program, my vision on china has changed deeply
Mr. Yeo‘s interpretation of China is INTERESTING!
Well he is an expert on China. What are you an expert in?
Singapore plays both side. Their rewards.. wealth and security.
小心两边都不是人！
@@AllisGoodThankGoodness Never place all your eggs in one basket.
Very intelligent conversation in the time that anti China is a business.
Thank you for a pleasant change in tone. We in the global west spend too little time listening to alternative perspectives.
K goodbye to freedom of speech and any social programms then. Enjoy.
Thanks for a great intellectual conversations sharing.
Very interesting discussion……
I agree with seeing China as a whole and thoroughly from history, where western countries forget that China already has civilization that has brought western countries forward; gunpowder, rockets, compasses, toothbrushes, mechanical clocks, etc.
"Toothbrushes" 🤣
@@SSDDssed and you still use it ;(
@@ysw8291 let’s not pretend similar tools didnt exist before the tooth brush, like frayed twigs/chew sticks. The toothbrush is nice but it’s not that important for progress.
And why does it matter which civilization invented what? Some individual humans are behind inventions. Nationality, race or religion is not that relevant here.
@@SSDDssed It's the butterfly effect.
Toothbrushes might seem like just another invention, but having it play a part in maintaining and resolving dental hygiene leading to people being healthy > making differences in the country in their own way that we cannot see. Thus I don't think toothbrushes "not important for progress" is the more accurate statement here.
It's like saying torchlights are not as important for progress when you can just use candles imo
there were already compasses in the roman empire. And of course in the roman empire they invented concrete, people used short hair an toke a bath at least once a week for health reasons. after every thing was forgotten. I just don't understand why they did't invented a sewer system. If they had, we all would be talking Italian. Anyway It was a Jesuit that teached the seasons to the Chinese court so they could order the peasants to plant the crops accordingly an not random, so people would die with famine.
and we gave china the writing as they gave us the mechanical clock. Two inventions in different parts of the world at different times that had nothing to do with each other...
Fascinating discussion
1. What we get wrong about China ?
2. The root cause is the wrong mindset and incorrect perception. In other words , it can be stated that many countries do not have open mind and BIG HEARTS to accept China's rise. They are filled with jealousy and anger which are not good for their countries' advancement.
3. What is most important is that these countries should scrutinize China's " success formula " and adopt those portion which can suit their countries' domestic and unique conditions.
4. It is good to understand that ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME. The mindset of " Democracy and Liberal Plutocracy -- the best political system " can no longer be practical for all countries.
What we get wrong about China is how peacefully they torture Uighur muslims and other minorities and demolish their places of worship. And how shamelessly and hypocritically the OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries) and Pakistan ignores this while being concerned about the democracies of Israel, India and the West :D
Because the West loves China too much. Westerners love China so much, all Westerners have become Jesus, willing to die to bring democracy, justice, happiness, human rights, etc. to Chinese people. So, it has nothing to do with whether we are right or wrong about China.
keyword : Empathy ... they can't understand because they dont care.
They have been used to such pride and arrogance for decades. Only when the western hegemony ends, people from the collective west can accept others’ merits with empathy.
I'm not jealous about China's 'rise'. Didn't even hear/know anything about China until 2019 because it cuts itself off from the outside unfortunately. It was the CCPs atrocities against its own citizens that made me aware of China. The CCP is the thing everyone is critizising, not chinese culture or increased wealth over the last decades. Your blind swallowing of state propaganda is unfortunate and will not benefit you in life.
His understanding of China is somewhat outdated, but it is still a lot better than most Western policy makers.
In his discussion of China's cultural and philosophical underpinnings, he understates the degree to which the regime has influenced cultural values and how traditional Chinese philosophy has, in return, restructured the regime's understanding of its own ideology.
The PRC has been and continues to be shockingly candid and insightful about itself. There is no doubt in my mind that they represent the great majority of Chinese people, despite how lacking or un-democratic their electoral system might be.
cultural values = confucianism beliefs. That has been a Chinese universal beliefs regardless of your religion. It has never been outdated. Sure, we may disagree with their political system but at least the art of war has been maintained and uphold. China historically even till today do send their officials to Singapore to study governance and the art of policies making.
