Had Rutan designed the B-17...

[Ollie]

Maybe, but they are in dyre trouble anyways.

I can't remember the reference for what I read, I'll try mailing the teacher and see if she still has the stuff.

 

[dragon]

Communist China is trouble.  Foreign Capital could be pulled out, but what would that achieve?  Mainly that the US would be pleased with that development.  Since hating the US (and tripping up the US as much as possible) seems to be the new hobby in parts of the world, I see the pulling out of foreign capital out of Communist China as highly unlikely.      

[Hunter Gatherer]

Just got back to the madhouse after an enforced absence....

Frank, may I be (prolly) the last of the inmates to say Welcome to the Asylum and like the others I'll add my congrats on the B-17. Bl**dy great work, looks just so right in a surreal sort of way !

Ian

[OldHooker]

Thanks Ian,

I had a good time building it, and learned some new techniques along the way.  

Thanks again and
take care,
Frank

[Sisko]

Communist China is trouble.  Foreign Capital could be pulled out, but what would that achieve?  Mainly that the US would be pleased with that development.  Since hating the US (and tripping up the US as much as possible) seems to be the new hobby in parts of the world, I see the pulling out of foreign capital out of Communist China as highly unlikely.

I though that after seing some of these posts that I would put my personal obsevations.

Having been to China and met business people and ordinary Chinese I can tell you that what they really crave more than any thing from the West is respect. What I mean by respect is respect of there culture and of there acheivements in the last 5 - 10 years. They have turned their country from a peasent based communist economy into a communist modified free market economy. They have only just completed in the last few years a country wide freeway system (that I can tell you from the number of times I was asked what I thought of it) they are very proud of.

As far foreign capital being piulled out of China I would not hold my breath. I work for a US based company and it's stategy for the next 5 years is to expand and invest in China. Large mining companies like BHP and RIO TINTO have just negotiated a massive increase in the price of Iron Ore driven by the Chinese market. China is seen as the investment utopia and it is a case of how much investment not if they should or not. I do not see companies putting these profits at risk for the sake of a democracy, that I can tell you from personal experience that most ordinary Chinese don't really care about at the moment. They are just happy to have the things available to them that people in the west have had available for quite some time.

Like it or not with the current global ecompomy the growth of China and India's ecomomies and Western economies are linked, I do not see that changing in the near future.

Do not mistake my post for RARA China is great, China has a lots of problems and they admit it which was quite a shock for me. They have no real natural resources and they do not grow enough food to feed their population so they import an enourmous amount. Their cities are polluted and AIDs is a big problem that they need help combating. they also need to find millions of people a job so that their economy can sustain it's growth.

I firmly believe that a form of democracy will come to China eventually. It's the middle class that drives any democracy and up until recently China has had no middle class.      

PS Was this not about modelling?

[NARSES2]

Just as a small supplement to Sisko's words, which I basicaly agree with.

The world steel industry has just had it's best year for profitability in probably 25 years - even my mob made one !!!! What's driven this - Chinese demand for steel has led to a world shortage, which in turn has led to an increase in UK Domestic prices of between 100/200 % (albeit our prices have only just reached 1992 levels not accounting for inflation). This has led to iron ore increases - 72% up, coking coal increases - doubling etc. There has been a recent cooling in the Chinese market and the industry is a bit edgy again - in short and in the short term, some industries/ecconomies need China. In the medium term then it can become a threat in an ecconomic sense in the same way as Japan did in the 70/80's, but that threat subsided somewhat - at the end of the day Chinese growth is inevitable and we will just have to learn to deal with it and hopefully guide it along the right lines - whatever they may be.
Chris