China has upset many countries in the Asia-Pacific region with its release of a new official map that lays claim to most of the South China Sea, as well as to contested parts of India and Russia, and official objections continue to mount. What is the map, and why is it upsetting people so much?

It seems significant, then, that Beijing chose to release the map on the heels of a late August meeting of the BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – and just before China is to participate in top-level meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Group of 20 rich and developing nations.

In releasing the map now, Beijing is widely seen as signaling it has no intention of backing down on any of its claims and is making sure that its positions are fresh in the minds of other countries in the region.

  • Phoenixz
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    1 year ago

    So what you’re saying is that you’re fine with a dictatorship? You’re fine with millions of people being rounded up, tortured, and killed? You’re okay with genocide? You’re okay with mass censorship and mass surveillance?

    Say yes. Because if you say no you’d go against your previous reply.

    • *Tagger*@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I mean I don’t agree with them but they could easily really with: “You’re fine with restricting women’s rights? You’re fine with a country controlled by corporations? You’re fine with police summarily killing people in the streets? You’re fine with a media that intentionally lies to manipulate parts of the population into attempting a coup? You’re fine with a small ghetto of inflected officials making arbitrary decisions on laws that take away fundamental rights based purely on religious and political ideology?”

      A better argument would be to point to statistical data that shows that the US is still a better place to live than China. e.g. the US scores a 8.73 ^1 on the Freedom indeed while China only scored a 5.57 ^1.

      Or direct to each country’s amnesty report. ^2 ^3

      ^1 https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/freedom-index-by-country

      ^2 https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/east-asia/china/

      ^3 https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/americas/north-america/united-states-of-america/

      • Phoenixz
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        1 year ago

        I’ll assume you’re 15 years old since you keep looking up the definitions of words and expressions and I guess that does explain your stance.

        Of course everyone would love to live in a “benevolent” dictatorship that always does exactly what I want and never does anything bad…

        You met even dream about one day being lucky enough to live like that, but it’s yoo bad that those don’t exist. Dictatorships exist for the benefit of a very select few, of which you are not a part. As long as you follow in line all is fine, but step out of line, or happen to stand in the way, and you’re fucked. If a new rule is pushed down that you don’t like? Well too bad because fuck you, you’re living in a dictatorship now.

        If you happen to be part of the group that is ethically or politically or religiously or culturally different, then you will soy be arrested and tortured because fuck you, you live in a dictatorship.

        The only reason why the common populace gets anything nice is to avoid them rebelling against you. They’ll get just enough to not rebel, the testis for you and your first line buddies that protect you.

        This is how life is in ALL dictatorships and if you’re dumb enough not to understand or believe this then please, by all means, move to China. Move to Russia. When there, raise your voice and then we’ll talk.

        Oh wait, we won’t, because you’ll have disappeared

        • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Hope you feel better soon. I continue to struggle with anger issues. What helps me is focusing on my breathing and reminding myself that I control my emotions, they don’t control me. Then I dissociate and try to objectively understand what is making me angry. Are you angry with me because I don’t view the world as you do? Or, because I’m challenging beliefs you’ve long held? Realize that not everyone has to believe the same, but a consensus reality, or basic truths, are necessary.

          • Phoenixz
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            1 year ago

            So in other words, you know you’re wrong but have no good reply do you’ll just feign a smile with some petty insults.

            Makes for a good conversation.

            More reason to assume you’re a teenager with little experience and knowledge of the world, yet thinking you know everything

            • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              I did not mean for you to feel insulted. You just seemed unnecessarily angry. I don’t even think I have the capacity to know everything. But I do enjoy learning and encountering different perspectives.