Major Chinese Dissident Killed in Car Accident

[Porpoise101]

So while (the majority) of you guys were in the West reeling back from the Brexit, I was in Japan and while that was a significant event, much, much more interesting things are happening in Asia. Currently many noted pacifists have been retiring or dying across Asia. Just as how rightist-nationalist parties and politicians have been rising up in the West, the same has happened in the East. This is just one such case.

Essentially a dissident voice has been killed in a car crash. But in the story below, it shows that there is a wider change going on. The world is becoming more divided, which increases the chance for a war. And to me that is scary. Currently: Japan and ROK seeks to militarize further, Philippines elected strongman as head of state, and India and China are becoming more nationalist at home. Combine this with the abundance of disputed territories on that continent and you can understand why tensions are increasing. Hopefully the trend doesn't continue much further.

Story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/25/world/asia/china-wu-jianmin.html?_r=0

[Uniquemind]

Yeah I'm concerned about this too.


This tends to happen though and the governments of the world begin to get all haughty and use war as a scapegoat to blame problems on and get the public's focus away from wealth-gap and corruption issues.

[Stronk Serb]

It could be an accident or a well orchestrated assasination. I am not excluding both options, the first being always possible and the second also being likely, seeing how China deals with dissidents. I've heard rumours of political prisoners being harvested for organs without any real anaestesia or something by the government, seeing how he could've easily shared the same fate, he got the quicker death. That's what I would pick too. China needs the open market to sustain it's economy, they've become dependent on it, the days of the autarky are gone, which in my opinion is a bad thing, seeing how external factors can affect a nation badly. If they decided to become isolated again, they would revert to a North Korea-esque China and suffer many problems.

[Porpoise101]

the days of the autarky are gone, which in my opinion is a bad thing, seeing how external factors can affect a nation badly. If they decided to become isolated again, they would revert to a North Korea-esque China and suffer many problems. Yes, the CPC controls the country by promises of a good quality of life, which it has delivered in general. But this growth comes partially from it's openness. I don't think there are many in China who want to be closed off. The discourse currently is whether to expand and anger others or be peaceful and content.

[Microcosm]

The east was definitely reeling over Brexit as well. The world economy was impacted.

To me, nations are a good thing, at least in the condition of the world today where there is no unified humanity. Trying to create a unified humanity would pose a threat to the safety of the world as a whole, so nations are our best bet at keeping the peace.

The problem arises when nations try to overstep their boundaries, sometimes literally by crossing into other nations' borders. China has been doing some dangerous shit recently from what I've heard on the news about the South China Sea.

When pride of country turns into the will to attack others, there's a problem.

[Flapjack]

Unfortunately, the right wing is surging across the world right now. If that keeps up, war will be inevitable.

[Porpoise101]

The east was definitely reeling over Brexit
Yes, of course. In Japan, for example, the Central Bank owns many pounds. So they were really hoping for a remain vote. I think the same is with China and India. But that was solely and economic issue. In the days after, there weren't really any major geopolitical shifts that happened out there.