@reubenkhj4296 There is far more to Chinese culture and philosophy than Confucianism. While the roots of those values and philosophies generally trace back to 500-200 BCE, and while they generally follow the same themes, they are far from static. Confucianism, for example, meant different things at different points in history. What we have seen in the past decades in China is a revitalization of those founding values of Chinese culture and a resurgence of philosophical debate and dialogue, the likes of which haven't been seen in centuries.
What the PRC regime has accomplished is an alignment of political ideology with cultural values and philosophies. Over the course of a century, historical trends and events have pried China away from its previously sedentary and outdated framework of governance. The result, however, is not the abandonment of traditional values and philosophies, but rather their revitalization. In more recent decades, through much struggle and suffering, the persistence of said values and philosophies have selected, molded, and adapted the regime's understanding of its own ideology and style of governance. The folly of likening China to the late USSR is that China's "socialism with Chinese characteristics" is more about Chinese than it is about socialism, just as the USSR was more about Russia than it was about socialism. China doesn't give a shit whether you want to become just like China. China is only concerned with how China is to be managed and directed towards a brighter future for its people and itself.
China has never become strong by vanquishing its foes. Rather, China vanquished its foes by virtue of its strength. What western policy makers need to realize is that China isn't out to get you, so don't make yourself its mortal enemy. China has been a superpower for most of its existence, and there is no way that it wouldn't relapse into being a superpower again. Except this superpower of 1.4 billion people and 29% of world industrial output is perfectly happy to just be left alone. The gentle giant has even shrugged it off when you poked it with twigs. Don't keep challenging its core national interests and sovereign integrity. Keep doing that, and it might just get angry at you. You don't want that to happen.
@@Dermisc Why do you know China so well?
Didn't you listen to what he said? Except for a brief period when China established the "Republic of China" (partly democratic in 1912 to 1949 when KMT was governement) all the rest of history has China being ruled by an authoritarian government.
Authoritarian rule is all they know in their 5,000 year of history. They are used to authoritarian rule, they like authoritarian rule. The people are willing to give up some of their rights/freedom (mostly political freedom) in exchange of a government that will take care of them and provide them with security, protection, homes, so they can have a good living.
You ask them if they want to be able to vote and they would say "Why?". It would mean them having to invest their time and learning all the issues to be able to be an intelligent voter. They'll just say, "leave that to the party members who are committed and know what its all about. They are more interested in making money for themselves.
@rap3208 First of all, the Republic of China from 1912 to 1949 was not a democracy. Secondly, Chinese people do get to vote. I personally witnessed their voting process while I was working in China, much to my surprise. Sure, their system is rigged elsewhere to make sure their dominant political party stays in control, but China does have other political parties, and some of those representatives do get elected at times.
Lastly, to claim that any nation or people is grossly uninterested in the governance of their society is simply bigotry. Yes, Chinese people have a lot of faith in their government, but so do Canadians and Americans. It's not an isolated incident that you'd come across Canadians and Americans claiming that someone in their government must have done the research and made intelligent and informed decisions on any given subject matter. For example, let's start with why we must make China our number 1 enemy. All you'd get is regurgitation of official policy. Nobody can give you an answer when you keep digging with more why's. Everything about China is blown way out of proportion here, but the average person doesn't seem interested in questioning the direction of our foreign policy. Does that mean that Canadians and Americans don't care for democracy?
Oh, and on money... Who on earth doesn't want to make more money? I'm not a billionaire. I want more money.
As Kipling observed, "The West is the West and the East is the East, and never the twain shall meet."
Yes but Kipling was also talking about an entirely different century. We now live in 2023, where Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, for example, have far more in common politically and the values they hold with the West compared to say, the CCP's prison state of mainland China.
