Re:The Global State of Science (2017)
by acqq on Monday June 18, 2018 @03:43AM
(#17336530)
When the "Century of humiliation" and the Opium Wars are mentioned, reading about them also gives a unique chance to easily understand the real meaning of the still popular term "Free Trade," even then:
"The war ended on 17 August 1842, with the Treaty of Nanking enabling the British to 'carry on their mercantile transactions with whatever persons they please'. The treaty committed the Chinese to free trade, including the trade in opium."
The British practically fought the war to be free to be drug dealers to the whole country, asserting they have the right to "free trade." If you are studying economy or history, you already knew that, otherwise you probably haven't, unless you are Chinese: if I understand correctly, such details are, IMHO rightly, the necessary part of the Chinese curriculum.
Free trade is of course even now only used as a term for "others" to accept what "we" want to do. In other direction, "we" can simply care about the "national security":
https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/opium-war-1839-1842
"The war ended on 17 August 1842, with the Treaty of Nanking enabling the British to 'carry on their mercantile transactions with whatever persons they please'. The treaty committed the Chinese to free trade, including the trade in opium."
The British practically fought the war to be free to be drug dealers to the whole country, asserting they have the right to "free trade." If you are studying economy or history, you already knew that, otherwise you probably haven't, unless you are Chinese: if I understand correctly, such details are, IMHO rightly, the necessary part of the Chinese curriculum.
Free trade is of course even now only used as a term for "others" to accept what "we" want to do. In other direction, "we" can simply care about the "national security":
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/12/trump-issues-order-prohibiti...
The Newspeak principles weren't invented by Orwell. One country's free trade is another country's national security.