without even taking a clear look at its own history. Some posters seem to argue the history doesn't matter, what matters is the present... it is like saying a murderer can get a clean slate just by apologizing to the family of its victims and a new life starts.
Please READ what I wrote. Only Western elites benefited from imperialism. You think English coal miners or Irish factory workers got any of the gold you are talking about? The working people and oppressed in the West fought for the equality we have now. We fought that same imperialism you are talking about, and now we teach about it in the classroom. Yet China censors its own history, just like Japan. Yeah, just like the Japan everyone hates there.
No one who is genuine in the West denies its history of violence. Those who do are just as culpable - but you can't blame everyone for the elite's actions. We were also victims of that imperial capitalist system that subjugates the many for the benefit of the few - and we fought it and many died to fight against it. Those who fought for it - well I have no sympathy for them.
You robbed $10 billion and tons of gold and killed thousands of lives, and all of sudden lets all pretend it never happened just because it is all past, and let's all have a new start? that's pretty convenient.
No it isn't convenient. It is horrible. The rich never compensated anyone, whether the workers in the west or anyone else in the world. What else is new? Is everyone guilty? Absolutely not. I didn't see any of that wealth and neither did my hard working ancestors. So when I say "China" in a negative context, just as the west in a negative context, I mean its elite and rich, too.
BUT, even still, the West gives BILLIONS of dollares PER YEAR in foreign aid. Why do you ignore this completely? Ideology? Ignorance?
(by the way, how China has invaded its neighbors has nothing to do with what's the right thing for the west to do with China. It is like you still have to be punished for killing a killer, China having done bad things doesn't make the west look any better)
This is the argument that you said I COULDN'T make to justify western imperialism, and now you say that it justifies Chinese actions? China stole from its neighbours throughout history - and was stolen from. It attacked countries just as did western countries in the 20th centuries, but all you focus on is the west. Shame.
I didn't even mention greenhouse gasses. I was talking about the massive clouds of toxic pollution that harm Chinese people, not me. You know, the Chinese people you claim to care about.
But environmental standards are different today because we know better. Full stop. We didn't have any idea of global warming 100 years ago; it is total nonsense to parrot this argument. You might have noticed that a lot of people here don't care about them either, so why lump everyone together? I am not a big fan of the oil sands in Alberta - have you noticed we protest against that and NOT China? No that doesn't fit your narrow mindset of anti-western ideology.
Sure, as kind as most westerners are, deep inside, many still prefer the 1.3bn remain in their abject poverty and consume very little energy so that their wonderful middle class life will not be threatened, they can still buy a gallon of gas for $1, and they can still breath fresh and clean air. Who cares about whether that 40 year old Chinese coal mine work has a job or not?
While you might be right that it was comfortable for the west to stay as it was and not deal with other countries, I don't own a car and bike or take transit. I want others to do the same. Middle class life isn't wasting gas for me. Everyone can breath fresh air if we have good standards. We actually impose huge taxes on gas -especially in Europe - to promote conservation and have done so for decades. Our leftist and green parties are at the forefront of pricing carbon for US - we DIDN'T MAKE China sign the Kyoto accord, remember?
You must really believe the things you write, don't you - that you can't develop without making a mess of everything. That isn't true. Rich owners want too much profit and won't invest in making clean production. That is it. Greed pure and simple. Same as the West.
Your coal worker doesn't have to shovel coal in abject conditions. He could do something else if your friend in Shanghai shared the wealth and invested in education and even clean coal technology so he could work in better conditions, instead of wasting the 1M you seem so proud of on mere condos. Sweet use of the new wealth they have.
This idea that development necessitates abject conditions both environmental and in labour practices is just justification for the rich to buy new BMWs and 2 condos in Shanghai. Get over it and stop blaming everyone else, claiming, again that they did it so now I can too.
And by the way, I believe that I actually care more about that poor worker than you do - you obviously prefer rich Chinese people who clearly use their own people as semi slaves. That is on you, not me - so don't give me this argument that I don't understand the suffering of development. I know it all too well from the history of all people.