No- Chinese opium smugglers meet in the middle to smuggle opium in to the internal areas Westerners could not venture (outside of Concession on pain of death)
"For China, Taiwan is a matter of historical justice" - it is for the same reason that Spain cannot allow Catalonia to secede. Great observation indeed 😂😂❤
Or how the US couldn't let the confederate south secede.
V good discussion
fascinating and insightful... well done!
The video title is what do westerners get wrong about China, but I've heard most of the points he covers before. Some new insight, but I was hoping for more.
I suppose there is more if you compare what he says the aspirations are to what has historically happened.
Understanding history is the first step, which many Western politicians and journalists have failed.
The one thing the western never figured out is no matter who sits on that chair, he is never the only warrior fighting against the enemies.
It's a very good interview which make people understand China, instead of knowing China from propaganda with bias and lies.
George Yeo leads audience to understand China along the lines of its history and culture, and realize that the systems created by different cultures will be different too. Isn't imposing one's own values on others a form of disrespect?
He had obvious vested interests as a former Singapore foreign affairs minister. Had no doubt what he said had good basis but there’s also obvious omission of other equally or even more important facts of what’s really ongoing now.
Very constructive conversation.
What explicitly do you believe was actually 'constructed' during or as a consequence of the conversation besides some tired old, hackneyed support for autocracy, sir? Please explain yourself. 14:12
I was born in China and raised in Australia. I think it’s so rare to see a video in social media that is actually not bias and actually explain the situation correctly to the public. It is sad to see how the mainstream media picturing China as a villain where the actual threat is not China. China never started any war, and forced people out of their homes and become refugees of the world. It is fascinating to see how the media can turn everything around. Of course, China has a lot of problems, but mostly they are trying to contain this internally. I think being so much hate is not wise, especially how the world is now at its worst financial situations and so many ppl are suffering. Hating China is not going to make our lives better. Everyone need to work together to get through it.
Agree 💯👍
They invaded Vietnam
all lies and Chinese propaganda
Thank you!
China is China; U.S is U.S
China will be modern in their way
They will keep their word, culture and philosophy
Thank you for this great lecture
"Keep their word?" Ask the people of Hong Kong and the British, if China kept their word," on how Hong Kong will be governed.
Why should china keep it words to UK, the one who took Hong Kong by force during opium war or is just right to be colonised by western @@nealaoki7267
this is great !!
When Yeo, Put it as Taiwan joining China as German Unification is the total opposite, the first thing is East German people were the ones who asked for unification, not West Germany. And Germany Supported when Hong Kong Unified with China, and look how things turn out for the people of Hong Kong. Oh, about China could only be governed through autocracy is an absolute nascence. Democracy is a human right.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
So how things turn out for the people of Hongkong now?Do you know how things turn out before?Why pretend that you know the history of Hong Kong and the feelings of its people?
@@starsmeng509 obviously you don't
@@ruiferreira6578 obviously you don't..
Unified with who, the leasing agreement was expired and UK had no other choice but to return to China, it is china who would governed Hong Kong and it wasn't UK business to worry about hk. Since when coloniser cares about her former colonies well being and their economies. They always want them to be weak
Thank you
Thankyou - so sober
The future of China and the global order is uncertain. However, it is clear that China's rise will have a profound impact on the world. It is important to understand China's motivations and goals, and to develop strategies for managing the relationship between China and the United States.
However, I do think that Yeo raises some important points. He is right to say that Europe needs to understand China better in order to play a constructive role in the global order. He is also right to say that China's rise is a challenge to the United States, but it is not an existential threat.
The best way to manage the China challenge is through dialogue and cooperation. China and the United States have a lot to gain from working together, and they have a lot to lose if they allow their rivalry to escalate.
Dialogues and cooperation between China and US have been going on from early 1970s until recent years. US, Europe, Japan, Taiwan all played big and constructive roles when China opened up in late 1970 through investments, capitals, know-how and technology transfers, entrepreneur management, market economy etc. US, Europe, and Japan helped China into the WTO - which propels rapid economical growth in China. China's high-speed rail system benefits tremendously from Japan and Europe's technology transfers. Many key components of China's newly developed commercial jet C919 are from the west. It costs less to ship a small package from China to US than a US domestic package from east coast to west coast - which is vital to many Chinese vendors selling goods through eBay, Amazon, Temu etc. There is a very substantial difference between the car import tax rate between US and China with US imposes a lot less tax rate.
