new podcast: Indonesia's Defence Dilemma

[fastpitch17]

I have read previously, perhaps even in this forum that Chinese products come in three levels of quality. You get what you pay for. Products being sold to the larger US corporations for sale are normally built under specifications the US companies provide. In the end, you get exactly what you pay for.

 

[snpark]

Exactly
Tudor is Rolex
Daihatsu is Toyota
Audi is Lamborghini
BMW Rolls Royce

Cartier diamonds are the rubbish but they just engrave a name on the diamond

Ralph Lauren and Polo rallph Lauren indonesia.

Heineken and bintang

Black cod from Nobs and Patagonian dog fish

Pro Palestinian - anti semitism

 

[Shadrach]

I must say, From my experience, Chinese made products, are not made better, but designed to quickly break, so People will go buy more, because it's cheap Crap! Even here, most of the products being sold cheaply, are Chinese disposable Crap! It's wrong that all humans are being forced to live like this, and buy cheap food, cheap products, and eat unhealthy, to get sick, then go to expensive hospitals, and end up back at the grindstone, and never get anywhere, until we die! While the rich pay off the politicians, so they get rich too, and make laws that perpetuate this nonsense! It's criminal this is allowed!

I don't buy cheap food, don't eat unhealthy, haven't been in.a hospital since decades.
But I eat French, drink whisky, go to music bars, still able to do a few moves on the danceflooor and before settling down 8 y ago had plenty g/f way younger than me .
And I feel good about it !

Well, you are one of the lucky few! I also try to eat and buy good quality food, and products. Unfortunately many of these Balinese people are living from day to day, with all their debts, and low wages. My friend who runs a Warung, sells her stuff for so cheap, there is no profit! But where she lives, the local economy is poor, and can't afford quality food, or quality equipment! They also don't even know what eating healthy is! They are basically, traditionally primitive and follow the same patterns and diet, they learned from their parents, which their children will do the same. Pizza is the only thing modern, I've seen them try!

 

[MamangDudul]

I have read previously, perhaps even in this forum that Chinese products come in three levels of quality. You get what you pay for. Products being sold to the larger US corporations for sale are normally built under specifications the US companies provide. In the end, you get exactly what you pay for.

Yes.
I think especially in their own middle and upper sectors they made a good step forwards in recent years/decades. As you saiid there are levels to it. And yeah, stuff being produced there for foreign companies is another thing again, also free spying.

 

[Hawk256]

I must say, From my experience, Chinese made products, are not made better, but designed to quickly break, so People will go buy more, because it's cheap Crap! Even here, most of the products being sold cheaply, are Chinese disposable Crap!

China can and does make some things that are quality. Think iPhone. If the incentive is there, they can make high quality products and their domestic items are usually much, much better than export products.

 

[Balifrog]

Well, you are one of the lucky few! I also try to eat and buy good quality food, and products. Unfortunately many of these Balinese people are living from day to day, with all their debts, and low wages. My friend who runs a Warung, sells her stuff for so cheap, there is no profit! But where she lives, the local economy is poor, and can't afford quality food, or quality equipment! They also don't even know what eating healthy is! They are basically, traditionally primitive and follow the same patterns and diet, they learned from their parents, which their children will do the same. Pizza is the only thing modern, I've seen them try!

Sadly you are right !
On the other hand Indonesia doesn't really have a gastronomic culture. It's just about feeding the animal. Not like Chinese or Thai.

Mind you, I see many Aussies here who prefer to put their money in Bintang and then buy a plastic bag of feed in the local warung.....

 

[John indonesia]

O yes they do,

Politics of Guam - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

They are not allowed to vote for the president of the country they hold citizenship of.
The people who represent them in the US houses are not allowed to vote.

Can you explain how that is democracy, please?

