Changchun - The Ugly Side

During the rise of Communist China in 1949, Changchun was one of the many cities "liberated" by the People's Liberation Army. What really happened, however, is rarely described in Chinese history textbooks due to censorship, or maybe the government just doesn't want to look bad. During the siege of Changchun, citizens underwent a starvation like no other. People were driven to the point of cannibalism and the city experienced total anarchy. Nowadays, only a small percentage of the entire Chinese population actually knows what went on in Changchun. While it is understandable that China would want to keep its youth's faith in the country, it is a solid fact that in order to avoid such a catastrophe in the future, the new generation must be made aware of the past one's mistakes. It is not the first time we've heard of China's paranoid secrecy; both foreign and domestic viewpoints have been censored by China's Internet Branding Policy, basically banning all online material criticizing the Chinese government. China has catapulted itself into the future in the past decade, but to maintain this amazing feat, it must follow up with open mindedness and power to the people.

Shocking China-Taiwan Relations

About a month ago, I read an article in the NY Times about a Ms. Lung Yingtai and her inspiring literature. She writes about many touching family stories where families have been torn apart by the Communist Party seizing control of China in the mid-20th century, her own family being among them. Many of her books explore the difference between Chinese and Taiwan views, and while discussion her books is banned in China due to the strict Internet Branding Policy, she hopes to influence other to be more accepting and welcoming to people on the other side of the straight. For example, when the Communist Party laid siege on the city of Changchun, hundreds of thousands of people died of starvation. However, the PLA described their victory as a glorious "liberation" of the city and the tall tale is repeated in Chinese textbooks today. This just goes to show that the victorious ones are the people who write history, and we always have to take bias into account when reading anything.

Coopetition in Obama's Speech

In simple terms, coopetition is when two companies are competing with each other for business, but cooperate in certain areas so that the products produced in those areas are better overall, but everything else is left to the individuals companies themselves. Yesterday, President Obama paid a visit to Japan to give his speech regarding many topics including global warming, various summits, and American-Asian relationships. This, I think, is where coopetition comes in. In the past couple decades, Asia has jumped from poverty and rural populations to urbanization and a booming econemy. Of course, America is not used to being at the table with so many other countries, so at the moment, all of the superpowers of the world are in fierce competition in terms of econemy, education, and military strength. That is not to say that America is enemies with these countries. In his speech Obama made it clear that while America and Asia are experiencing a high point in good relations, America stands firm in the growing competition between the many nations of the world. This is a perfect example of coopetition because America certainly could not have recovered from recession so quickly without Asia's help, and Asia certainly could not have pulled itself out of 3rd world status without help from America. It is clear that while America and Asia are in a good-natured competition, there many areas where they agree with, help, and support each other, in other words, coopetition.