It didn't stop China from their military expansion in South China Sea and from threatening Taiwan - in addition to the tightening of freedom of speech in China under Xi and human right violations. What course of workable actions do you propose?
China must be destroyed and returned to its natural position- on its knees begging in a nation rife with warlordism and chaos. China overestimate the ability to resist this reversion to natural state.
In business it is called stalling while putting a knife in your back. Chinese can handle things way faster than anyone if they want. So therefore dealing with China needs faster decisions no discussions at all my friend. Not sure if you have ever done business or lived in China ?
@@als8627 true that efficiency is often valued in business transactions, it is important to approach generalizations about an entire country or culture with caution. China, like any other nation, consists of a diverse range of individuals and businesses with varying approaches to decision-making and negotiations.
in international business, it is crucial to establish effective communication channels and engage in discussions to ensure mutual understanding and successful outcomes. While there may be instances where quick decisions are necessary, many business transactions benefit from thorough discussions, exploring different perspectives, and reaching mutually beneficial agreements.
furthermore, personal experiences and cultural understanding can greatly influence business interactions. While I don't have personal experiences or knowledge of your specific background, it is essential to approach cross-cultural business interactions with an open mind
@@justinchang817As for workable actions, maintaining open lines of communication, promoting dialogue at various levels, and fostering diplomatic relations are crucial. Encouraging transparency, adherence to international laws, and promoting respect for human rights can contribute to building trust and finding common ground. Additionally, engaging in multilateral forums and organizations can facilitate discussions and collaborations on regional and global issues. Its all been done.
The more I've listened to Lee Kuan Yew speeches the more I believe this.
This mentality also applies to the Taiwan and other Chinese places not just the mainland.
Really ? The Taiwanese I know have intention to fall under communist claws.
Funny how human rights are put at the very end if at all of all these speeches
@jacksmith6015 and communism has killed how many hundreds of million people ?
It is not wrong has been done in the past that it shld be excused
And big difference between Afg, Lybia. And Iraq second war
Iraq season 2 the Americans invaded without cause
@@cchrist1964
The one which is killing the most in the peace time is the medical system in the USA. Every year, there are two hundred fifty thousand to four hundred and forty thousand patients killed by medical error. No body seems to be concerned.
In the war time, Japanese was the ones who killed the most Chinese people. China has thirty five millions casualties during the Japanese occupation.
It's Unforgiven!
Lee Kwan Yew bowed down to Suharto, spreading flowers on the graves of harun and Isman, the heroes of bombing MacDonald House in the Straits Settlements an acknowledged British Intelligence facility.
Indonesia has taken away the air from Singapore. Only below military altitudes the Singaporeans are allow to control. For Singapore to conduct any military exercise or fly/sail anywhere it has to request Indonesian permission.
Chinese overestimate their intelligence. Chinese overestimate their capacity for strategic thought. Chinese are predictable and have common fears like hunjun, hunlun or hunluan.
@christophe Renaud you are a victim of propaganda.
I've been a fan of the series, but can't say I found George very persuasive. He would have to have been presented with quite a few (I think pretty obvious) pushbacks to address them satisfactorily, vs a number of unsubstantiated assertions he makes here.
George Yeo wasn't trying to be persuasive. He gave his views on China from the perspective of a person of Chinese ethnicity who is from Singapore. What George Yeo is trying to do is to get the word out there that there are almost 8 billion people in the world and the western's persective of China isn't the only perspective and on the contrary the majority view of China (population wise) may be totally different from the western's view.
You may think that the entire world hates China but the fact may well be quite different.
You are likely raised in a society and environment that is based on Judeo-Christian tradition (you may disagree) and that trumpets that the western liberal democracy is the panacea for all the ills in the world and there is only one system that works (like there is only one God). George Yeo knows about the mindset of the west for he himself is a devout Catholic. He knows that no amount of persuasion can sway you from your upbringing.
