China has lashed out at Germany after its foreign minister called Xi Jinping a “dictator” and summoned Berlin’s ambassador for a dressing down, in the latest flaring of tensions with a western democratic power over how the Chinese leader is described overseas.
I disagree with some of Scholz’s policies, but he is kind of a breath of fresh air. Merkel was a great leader, but she played it far too safe.
Germany is right
You could even say, it is far-right.
Very noticeable that they didn’t specify how he wasn’t a dictator, nor what other label would be more appropriate.
Hexbear users incoming in 3.2.1…
I use a client that can block instances, so I have all of Hexbear blocked. It radically improves the Lemmy experience.
Never hear a dissenting opinion. I’ll take, what is an echo chamber for $200.
Have you ever bothered to read the rules of your instance? If I go on there and say anything negative about your cute dictator I’ll be banned. However, you can freely go on our greedy capitalist instances and praise your teddy bear as much as you want. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. I guess your mind can’t comprehend being free.
Do you mean the rule about not being Sinophobic? Is that really a hard rule for you to follow? I like to look at objective reality instead of just barking the same nonsensical shibboleths when the topic of China arises.
No capitalist apologia / anti-communism
You would whine even harder if lemmy.ml had
No communist apologia / anti-capitalismin their rules.Most anti-communism has no basis in reality and often are myths perpetuated by state agencies. All Anti-Capitalist sentiment is rooted in the material realities of our world and life. To deny socialist historical reality is to deny your own history, and ultimately is an admission of your disingenuous support of the truth.
Historical Materialism is truth seeking in practice. It requires you to have a fact based, objective view of our past and present.
Also I don’t know why I would whine, because I’m not using lemmy.ml. That instance can have whatever rules they want. I wouldn’t block or defederate from them because of it either. But if you are not interested in seeking the truth and objectively observing reality, then I guess you can insolate yourself from it and keep your echos.
“I am not a dictator! Anyone who says I am will get jailed!” - Grand Poohbear of China, 2023
Because he was democratically elected in a transparent election. Unlike the current American demented imbecile.
What are you talking about? He doesn’t hold elected office. Here’s the last time he was re-appointed to his appointed position.
Even your link to the fucking guardian says he was elected fair and square. Unlike Jim Crow Joe.
from your link:
“I was reelected as the general secretary of the CPC central committee,” Xi said in opening remarks, before presenting the six other members: Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi.
Quit being a dictator. 🤷
When the shoe fits, start wearing it. PRC is an authoritarian state led by a dictator and his cronies.
Don’t you guys run the largest network of slave camps in the world? Yes you do!
It’s spelt Uyghurs, not you guys.
No. You guys call them negroes.
Fact is, your shithole failed state has 20% of the world’s prison population, mostly black.
Don’t get sick y’all. Might mean your life.
If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, there’s a high probability it is a duck.
Antagonizing China while going into a recession is a really bold move by Germany. I guess that’s what you get when you put opportunists in charge of running a country.
Have you tried not being an authoritarian PoS, Xi?
He’s not just a dictator, he’s also a dick.
What’s he going to do? Fling his pooh?
In China, the people directly elect local council (e.g. village or town level) representatives. Those local council members than select who among themselves to send to represent them at the next level above. This continues all the way the National People’s Congress and the Standing Committee.
This sort of organizational structure is more-or-less how political parties in Germany also work; so by that logic the Green party itself would presumably be an undemocratic institution.
OK, but the CPC can control who is allowed to run in elections, right? Well, Germany banned its communist party: In Germany, any organization (and their members) that wants to abolish the liberal order, capitalism, private property and so on is subject to repression, surveillance and outright bans, and this is enshrined in the constitution. So no fundamental difference there either: In Germany the liberal institutions decide who can and cannot run, and they have decided the commies are out.
Empirically, the Chinese government enjoys way better approval rating than any Western government, Chinese people believe themselves to be living in a democracy, and the Chinese administration seems way more responsive to the actual needs of the people, what with the poverty reduction and all. How is this possible if they’re so much more undemocratic than Western liberal democracies?
Well I think the issue is the people in China haven’t experienced the democracy in US so the comparison would be hard to measure. As funny as it gets the people in the US can laugh at Joe Biden but not those in China that could laugh at president Xi.
A note accompanying the poll results offers a disclaimer, stating that “in authoritarian countries, positive perceptions might result from different conceptions of democracy, high levels of government satisfaction, or fear of speaking out against the government.”
different conceptions of democracy
This is kind of my point. Western liberals claim their representative type of democracy is the only correct way to have democracy. But in their version of democracy, economic power allows oligarchs and corporations to own and control the media, there are countless legal (and illegal) ways to influence policy and bribe politicians, and the police and courts routinely suppress anti-capitalist and other emancipatory movements, organizations and individuals.
Giving lectures about democracy when you’re at the helm of a country that is actually ruled by the capitalist class is hypocritical.
Well at least you can criticise about it unlike some countries. You can choose who to believe, this degree of freedom is not there.
I think the issue is the people in China haven’t experienced the democracy in US
Don’t worry, the Americans haven’t either.
He’s still an authoritarian cunt.
Dictators were never good at hearing the truth.
I love how every single comment making fun Xi the pooh here is getting downvoted lol
Here’s a little something for the dictator simps:
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Probably the antiracists. You should wonder if you’re on the right side when you are promoting and supporting racism.
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The Winnie the Pooh meme about Xi is just racism. I don’t care if you think he’s a dictator.
The Taiwanese use the meme all the time. Obviously not because it looks like Xi in particular and especially because of fragile censoring, but because they like to be racist against themselves. That must be it.
Calling Trump a guinea pig is probably also considered racist in lemmygrad.
it’s not racist bro the “taiwanese” use the meme all the time
and especially because of fragile censoring
You think these memes are censored? Lol, you live in an authoritarian shithole that brainwashes you with this stupid shit. Use your brain.
