China – DANIEL PEPIJN VAN DIJK

US-China deal is about ordinary workers

Fascinating piece of tv. “Nationalist” Steve Bannon and “cosmopolitan” Tom Friedman are in agreement on how to deal with China – who would have thought?

The biggest geopolitical project of our time

This year, Huawei will finalize the so-called ‘Pakistan-East Africa Cable Express, connecting Gwadar in Pakistan tot China’s new military base in Djibouti. We’re talking 13.000 kilometers, connecting South Asia and East Africa, with arteries linking Egypt, Kenya and South Africa. China is (re-)creating global value chains at an immense speed and reshaping the way weContinue reading “The biggest geopolitical project of our time”

Pax Americana, iPhone addiction and living a good life

Pax Americana in a Chinese world Our modern day addiction Brooks on our Second Mountain

How to respond to China’s rise?

The world would be a safer place if Trump were a reader. At the top of his reading list sound advisers would put “Destined for War”, the latest book from Harvard scholar Graham Allison. It would greatly help the president in shaping his decisions. The president would understand that China has always taken the longContinue reading “How to respond to China’s rise?”

The Assassin – Hsiao-Hsien Hou (2015) ***

The plot is straightforward: a female assassin is on a mission to kill a political leader in seventh-century China. Watching this film was, nevertheless, less simple. I really wanted to like this film (a great theme, the landscapes are stunning and the cinematography is a nice counterbalance to the mainstream Hollywood approach), but the shallow,Continue reading “The Assassin – Hsiao-Hsien Hou (2015) ***”

China stelt geschiedenis effectief in dienst van heden

China is te groot om, nu het zo sterk opkomt, niet met argusogen te worden bekeken. Daarbij weten we nog steeds te weinig van zijn motieven, net als China vrij onbekend is met de echte drijfveren van het Westen. In het duister tasten over zulke belangrijke zaken, vergroot de kans op een pijnlijke botsing tussenContinue reading “China stelt geschiedenis effectief in dienst van heden”

1421 – Gavin Menzies (2003)

Old marine officer Menzies tells in this page-turner how the Chinese Empire collapsed in 1421 at its highpoint: at a time when it ruled the oceans, had established posts as far as on the shores of Patagonia and was cultural trendsetting. Until a perfect storm – internal unrest, imperial overstretch, superstition – made the emperorContinue reading “1421 – Gavin Menzies (2003)”