The irony is that there may be more brainwashing in the west that there are in China.
@@civicblade1 You are right. It is very funny for someone who only knows the West way to question the wisdom of George, who knows both China and West very well, on China without any solid evidences.
@@civicblade1 Uighurs,Tibetans, Taiwanese, Vietnamese,Filippinos all aprove, they are brainwashed and Chinese are not or are less so.
Far away? Yes, before the internet. Yes, before oil. Not much said about global modern international trade was there? Not a word. There is nothing historic about China and Taiwan's current day global trade positions. That is very modern power. How can anyone compare the reunification of DDR and W Germany with the reunification of Taiwan with China from a financial and trade perspective of the two countries involved? Was DDR the 11th largest global goods exporter or making 60% of the world's technology building blocks (semiconductors) and 90% of the most advanced tech (highest tech semiconductors)? No. That technology is already firmly embedded in every facet of modern day culture and infrastructure in so many countries globally.
@@jam99 You mean the principles go out the window if you're dealing with entities with different power status (bigger or biggest exporter or biggest tech producer or whatever) or with different asset valuation. Come on what happened to "Do the right thing ... Did it ever cross your mind "
I enjoy listening to George Yeo's views - it provides a perspective that isn't very often aired in Europe. However, I thought that Alex didn't explore some interesting issues. If China doesn't want to rule non-Han peoples - why has it colonized Tibet (and other minority areas in the West). Is this not a sign that China wants to at least secure its border lands and where does this border end? The South China Sea? The countries surrounding the South China Sea? African resources? There appears to be a contradiction here that needs discussion and I would have liked to hear George's viewpoint. Similarly, the reunification of Germany was done with the acceptance of both of the German peoples. That was the "Western" basis for justifying the reunification. How do we weigh this Western idea that the people's will is important versus other arguments. What is the basis for the Chinese demand for reunification? I understand about the Cairo Declaration - but I don't think this is the only idea driving China's justification for unification. Similarly, is there not a different justification for splitting up a country (e.g., Spain, the UK, Belgium) than forcing two countries together? I would like to have had these ideas explored as, if we don't understand them, we don't really have a deep enough understanding of the potential conflicts we face. I am sure George has some important, well informed and thoughtful views - so I was disappointed not to hear them. Still, an interesting video.
Really good view!
My wife is from Shandong province and we live & do business in South East Asia. Every time we watch Hollywood movie in the cinema she always says that the storyline is so simple & predictable. According to her, Chinese movie is far more complicated with so many up & down, left & right, compared to Hollywood movie in general. That is the difference between Chinese & Western cultures. You guys in the West think 100 steps ahead & Chinese thinks 10000 steps ahead. Chinese always thinks long term when taking action. They love money for sure, but they also love wisdom.
is that the reason they are so much cultural diverse and scientific and technological advanced compared to the western culture, of witch Hollywood is a tiny part? Do they have many movies about freedom of speech, political parties, religion, etc. Maybe they are all about that, but they are so much more complicated that you don't notice it. They have such a wisdom that they didn´t understand the seasons of the year and when to plant crops before 1500, when a Jesuit priest teached them. All cultures are important and we all can learn with different cultures.
Like Wolf Warrior 1 and 2?
PASS ON YRS & YR WIFE'S THOUGHTS....CHINA HAS RARELY EVER WANT TO CONFRONT, & YR COMMENTS ON THE MOVIES & U TUBE SERIALS ARE QUITE SPOT ON.......I AM A CHINES 76 YRS OLD , CLOSE LINK WITH CHINA BUT LIVED O/SEA FOR 50+ YEARS........I LIKE TO SHARE MY CHINESE WAYS IN ALL THE COUNTRIES I LIVED/WORKED IN . EVEN NOW I LEARN ALOT ABOUT HOW CHINA TACKLE/HANDLE THE EVER MORE MESSY/COMPLICATED SOCIAL ISSUES THAT THE WEST HAVE BROUGHT SINCE INTERNET/SMART PHONES FILTRATED INTO 80% OF CHINESE YOUTH'S HANDS
I don't think is a general rule I saw a different reasoning here in Richmond Canada
We love Jesus and everything will be on our side as we are god-fearing people.
