Chinese President Hu Jintao delivers New Year address

[emeteriovazquez1]

chin chin juan hu pan mi sen chin kuan me cae que ni le entiendo

[MouYijian]

Well equilibrated speech. But Mr Hu must seriously work on his pronunciation and delivery style. His tones sound awkward and his intonation is soporiferous, to say the least -_-

[RisingStarOfKorea]

I am fascinated by Hu Jin Tao. He is a perfect symbol of China's might and hard work. Another LIKE is the pokerface Hu always wears. His face does not reveal any emotion, and it is crucial when he conducts hard negotiations with foreign partners. And the most difficult language of the world becomes friendly when one listens to his speech.

[libbern]

His stressing "of all ethnic groups" a lot... are there racial tensions over there?

[quirpco]

@libbern Yes

[tiberianexcalibur]

Taiwans econmy depends heavily on china's manufactorig and labor to help taiwan grow. Having China so close to taiwan is a bonus. Both sides benefict.

[rynocowboys2003]

i hope Jintao will stay as president longer

[rynocowboys2003]

why has china not attack taiwan yet??

[georgehennessy]

I would say that China has already "attack" Taiwan, but not through a force of arms. I think that China has out Taiwan - Taiwan, in other words China has outflanked Taiwan economically. As of today, China and Taiwan pretty much have the same economic system. Their only difference is how they chose their politicians. 15 years ago, Taiwan was superior to China economically. I remember growing up in the United States during the 1970's, practically EVERYTHING was made in Taiwan.

[georgehennessy]

Today, practically everything is made in China. So I think China has already won the economic war against Taiwan, HOWEVER, unlike a military war where there can only be a zero sum gain, in an economic war there is a potential for BOTH parties to benefit. There are now daily flights and ferries across the strait; business transactions occurs daily between the two nations. Just like Canada and the United States. Like I wrote earlier, the only card Taiwanese politicians can play against China..

[georgehennessy]

now is the Democracy card. China can counter this with their "One Country, Two Systems" play. China can point to Hong Kong, Macau, and even Xiamen. Having said all of this, I really wish China would just drop the "re-unification" crap. China gains absolutely nothing with Taiwan other than prestige. China is much better off by having Taiwan solely as a business partner. Just look at my country, we gain absolutely NOTHING by having Puerto Rico as part of the U.S.

[georgehennessy]

In terms of military actions, if China attack Taiwan with nuclear arms, the island will be pretty much useless for decades. Not to mention the fact that China might suffer a counter-strike from other countries. If China attacks Taiwan by conventional means, then there will be a campaign of insurgency. I mean just look at the typography of Taiwan. It will be another Vietnam War, for China. So militarily, it makes no sense whatsoever for China to go to war with Taiwan.

[georgehennessy]

I don't claim to be a mind reader, but I highly doubt it if Chinese politicians wake up every morning and think: "Geez Whiz, I wonder how we can attack Taiwan today?" Heck no! Chinese politicians have 1.3 BILLION people to worry about. The last thing they need is a long drawn out EXPENSIVE war. Look at my country, we only have 300 million people, but we are fighting two wars and managing everyday life at home. Our economy is in the toilet, our unemployment rate is 10 percent.

[georgehennessy]

Anyone who thinks war makes a nation stronger is a either intellectually dishonest or just plain ignorant. It's the people that makes a nation strong, smart, entrepreneurial, creative, dedicated people with the freedom to act for the betterment of their nation. How did China become the economic power that it is today? It's because the Chinese government backed off and let it's citizens improve their own outcomes in life. It would be immensely stupid to throw away all that you've created in

[georgehennessy]

the past 3 decades just to start a silly war that gets you nothing but pain and suffering. It would be like the U.S. going to war with Mexico, again, zero sum gain.

[gsvkck]

@georgehennessy I agree with a most of your comments, but I just want to point out that Taiwan is in fact to China like Puerto Rico is to the US. One key thing you missed is how important militarily it is. The US would never give up those island because how close it is to the US mainland. If war broke out enemies troops could be brought there, not to mention air fields can build. From an economic stand point it means nothing, but from the military point it means a whole lot.

[OnePeopleOneChina]

2010 Happy New Year 新年快樂

一個人民一個國家 !