 

[John indonesia]

I must say, From my experience, Chinese made products, are not made better, but designed to quickly break, so People will go buy more, because it's cheap Crap! Even here, most of the products being sold cheaply, are Chinese disposable Crap! It's wrong that all humans are being forced to live like this, and buy cheap food, cheap products, and eat unhealthy, to get sick, then go to expensive hospitals, and end up back at the grindstone, and never get anywhere, until we die! While the rich pay off the politicians, so they get rich too, and make laws that perpetuate this nonsense! It's criminal this is allowed!

You're describing an unfettered capitalist society.
As with everything, you get what you pay for, but the scale on Chinese products is different. They start cheaper, and the top end is generally cheaper.
Their cheap and nasty stuff is exactly that and tends to break quickly, but the better quality stuff is easily as good as anything made in the west (and Korea).
All three of my TVs are Chinese brands, as are all but one of my monitors, and (If I bothered looking) probably pretty much everything else except the Korean fridges and AC units.

 

[John indonesia]

China has territorial claims to Indonesia,and that is pretty far from the Chinese coastline. US has not any.

True, so why does the US have massive amounts of very expensive military forces in the area?

 

[jstar]

All three of my TVs are Chinese brands, as are all but one of my monitors, and (If I bothered looking) probably pretty much everything else except the Korean fridges and AC units.

Even with those Korean brands one has no idea where they come from. For the US market it could be a factory in Tennessee but esp. in East Asia the chances are high they are made in China. Or….

 

[Balifrog]

True, so why does the US have massive amounts of very expensive military forces in the area?

Map of the Week: U.S. Military Bases around the World | UBIQUE

ubique.americangeo.org

"At least 750 military bases are installed in 80 countries around the world. 173,000 troops are deployed in at least 159 countries. "

Woaw, we "the rest of the world" are so lucky the US is protecting us from evil communism....

 

[jstar]

Woaw, we "the rest of the world" are so lucky the US is protecting us from evil communism....

You can joke about it but I think the shipping companies and container ship crews are quite happy with the protection from the US (and UK) against attacks of the Houthi rebels. (And at least we get our stuff from Europe.)

 

[jstar]

Protecting us from evil communism

And if Donald decides to pull out of NATO, Europe’s gonna have a huge problem.

 

[centurion]

They are not allowed to vote for the president of the country they hold citizenship of.
The people who represent them in the US houses are not allowed to vote.

Can you explain how that is democracy, please?

Brits, Australians, Jamaicans and Canadians are not voting for their king, and living in democracy. Guam has elections,and elects its own governor. It fulfils the criteria for a democratic system.

 

[centurion]

True, so why does the US have massive amounts of very expensive military forces in the area?

I suppose to defend Indonesians, when they ask to do so. Otherwise islands bye bye.

 

[Balifrog]

And if Donald decides to pull out of NATO, Europe’s gonna have a huge problem.

I hope he will ! NATO should have been disband in 1991.
It was kept together mainly to keep control of Europe and to sell US arms to the European "allies"
It has gone from a defensive organisation to an agression organisation, and is 100% responsable for the start of the Ukraine war !

 

[Balifrog]

I suppose to defend Indonesians, when they ask to do so. Otherwise islands bye bye.

Hmmmm, the last time they "helped" Indonesia it caused 500.000 deaths....
Not to speak about siding with anti government rebels in Sumatra.....

Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

What the United States Did in Indonesia

A trove of recently released documents confirms that Washington’s role in the country’s 1965 massacre was part of a bigger Cold War strategy.

www.theatlantic.com

 

[Bob]

Map of the Week: U.S. Military Bases around the World | UBIQUE

ubique.americangeo.org

View attachment 4007

"At least 750 military bases are installed in 80 countries around the world. 173,000 troops are deployed in at least 159 countries. "

Woaw, we "the rest of the world" are so lucky the US is protecting us from evil communism....

30 bases in China? French Indochina? Indonesia? Maybe this one's not a good indicator.

 

[Balifrog]

30 bases in China? French Indochina? Indonesia? Maybe this one's not so accurate.

Oops, nice catch.... Probably a "bit dated"
Let me dig in a bit more !

 

[Bob]

True, so why does the US have massive amounts of very expensive military forces in the area?

Where are those massive amounts of forces based in the area?