Family wealth, especially when the amount totaled between 5 to 10 billion dollars.
China's SCS Strategy Thread
- Thread starter lilzz
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Other than what others have already mentioned. Marcos Jr does not have a backbone and just wants to restore the Marcos name. It is just easier for him to just lay low and go with the flow (corruption) and avoid any controversy during his tenure. He does not have any incentive to excel as he will not be running for re-election anyway.
Duterte already did some of that work by allowing Marcos Sr be buried back in the Philippines.
All Marcos Jr had to do was stick to Duterte's foreign policies and not get greedy for those stolen billions.
The Marcos name would be once again be connected to infrastructure development without the dictator stuff also being connected to it.
Now he will go into history as the AMBOY supreme and the guy that might have fucked up the economy or lose it all because of unleashing war in the South China Sea.
The Marco Administration has clearly mounted an offensive to "retake" the Scarborough/Huangyan Island. And the US has pledged to intervene (akin to Biden pledging to defend Taiwan, breaking previous ambiguity). I wonder if there are ways for the China Coast Guard to prevent both Filipino government and fishing vessels from getting close to Scarborough/Huangyan WITHOUT drawing blood, which could again risk a war with the US. For example, what do you do when a Filipino fishing vessel managed to get its way into Huangyan's lagoon? Do you shoot and sink them (and prepare for a US response), try to run over them (also risk a US response), or do you simply accept a new normal when Filipino vessels could easily go in and out without any consequences?
Some folks ask whether Biden is bluffing when he pledges to defend this and that (going way way way beyond Bush, Obama, and Trump), but I don't now is the time for China to risk a war against the US, at least not yet. Can it be done without losing control of Huangyan and other disputed areas administered by China? And yes China could call the bluff, but how can anyone be sure that Biden is really bluffing (when a war could actually help him with his 2024 election, not to mention Pelosi visited Taiwan without any consequences, pretty much US calling China's bluff back in August 2022), especially when China is facing its own economic slowdowns and a small but increasingly assertive elite urban Zhi Ren/Hanjian community at home?
Some folks ask whether Biden is bluffing when he pledges to defend this and that (going way way way beyond Bush, Obama, and Trump), but I don't now is the time for China to risk a war against the US, at least not yet. Can it be done without losing control of Huangyan and other disputed areas administered by China? And yes China could call the bluff, but how can anyone be sure that Biden is really bluffing (when a war could actually help him with his 2024 election, not to mention Pelosi visited Taiwan without any consequences, pretty much US calling China's bluff back in August 2022), especially when China is facing its own economic slowdowns and a small but increasingly assertive elite urban Zhi Ren/Hanjian community at home?
Bro there is a plan for the Marcos to return those stolen billions in exchange for all legal charges to be drop, from 50 to 80% the Marcos are willing to negotiate with Duterte cause as you mentioned he had gained their trust. BUT the opposition are so short sighted, they are emotionally driven and not thinking for the best interest of the country, returning those billions is better than receiving nothing. So instead, BBM switch tactic, making good use of the opportunity presented by Duterte administration, he use the money to fund his Presidential campaign. His goal of rehabilitating the family name and to legitimize those illegal wealth had been achieved very very cheaply.
Aug 29, 2017 — The Marcoses are “ready to open and bring back (assets) including a few gold bars,” Duterte quoted the Marcos family spokesman as saying. “It's ...
Aug 29, 2017 — President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said the family of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos has expressed willingness to return the alleged ...
Aug 29, 2017 — The government announced last month that Duterte, a Marcos ally, may abolish a government agency that has recovered some 170 billion pesos ($3.4 ...
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With what Navy? With Bangkas
We are on the same boat with Elensky, No sorry even worst, at the lowest end of American pecking order, gosh even tiny Kosovo take precedent over us.
Who's the main power base or to be more precise, where do (rich liberals) derive their power from? Who's going to foster the change they wish or want for China to have and do? What's their stances with respect to the border disputes that China have with say India? How about the SCS with the Philippines and other claimants like Japan? Are they of the mentality of let's live and let live by having China give up on its claims in return for what? I don't really understand the mindset of such people other than they're willing to abandon the country for their own self-interest.
Are you also that convinced that America will fight and shed blood for the Philippines against China and China will simply have to give in for the above reason(s) you mentioned, namely in the interest of self-preservation and statusquo? But is China inviting further provocative actions from the Philippines and other competing claimants if it appears caving in to the assertive tactics that PH is currently employing? Who's going to say that China's weak willed response against the Philippines will not further invite an even bigger dilemma via the Taiwan scenario?
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Unfortunately these are the richest people in China, and they self-interests just happen to conflict with those of the general interests AND those of the Party in China. But they are loud and have political economic connections with elites in the West. So it is kind of a headache for the Party, whilst the Party simply cannot get to rid of them due to economic needs. And of course, the reason these Zhi Rens are so loud in calling for "democratic reforms" is because they don't think the CCP has spend enough effort to preserve their privileges and property rights. They don't want to commit to any corporate social responsibilities, so they would rather side with China's enemies in order to preserve their privileges.
China isn't afraid of a war with US. What did US gain by sending Pelosi to meet with Chinese separatists when they proved incapable of mounting any response to constant new Chinese military patrols for over a year now?
As long as China's slowdown isn't putting US on track to catch up, they're not gonna be worried in the least.
Now, more than ever, China stands in a position of strength over America, not least due to being able to hold the threat of military intervention in the western front against them.
In the SCS, while China is in no rush to settle disputes by force, they've also had a history of never retreating from any holdings. If Philippines can manage to scrounge up one of their few frigates or gunboats and send it at a PLA outpost, it is likely to end in the PH vessel being sunk or towed away, depending on whether they put up resistance or not.
Since US has a history of not mounting an effective response in Asia, China has little reason to consider them part of the calculus. US has even avoided answering Marcos' call to help them resupply their scrap outpost. There is just no indications America would risk further damage to itself by helping such an obviously weak actor.
But these same rich ultra elites are going to beg for mercy if the common folk is unleashed upon them, especially if China finds itself under extreme duress due to the self-inflicted wound and sabotage committed by these self-interest moneyed groups. If history is any guide, there's still a lot of Chinese people old and young that remember how it was like for China to suffer a devastating loss against other countries. Who's going to save those leeches skin? AMERICANS?
Where do you get your impression that the majority of elites dislike the party and would rather Institute the western style system (so that the elites can control the government and policies). If that's the case, then China ought to just stop pretending and give up, surrender to the almighty U.S. so we can all avoid going through the pretentions that Taiwan is important to China and just simply ask the U.S. to make China another vassal.