China: MI5 and FBI heads warn of ‘immense’ threat

[Retro]

I said 30 years ago when the West started to seriously trade with repressive, communist China, that it was a bad idea and would bite us eventually. Looks like that moment is almost here.

Looks like China may forcibly take Taiwan as a huge first step. China won't be as easy to sanction as Russia either, so the West will have a big problem.

China: MI5 and FBI heads warn of ‘immense’ threat

The UK and US security service heads make an unprecedented joint appearance to warn about China.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Tiffany]

When Obama left office, he told Trump NK was our biggest threat. When Mitt Romney was running for president, he said Russia was our biggest threat. I am personally watching countries now forming alliances with each other, just as they did pre-WW2.

China is a huge threat and God help us if they go into Taiwan. All of our countries are so unstable; and America is a debt mess. Heck, I'll go further and say (speaking for America), because of the world and our homeland instability we have people snapping here in America because they can't process the news and threats while also trying to keep food on the table. It's just too much.

 

[Retro]

I know, the greed of the ultra wealthy in the West is playing right into China's hands - and we all pay for it. It's weakened us over the years and I really hope that we're not on the verge of WW3 with Russia and China, or the climate change crisis will look like a child's tantrum by comparison.

 

[Tiffany]

Greed is evil! There's a lot of it and I'll add to that the ultra wealthy that want complete control. That's also what scares me, is the power of the wealthy un-elected that seem to wield so much influence and control. The other concern I have is the "chip" industry, as Taiwan is the top chip maker. If China gets to Taiwan, takes control of the chip industry, we're doomed.

America has been working on building chip manufacturing, but even those buildings that have already been started, won't be operation until 2024 and even if they are operational, those workers that will build the chips have to learn the trade in Taiwan before they can start production. Countries are still looking at years before we are less reliant on Taiwan for chips.

 

[Retro]

Exactly, Taiwan is the technology centre of the world. Cripple that and the world is crippled. Car sales are already significantly down, along with other electronics products, because of the shortage of integrated circuits. Weird when silicon is abundant like sand, but there you are.

 

[Tiffany]

There are not enough cars here in the US available for sale, so the used car market has grown into a new over-priced market for used cars. If you own a business with a fleet of cars, you can hardly replace your cars with a new car and when you have to replace it with a used car, the cost of the car is WAY overpriced. Same for homes. The housing market is crazy. Homes are valued way over the market value they should be, though, there is a slight cooling in the market lately. It is a shame that there is an abundance of silicon, but there's such a lack of the expensive equipment needed to produce the chips and adding to that the skilled people needed to make the product.

I'm really hoping there will be some clear diplomacy with China if China decides to invade Taiwan.

 

[Retro]

I hate it when used products are overpriced like that. Really frustrating when the new thing is too expensive and one is willing to lower their sights down to something decent, but affordable. Now, even the used crap isn't affordable.

 

[Tiffany]

We do too. We have seen a lot in our lifetime, but never what's happening economically in the breadth of a fast downward spiral.

 

[Arantor]

Phrases like 'when "Made in America" used to mean something' seem to be clawing at the edge of different nations' psyches; I think there was at least a time when people could feel proud of buying something made in their own country, knowing that their fellow countrypeople worked on it, and that it was locally made, locally produced, locally bought.

I don't even think this necessarily has to imply a certain nationalist angle that could be unhealthy; if anything I think it's a message that, taken carefully, could be beneficial.

Consider: we know that the world is heating up. Would it not make more sense to produce goods more locally so that you don't have to fly them half way around the world to save a few bucks? Sure, in the short term it might mean prices go up, but you're then starting to support local economies, making sure local people have jobs and so on, whilst bringing down the amount of international freight just a notch.

 

[StojanTim]

The worry is our reliance on China for almost everything we import. It's a dependence that makes us weak and we need them more now than ever as prices rise and home production of things is not economically viable. There is no easy solution.

What we need is some aliens to arrive, then we'll sure as hell all pull together as "one race".

 

[Arantor]

we'll sure as hell all pull together as "one race".

If I learned nothing from Independence Day I learned that the race that will save us all is Americans.

 

[Retro]

What we need is some aliens to arrive, then we'll sure as hell all pull together as "one race".

Yup, awiens will fix it!

Where's Superman when you need him?

 

[Tiffany]

Phrases like 'when "Made in America" used to mean something' seem to be clawing at the edge of different nations' psyches; I think there was at least a time when people could feel proud of buying something made in their own country, knowing that their fellow countrypeople worked on it, and that it was locally made, locally produced, locally bought.

I don't even think this necessarily has to imply a certain nationalist angle that could be unhealthy; if anything I think it's a message that, taken carefully, could be beneficial.

Consider: we know that the world is heating up. Would it not make more sense to produce goods more locally so that you don't have to fly them half way around the world to save a few bucks? Sure, in the short term it might mean prices go up, but you're then starting to support local economies, making sure local people have jobs and so on, whilst bringing down the amount of international freight just a notch.

I've put in bold your last paragraph @Arantor. The world's problems solved, just right there in that paragraph!