The Year Of The Metal Rat
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Things are starting to boil over and especially in Africa. I honestly do expect things to kick off with Chinese businesses being targeted first. Luckily we are on lock down so give them two weeks.
I am not joking as 2020 is known as the year of Geng-Zi or the year of the metal rat. This bad luck metal rat happens every 60 years and 2020 is that year again.We need to look back in the Chinese history to see why this bad luck was expected this year. Apparently something always bad happens and they are a superstitious bunch. This would be the fourth time in history that history has repeated itself.I must admit I am kind of on the bad luck way of thinking as this year hasn't started off too well.
It started in 1840 when the Opium Wars started leaving China in turmoil for over 100 years. In 1900 the Boxer Rebellion when 8 Nations Uk,Russia,Austria,Germany,USA,France,Italy and Japan had to move from Tianjin to Beijing.Basically it was an anti Christian-anti Imperialist uprising by the Yìhéquán who were militia trained in martial arts. The citizens of the 8 Nations were under siege for 55 days before a force of 20 000 soldiers arrived to defeat the Imperial army and take Peking by force.
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In 1960 China suffered a great famine where most of the farm land suffered due to drought. The Chinese hid the overall death toll, but later revealed that an estimated 35 million people died. The famine was blamed on new regulations for farming practices. The plan was called The Great Leap Forward where hundreds of kilometers of canals were built to take water to the areas that were dry but didn't think of flooding. The Yellow river flooded and due to the canals flooded all the farmlands ruining all the crops. This devastated the country and why there was no food for close to three years.
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Now 2020 has arrived with Covid-19 and has historians and many Chinese pondering what is going to happen next. The head of the Communist party has been having urgent talks as the fear is their economic plan could fall into tatters. They are planning economic growth yet the rest of the World is seriously looking at moving away from the current manufacturing set up.
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Everyone has seen these images of Africans now homeless in China after being evicted. Maybe the Chinese were right as some visas had expired, but at least send them home.Guinea rounded up the Chinese in their country today and have taken them for safe keeping until their citizens in China are safe.
Japan is well under way from moving it's industry from China and others will surely follow suit. Japan is the third largest economic power and if the States follow suit it would leave China in a big hole. Germany has stepped up to protect local companies as they have vowed to protect them. Mercedes lost nearly 45 % of it's valuation due to the pandemic and is vulnerable right now. Good to see one government alert to the dangers besides the virus.
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Africa is not happy and on twitter in South Africa and throughout Africa this week we have seen many anti China posts trending. China needs Africa and the people are not happy with what they have seen. Xenophobia is unfortunately real here and I would not like to be Chinese right now or of Asian descent as can they tell the difference from a Thai,Japanese or Chinese person?
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China is alienating the countries it needs as Africa has been their larder for manufacturing back on the China main land. They have not won any popularity contests and the hatred is bubbling here right now. I have put some of the articles in the post in case any of you haven't seen them.
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Chinese businesses will be a target because of this. This may be a small element of Chinese society, but people here don't understand that and everyone is labelled the same unfortunately.
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McDonald's last week I kid you not. The Group was quick to come out and say it was not a company policy.
Talk of refusing to buy Chinese products is stupid as most of the goods are Chinese so most won't have a clue anyway. The local governments will have a job of selling their ideas to their people though if it includes Chinese "investments" for the Belt Road Initiative. China will not find it so easy anymore as they have awoken the masses which has shown racism and what they are now saying is their true colors. This whole episode is a public relations disaster that the Chinese need to wake up to as they are making it worse. One politician was called out today for being friendly with his Communist Chinese friends as his party has a Communistic ideal.