Paul Chong                                           Thursday, 12 October 2017

A Chinese by Descent . . . An Australian by Consent

 

 

As a Chinese by descent, I can understand how we could be sleeping on hard floor mat, and yet would be celebrating our determination remembering & consuming “the pill of bitterness”,  the shame and humiliation that we suffered – drawing strength from it & turning adversity to victory . . . all within ourselves in our own quiet way.

Persistency & courage are the kind of stuff that men are made of. Unrelenting, we have been known to be most assiduous in our economic pursuits. Both inventive & innovative, our creativities were & are mainly directed for peaceful use like the gun power – not turning it into the Western use for weapons of mass destruction. For the Chinese, festivals, celebrations, peace & harmony take priority like the use of fireworks & fire crackers.

. . . Patience . . . EnduranceThe Chinese are fast learners, skilled in reversed engineering with the flair for improvement. They are very resourceful & full of initiative. Their mental ability & capacity are simply astounding. Putting up with hardships, self-sacrificing, the willingness to work hard & working smart all contribute towards the magical performance of the Chinese & the rapid rise of the nation.

Though seemingly featuring to be of minor significance, the Chinese have a great capacity for thrift & savings. In this way, many a small business man starts off small but eventually ends up big. The end result of success is the accumulation of little successes.

Having said that, herein below are some very good examples/testimonies of the Chinese refusal over the question of development/exchange of technology with other countries which initially snubbed China.

1. Recently France offered to swap with China’s ageing Mirage 2000 fighter technology in exchange for China’s world beating Quantum Communication technology. Naturally China declined.

2. Ukraine wanted to sell its last cruiser to China, China said no thank you. Not interested.

3. UK proposed to co-operate with China to develop their aero-engines, China said “Go hang yourself.”

4. Mighty US proposed to exchange part of their space technology in exchange for access to China’s space station. China said “Go kiss my ass”. Back in the early 90s, when US and Russia invited 16 other nations to form a joint venture for the international space station, China applied to join and was rejected by none other than US. The table has now turned.

5. In 2009 US Defence Secretary Robert Gates arrogantly proclaimed that China was incapable of developing the 5th generation fighter before 2020. Then in Jan 2011, Gates made an official visit to China. Just as Gates stepped off the plane in China, the first prototype J-20, China’s first stealth fighter flew over his head. Gates must have thought the alcohol he consumed on his flight must be playing tricks to his eyes. In 2017 March, China official declare J-20 to have entered operation service with Chinese airforce. The speed at which this happens not only took the west by surprised, it also scared the shit out of them.

The west has consistently boycotted China in every form of technology sharing or transfer. China was forced to go alone. Guess what? The more China is denied anything, the more determined and speedier China will be to develop it’s own. China was cut-off by all including Russia when she wanted to develop her A-bomb. She succeeded in exploding one in 1964. A mere 32 months later, she exploded her H-bomb, the fastest among all nuclear nations. US 86 months, Russia 75 months, UK 66 months, China 32 months !

China’s R&D budget in 2015 was 75% of that of US. In 2000, it was a mere 12% of US. By 2022 it is forecast that China R&D will surpassed that of US.

So for those who still think China is always lacking behind, backward, can only copy and make low tech products, incapable of innovating and taking lead, just sit back and watch how events will unfold in the next few years. On the other hand, for those with a less jaundice view of China, I suggest you might consider making a trip now to China and witness for yourself the advances in high-speed trains, use of digital technology, their infrastructures, just to name a few.

In closing, it is evidently clear & most crucial that people are the greatest resource or asset a country possesses. Without the right people, country cannot grow & progress. Country cannot just rely on its natural resources, as in the case of Malaysia.