Still on holiday so this is really just a top line observation but in short: China is everywhere.
Living in the US (and being from a lackey country that lives in the shadow of its popular culture and is under the influence), it’s easy to think that America is untouchable. Yes, even in the face of the shit show of its politics, the clear decline in standard of living, the obscene inequality, and waning cultural impact, it’s hard to imagine that there’s a real rival to its might.
That is, until you spend a good amount of time in any other part of the world; particularly the parts that are still developing. Leave the US and really any English speaking or developed nation that’s been enveloped by the US’s cloud of FREEDOMand you realize that China is everywhere. After a long, slow but steady creep all of a sudden, you’re driving down the highway and 1 out of 5 cars are BYD, Chery or SAIC - brands you’ve never heard of before but that feel vaguely familiar (thanks to expert reverse engineering and toothless international IP law enforcement). The same thing with phones: most aspirational folks are still repping iPhones of course, but the Chinese brands are giving Samsung a run for its money for the #2 spot.
What stood out to me the most this summer and what marks a shift to a more aggressive announcement of their presence was the ads adorning the pitch-side billboards at the Euros. Alipay, AliExpress, Hisense, Vivo, BYD are plastered all over. It’s as though the Chinese brands have finally breached the surface and we’ll be seeing more of them more often from here on, even from the willfully ignorant shores of the US.
We all knew China was an unstoppable force but what’s surprising is how blinkered the US is and just how fast this takeover is happening.
“Made in China” is still a dirty phrase in the US - despite China being home to world class manufacturing - which, aside from ignoring the quality of its production capabilities, makes Americans think that China is unable to compete with other manufacturers which is simply not true. (Caveat: China is also home to trash production but as with all things, this usually comes down to how much you’re paying for manufacturing rather than the abilities of an entire nation’s workforce).
The thing about China is that they play the long game: 100 year plans, not 4 year plans for reelection which is what’s slowing progress down in the west. It’s how they can be both one of the world’s biggest polluters as well as a leader in green energy. In fact, the Chinese game developer behind the hugely successful Genshin Impact has been pumping money into nuclear fusion technology and just last month ignited their own TOKAMAK fusion reactor. It’s just a matter of time before the Chinese wave engulfs us all and Americans especially are heading for a very rude awakening.
Crib notes on China from a total layman:
China surpassed Japan as the worlds biggest auto exporter this past year.
5 of the 13 official sponsors of the UEFA European Championships
Extremely Light this week, both in terms of content (no spread!) and unique observation as it’s clear as day that we’ll all be speaking Mandarin in no time.
As always, thank you for reading and feedback is appreciated! Discussion too; best taken place in the Mayonnaise Discord server.
PS: I’m taking next week off as I’d rather focus and write something that might bring something new to your week than just stick to the schedule whilst I’m traveling and risk being or continuing to be superficial. Prepare for life changing points of view on the next dispatch.