China has upset many countries in the Asia-Pacific region with its release of a new official map that lays claim to most of the South China Sea, as well as to contested parts of India and Russia, and official objections continue to mount. What is the map, and why is it upsetting people so much?

It seems significant, then, that Beijing chose to release the map on the heels of a late August meeting of the BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – and just before China is to participate in top-level meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Group of 20 rich and developing nations.

In releasing the map now, Beijing is widely seen as signaling it has no intention of backing down on any of its claims and is making sure that its positions are fresh in the minds of other countries in the region.

  • @JohnDClay
    link
    English
    7
    edit-2
    10 months ago

    So the good of humanity is the top interest right? So things that China does that are bad for humanity are bad, right? It seems to me like self interested territorial expansion, possibly with military force, would be pretty bad for humanity on the whole.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      -3
      edit-2
      10 months ago

      Yes. Any nation that subverts the sovereignty of another nation through trade or violence is bad for humanity. But eastern and western media create a false dichotomy that if one is good, the other must be bad. It benefits media financially and the governments agendas. But there are other choices. Unfortunately, the geopolitics of trade dictate conflicts over resources so that the other options are untenable. Idealistically, an international system could determine trade and exchange of resources. Realistically, there is no international body that can enforce nations to isolate. So we war.

      Edit: I’m not a geopolitical expert.

      • @JohnDClay
        link
        English
        3
        edit-2
        10 months ago

        I agree both western and eastern countries can and have been in the wrong. I think that’s the point your trying to make. And I agree.

        Your original comment sounded like you were saying both are okay, or that China’s aggression was not bad.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          -210 months ago

          I only take the contrarian stance to make people think about the news they are ingesting. In my view all nations are bad, and this is just a struggle between ruling classes. Most people in the world are just trying to survive and get through their day. It’s those with money and power that war.

          • @JohnDClay
            link
            English
            410 months ago

            You might want to specify you think both are bad rather than that one excuses the other. Whataboutism (where one deflects to bad things other countries have done) is extremely common in justifying absolutely horrific things. Such as the invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing Ethnocide of Uyghurs, or even the Holocaust.

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              English
              -110 months ago

              Thanks. I’ll try to do that in the future. I think part of me selfishly enjoys the antagonism. I‘ll work on that.

              • @JohnDClay
                link
                English
                110 months ago

                By the way, the memes thread on hexbear from yesterday is a prime example of using whataboutism/America bad to justify North Korea China and Russia. That’s what my knee jerk reaction was against.

                • @[email protected]
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  110 months ago

                  I’m gonna guess that most of them have never been to Russia or North Korea. How are you gonna defend a place you know nothing about? That’s why I reserve judgement for other countries. I know America.

                  • @JohnDClay
                    link
                    English
                    1
                    edit-2
                    10 months ago

                    Good question. Some of them were saying they think it’s impossible for a communist country to be authoritarian because of how communism works. So that automatically makes North Korea and China better than the US.

                    Anyway, if you’re not defederated with them, you might want to check it out. The thread is like two back in my comment history if you want to check.

                    Edit: Here it is, .world is defederated. https://hexbear.net/post/488404