Taiwan is where the former Republic of China retreated after being defeated by the People’s Republic of China. The censorship of Xi=Pooh in China isn’t rooted in racism, it’s rooted in the political conflicts between the ROC and PRC. China censors these comparisons because they are used by opponents to attack the government. You don’t have to agree with their methods to understand why they would want to do this. Censoring realistic threats to the ruling government is a common practice in all nations.
The racist aspect originates from how the meme is used in Western circles where there is a long history of racism towards minorities and the enemies of the US as well as a long history of sinophobia.
If your understanding of history, racism, and their opinions of Trump are so shallow, maybe lurking Lemmygrad to learn why users from this instance act so aggressively towards racism and war-mongering propaganda would be helpful.
Not racist at all. It’s against one person. Trump’s face is seen on an orange all the time. No one is calling for racism. He just looks like a damn orange.
Not racist at all. It’s against one person.
So depicting Obama as a monkey in a political cartoon wouldn’t be racist?
There’s a big difference here.
Is Trump’s skin naturally orange? Is there a long history of oppressing white people in the US and other NATO countries?
Just because the Winnie the Pooh meme didn’t originate as a racist symbol doesn’t mean that it isn’t used to propagate racism and sinophobia.
Xi isn’t in the US and his country isn’t part of NATO. Political cartoons are as old as time. They poke fun at the individual, not their descent. By trying to make it more you’re arguing for it to be censored. He has feelings (maybe), but he has gone so far as to attempt to censor the cartoon from his own country. Not because he believes it is racist, but because his opinion is that he doesn’t like it. Streisand Effect of course, it gets used more. I think Xi does remarkably look like Pooh. Do other Asian persons? No. There isn’t an innocence about it. Xi feels bad by it, people use it to make him angry. He is a dictator with lots of power so people use the one tool they have to attempt to fight that power - a fucking cartoon bear.
We are all one race. Human. You guys trying to claim that you are a different (read: superior) race are the racists.
So if Obama was depicted as Curious George that’d be cool yeah?
If only Obama was depicted like that, yes.
But it is commonly used to depict black people in general.
While nobody uses Winnie the Pooh to depict Chinese people, only their dictator.
You have to be joking.
Right, because the meme about a Chinese man being a yellow bear isn’t racist.
It’s not racist
Dehumanizing people through racism is a well established method the US has historically used when manufacturing consent to go to war among its people. Look at depictions of Germans and Japanese in WWII. Look at depictions of Koreans, the Vietnamese, Afghans, and Iraqis during the invasions of their countries.
Just because its origins weren’t racist doesn’t mean it hasn’t taken on a racist meaning. Sinophobia is rooted in racism and ignorance.
It’s one guy, not a caricature of Chinese people
Edit to mention that the guy in question is a dictator
It’s definitely part communists, but I think mostly special interest groups, maybe even from China itself.
You really want to feel special enough to think the Chinese government would even care about this internet backwater? Get real.
Do they know healthy communication can gain a better impression and often less problematic, another boundaries and relationship course, thanks
Like with Russia? Yes, I guess they learned the lesson. Fuck dictators.
China is committing a genocide. We need to clearly address as what it is and stop being dependent on it.
Well that just goes to prove her point. Well done, Xi.
I don’t think any country would like their head of state be called a dictator.
And yet normal, functioning countries don’t lash out like this.
Isn’t your president a paedophile?
Most dictators haven’t gone by that term, preferring instead some other executive role like chairman, supreme leader, or president. If Xi doesn’t want to be called a dictator, maybe China should start holding open elections, see how popular the CCP really is.
You got to choose between Hoe Biden and Donald Trump last time. Get back in your box.
The CCP has higher approval rates than western governments and the vast majority of Chinese believe they are living in a democracy. This is confirmed by western studies; latest one I’ve seen was from Harvard.
Okay but what meaningful influence does the average Chinese person have on who is chosen as Paramount Leader.
Enough for them to believe that they live in a democracy, it seems (and I don’t say that sarcastically).
It’s not like people in liberal democracies have more influence. We can’t choose who runs, and each individual’s vote is negligible. I don’t know the specifics of China’s government, but I suspect they value being able to influence local policy and higher official elections via the Communist Party more than a direct vote on its leader – I would too, honestly.
A fair bit, actually. China’s political system is basically a popularity system from bottom to top. At the lowest level, politicians only stay in power if their population is happy. This trickles up to the provincial level, where politicians again only stay in power if their population is happy. At a national level, the national leaders stay in power by building, essentially, large cabinets out of different provincial and regional leaders - thus, their entire position relies on keeping the provinces happy.
It’s not the perfect system, but Chinese citizens can fairly easily impact local and even provincial policy and, by extension, influence national policy (recently, by repealing the COVID lockdowns with mass protests).
The CCP isn’t an absolute monarchy or something. At the end of the day, it serves it’s people. The power of the Chinese economy is in its industrial capacity, after all, not in its wealth: the needs of the people need to be addressed to keep the country stable.
The same as the average western person… So probably very little.
don’t make conflations with the USA and other liberal democracies. There are plenty of transparent, effective democracies where popular votes matter massively, and saying because the USA is electorally broken that everywhere is only serves the narrative that true liberal democracy “isn’t possible” i.e., exactly what China and Russia suggest.
The CCP does not have confidence in that though, hence the way it runs the elections there.
I’d say that it has confidence in that, but their elections and government are structured in a different way.
Just like Ford sold their cars in any colour you want, so long as it is black.
If 95% of ford owners were satisfied with their black cars, vs 40% for another manufacturer that provides cars in multiple colors, then ford would be the better manufacturer.