Good for students and academics. But lack of substance and reality.
Yeo's view in this interview is profound and admirable and hopefully can be accepted by more people in the west.
just look at all the western think tank trolls in the comment section. LOL
His view is not profound precisely because it completely ignores the distinction between China and the CCP, the absolute destruction and therefore disconnect between historical Chinese culture and China post-CCP coup, and the fact that he keeps saying "For the Chinese" as if the CCP were the same as the Chinese people. If he made these distinctions his views would be more accurate because he wouldn't be able to make such broad, inaccurate statements about "The Chinese".
@@barkobummer : just look at all the CCP think tank trolls in the comment section. LOL
The comparison of Taiwan and Catalonia or Scotland is different. Referedum on Scotland and Catalonia for independence had been allowed but not Taiwan.
You are interviewing the Foreign Minister of China.
George Yeo, Singaporean apparatchik, talking out both sides of his mouth. Pretty sure he and others of his ilk would be singing a different tune if, say, Malaysia starst insisting they have the right to take back Singapore because of historical reasons (the Malays being the original inhabitants of the island of Singapore).
Malays sold SG to British East India Company. They did not take SG by force. Malaysia and SG separation is official which both parties agreed. Malaysia has no right to say SG is still part of Malaysia or belongs to Malays. Are you from the jungle David Koh?
or how LKY get rid of the communists in Spore, LKY didnt think that they are harmless or good for Spore, that was not that long ago, george yeo shld know the spore history of how LKY deal w the communist
You need to understand history to understand the culture/the present and prepare for the future
Just one phrase for this interview..... "Vested interests" Mr Yeo
Illuminating
very educational
An excellent conversation and great to hear another viewpoint on China. It's easy to see how sharp Mr. Yeo and he makes some very insightful points that I hadn' t considered before.
Very low volume was annoying though.
Comparing Chinese government to Catholic church in the perspective of autocracy is a brilliant way to demystify as well as to understand how Chinese government works.
It is brilliant. An example for how to explain a complicated topic to someone else.
"China über alles. Über alles in der Welt" ... Well, thanks but No. We know where the end looks like. Greetz from Germany
"Nationalism is a disease" - famous German physicist.
Unlike Germany.. Chinese don't claim uber alles in der world...no such thing.. it's the States!
@@level1selamat155 of course they claim kinda world dominance based their long history of chinese civilization. Especially in the asia-pacific region, especially in front of their asian neighbors… the US- presences in this region is because of the safety of the tradeways per sea
Yellow peril discourse came from Germany. As did hitler and final solution. People don;t think "uber alles" like you. I think that's your history, not other people's history
The usual brainless Nazi tropes from a racist.
I usually enjoy Prof. Stubb's interviews....this one was a poor one. China PR is what this was.
Maybe this video got so much criticism in comments cause he was speaking very general things like "watch the whole movie". But it doesn't work, it isn't like that. You can watch a move, it takes only 2 hrs. But you cannot practically watch a nation's culture, anyway it will be only snapshots. And the better mr. Expert picked them for you the better you understand the culture. But he refused to, he shifted that responsibility to you.
China saw and solid ground America saw on rock now it start to weather
How would US feel if Hawaii suddenly had plans to be independent and China supported them? There’re so many similar situations in Europe too and if China supported them is Europe ok with that? 😊
Actually there is no situation in Europe that is similar, as there is not a single dictatorship in Europe.
Euhm Taiwan is independent because you had a civil war... There are no civil wars in Europe atm. And also US states actually have the power to leave the union. But not one state is ever dumb enough to do it, because it's the unity that gives them more leverage and power. Also Hawaii is not ruled by an entirely political entity with a totally different economical and political system... There are no similar situations in Europe. Also what about Tibet?