What Would Dollarization Mean for Expats?

[sergio]

Damn, there is a lot of truth in this comment.

I find the demonization of China bitterly amusing. Let's try a checklist -

1) How many countries has China invaded in the last 40 years? Zero*
2) How many countries has China attacked with drones or missile strikes in the last 40 years? Zero
3) How many foreign leaders has China assassinated in the last 40 years? Zero
4) In how many countries does China currently maintain troops, against the wishes of that nation's government? Zero

If you ask those same 4 questions about the USA, and accept honest answers, you will wind up with numbers greater than zero, in some cases considerably greater. But China is evil, eh? Right.

If you want to talk about something bad that China truly is doing, why is no one mentioning Mile 201? Argentina is being ripped off for an estimated 2-3 billion USD per year in squid alone, and China is the main offender in terms of the number of boats.To be fair, however, the Spanish fishing boats spend the greatest percent of the time with their transponders (ALS) switched off, in direct violation of EU regulations.



*admittedly China has occupied a few rocks in the South China Sea that are claimed by other nations, in at least one case multiple other nations, but that's a territorial dispute, and in no way comparable to blowing the hell out of a country and sending thousands of troops.

China has not respected human rights in Hong Kong in violation of the agreement they signed with the UK. Isn't there an ongoing dispute over Tibet? Though the PRC has not invaded Taiwan there are fears that it could happen. One could also argue that China's exploitation of natural resoureces around the world is a form of colonialism and oppression of developing nations.

 

[sergio]

It would be better for me if Massa wins. Milei could be a disaster but the Ks and JxC have proven to be incompetent.

He understands that payments will need to go through the central bank, what he is saying is that under his administration there won't be new Chinese military bases, Chinese government funded infrastructure projects, yuan swaps, etc. Not there will be zero government interaction with China.

It's hilarious that he believes the US and western Europe have more social and economic freedom than China? I don't know anyone that believes otherwise.

He has spoken out against abortion but many people consider abortion murder. He would be inconsistent if he were to support the death penalty whilst opposing abortion. I am not clear where he stands on LGBT rights. If truly libertarian he should not oppose equal rights. He will need to come out with a clear platform on a number of issues. Let's see how it develops.

 

[sergio]

This is Argentina, Sergio, not the USA or Europe. And many argentinos are actively opposed to seeing that whole agenda imported here. It's part of the grass roots resistance to the whole Kirchnerista agenda.

I don't know to what extent Argentines oppose the progressive agenda being advanced in the US and Europe. It doesn't seem to be a major issue. I suspect most people are willing to live and let live. It's the economy and corruption they really care about. Whatever his sexuality may be (and really only Milei knows that) should not be an issue. It seems to me that some people are applying US / Western European values to this discussion which you imply should not be the case.

 

[Redpossum]

China has not respected human rights in Hong Kong in violation of the agreement they signed with the UK.

This is the propaganda line, but not the truth. But if you want to go there, the UK has not respected Human Rights in Northern Ireland in violation of the Good Friday agreement they signed with the EU.

Isn't there an ongoing dispute over Tibet?

To the same extent that there is an ongoing dispute over Occupied Palestine (see UNSC resolutions 181, 242, 252, 476, 478, 497, et al)
(Sorry, Ben, but facts are facts)

Though the PRC has not invaded Taiwan there are fears that it could happen.

Fears? Seriously? That party A is afraid does not mean that party B has committed an offense. And there is some serious room for argument over whether or not Taiwan is a nation.

One could also argue that China's exploitation of natural resources around the world is a form of colonialism and oppression of developing nations.

Oh FFS, as if exploitation of natural resources was not something every developed nation does. Hello, Niger, uranium, hello, hello? Look at the big internationals raping Argentina, they're all from the so-called "West". Hello, Cargill, Black Rock, hello?

 

[Redpossum]

I don't know to what extent Argentines oppose the progressive agenda being advanced in the US and Europe. It doesn't seem to be a major issue. I suspect most people are willing to live and let live. It's the economy and corruption they really care about. Whatever his sexuality may be (and really only Milei knows that) should not be an issue. It seems to me that some people are applying US / Western European values to this discussion which you imply should not be the case.

Yes, that exactly. Well said!

Also, CABA is not Argentina. There is life on the other side of General Paz.

 

[sergio]

This is the propaganda line, but not the truth. But if you want to go there, the UK has not respected Human Rights in Northern Ireland in violation of the Good Friday agreement they signed with the EU.

To the same extent that there is an ongoing dispute over Occupied Palestine (see UNSC resolutions 181, 242, 252, 476, 478, et al)
(Sorry, Ben, but facts are facts)


Fears? Seriously? That party A is afraid does not mean that party B has committed an offense. And there is some serious room for argument over whether or not Taiwan is a nation.


Oh FFS, as if exploitation of natural resources was not something every developed nation does. Hello, Niger, uranium, hello, hello? Look at the big internationals raping Argentina, they're all from the so-called "West". Hello, Cargill, Black Rock, hello?

