China vs U.S. in an 'Internet Race'
avatar4d writes to mention an article on CIO about a new 'space race' on the internet between China and the U.S.. China is currently hard at work at what is being called the 'Chinese Next Generation Internet' (CNGI). With plans to unveil the project at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the network is part of a plan to leap ahead of the United States in innovation and technology. From the article: "The strategy, outlined in China's latest five-year plan, calls for the country to transition its economy from one based almost entirely on manufacturing to one that produces its own scientific and technological breakthroughs — using a new and improved version of today's dominant innovation platform, the Internet. 'CNGI is the culmination of this revolutionary plan' to turn China into the world's innovation capital, says Wu Hequan, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the chairman of the CNGI Expert Committee, the group overseeing the project. 'We will use it as a way to break through and be competitive in the global economic market.'"
The whole idea of "race" and needing decades of experience to get in front is very archaic. You don't need to follow the full technological evolution to get there.
Besides.... China has an amazing history of technological superiority over the last couple of thousand years or so, with only the last 100 or so years (a mere 5%) being a "glitch".
Engineering is the art of compromise.
I wouldn't be too quick to judge China's scientific community based on a translation of a one-line project synopsis by a buearocrat.
As opposed to the government that claims it has freedom of speech and information while blocking science that disagrees with their corporate views.
Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
It's nice to know that people's view of China haven't changed in 50 years. US Education system is doing it's normal bang up job.
Before you laugh too heavily about China's "space seeds," you might want to remember that most American believe:
1. The earth was created in 7 days
2. That god created people "as is"
3. Evolution is a myth
You see America can trump China in ignorance everytime.
But let's not also forget:
1. all the capital investment going into China - China leads the world in foreign investment.
2. the trade deficit - the US imports more goods from China then we export.
3. China has HUGE cash reserves, meanwhile the US is running a 6 trillion dollar deficit which will only get larger thanks to medicare and social security benefits, the war in iraq.
4. almost all electronics and manufacturing is done in china.
5. china's population - a sellers wet dream. the us' market dominance is fading as more and more chinese have disposable income.
Kudos to the morons who aren't paying attention.
Sorry, but China's growth rate is a prime example of the catch-up effect. In short, China's growth rate is double-digits (or near there) because they were using their labor so inefficiently until recently that they only have one direction to go. Besides, if GDP growth was proof of a country's greatness, perhaps China better look in their rear-view mirror, because Azerbaijan is catching up fast.
As for China being the next world superpower, call me when they get a navy. Sure, they can nuke us, but they can't even get past Chile's navy to hold the nuked territory, much less our own, and it's not like we don't have a few nukes to play with. Heck, the US has 2/3 of the quantitative aircraft carrier fleet in the world, and 4/5 of the deck space.
Makes sense to me.
The way I see it, there's a world of difference between telling scientists to dissent from the government on their own time, and telling scientists not to dissent from the government at all.
Wake me up when approximately half the Chinese population is openly and vehemently opposed to their government, and we'll talk about U.S.-China moral equivalence.
Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.
and why would you want to send people to 'hold' the big pile of radioactive debri?
Superpower wars aren't about military force anymore(if they ever were). It's about economic force.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on