BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sancho" data-source="post: 1600210" data-attributes="member: 27039"><p>I know this started about binoculars, but it´s gone far beyond that. China spent the last few hundred years being invaded, carved up, opiumed-up, exploited and robbed by the major "Western" powers (including Russia and Japan). In the last little invasion-session, it lost 18% of its population. I really think the average Chinese would find it vaguely amusing to hear "westerners" pontificating and sermonising about China joining the inter-global economy and actually selling us stuff we really, really want to buy cheap. And the sanctimonious stuff about human or labour rights in China is fascinating....what about minerals from South America, or Diamonds from Africa? Are these produced under the kind of labour conditions we approve of? Or does child slavery, torture and murder of union activists, environmental destruction and denial of basic human rights only outrage us if it happens in an economy that can compete with us on equal terms? Rant over.</p></blockquote><p></p>