There is no denying that the West has a history of exploitation. That is not the point. You are mistaken about HK. Freedom of speech has been suppressed. Opponents like Cardinal Zen and Jimmy Lai imprisoned. But this is not really central to the issue of Milei. As President he might try to avoid further business deals with China and faavour more democratic nations but he could not undo what is already in force.

 

[joftoronto]

Damn, there is a lot of truth in this comment.

I find the demonization of China bitterly amusing. Let's try a checklist -

1) How many countries has China invaded in the last 40 years? Zero*
2) How many countries has China attacked with drones or missile strikes in the last 40 years? Zero
3) How many foreign leaders has China assassinated in the last 40 years? Zero
4) In how many countries does China currently maintain troops, against the wishes of that nation's government? Zero

If you ask those same 4 questions about the USA, and accept honest answers, you will wind up with numbers greater than zero, in some cases considerably greater. But China is evil, eh? Right.

If you want to talk about something bad that China truly is doing, why is no one mentioning Mile 201? Argentina is being ripped off for an estimated 2-3 billion USD per year in squid alone, and China is the main offender in terms of the number of boats.To be fair, however, the Spanish fishing boats spend the greatest percent of the time with their transponders (ALS) switched off, in direct violation of EU regulations.



*admittedly China has occupied a few rocks in the South China Sea that are claimed by other nations, in at least one case multiple other nations, but that's a territorial dispute, and in no way comparable to blowing the hell out of a country and sending thousands of troops.

To be fair, China invaded Vietnam in 1979 and conducted a fairly bloody border war before being ejected forcibly by the Vietnamese. Although this is outside your timeline, many would argue that the Chinese invasion of Tibet in the late 1950s, was particularly brutal towards the Tibetan people, and expansionist and imperialist with a massive influx of Han Chinese immigrants and destruction of Tibetan culture along with Tibetan autonomy. I don't think that the Chinese attitude towards the Uighurs in the far west can be described as far off from genocidal. And China's neighbours are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the Chinese military build-up and moves in the South China seas that seem expansionist towards what have been considered international waters with disputed exclusive economic zone being claimed as exclusively Chinese. That's why many of China's neighbours are looking askance at Russia's history of aggression/ interventions/ occupations towards its neighbours since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Wondering if Beijing sees a model to emulate and becoming very nervous. India and China have also had a series of bloody border disputes, one flaring up quite recently. Certainly China is no where equivalent to the history of US invasions/interventions or Russia's imperialist past... But there is serious suspicion that it's military build up has that goal in mind. And the South China seas is not merely a "border dispute". China is actively pursuing a policy of building up military infrastructure on artificial islands to make exclusive jurisdictional claims in what had historically been viewed as international waters open to all nations for trade and maritime traffic.

 

[joftoronto]

And to anticipate the probable oncoming whataboutism arguments that I saw cited in Redpossum's 12:20 comment above, I don't find them particularly compelling or providing useful justifications if one is trying to take a purely anti-imperilist, anti-hegemonic approach, which the was to be the United Nations goal but has never been truly implemented. For example, to equate the human rights violations that China has been committing in Hong Kong with anything that has occurred in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday agreement is silly. What human rights violations? There are economic disagreements re: Brexit and the role of Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Assembly has been pretty dysfunctional of late but serious human rights violation on the scale of what China is doing in Hong Kong? Please illuminate me. Many would argue that the Good Friday agreement has been a success story that ended 30 years of bloody sectarian conflict and has brought some degree of peace which younger generations on both sides of that secatarian divide could never envision going back on. Sure there has not been 100% integration and all is not roses, but the prospects for Northern Irish youth were once very grim absent emigration. That is no longer the case among the vast majority, who have genuine economic prospects where they live, peace, and the ability to travel, trade and live in either the Republic or the UK.

 

[sts7049]

This is the propaganda line, but not the truth. But if you want to go there, the UK has not respected Human Rights in Northern Ireland in violation of the Good Friday agreement they signed with the EU.

this is the first time I've ever seen anyone other than the Chinese government refer to what happened in Hong Kong as propaganda

 

[Redpossum]

this is the first time I've ever seen anyone other than the Chinese government refer to what happened in Hong Kong as propaganda

beeep, straw man!

I never said

"what happened in Hong Kong was propaganda"

I said that your simplified, one-sided description of it was direct from propaganda.

There was a lot going on there, much of it as simple as young people being very deeply unhappy over real estate prices and the extreme difficulty of finding an apartment, let alone of ever owning their own home.

And HK has always protested. Back in 1967 they were protesting against the UK and in favor of the communists.

In 1967, Hong Kong’s Protesters Were Communist Sympathizers (Published 2019)

When deadly riots rocked the city more than half a century ago, the Chinese Communist Party — which denounces today’s unrest — was quietly supporting them.

www.nytimes.com