China news 7th February 2021
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping’s “Southern Tour in 1992”, the founder of “One Country, Two Systems” and the late top leader of the Communist Party of China. We revisit his speech to help everyone to understand the “One Country, Two Systems” relationship.
In 1992, Deng Xiaoping made his southern tour
Thirty years ago, following drastic changes in Eastern Europe and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the international socialist camp collapsed. However, Deng Xiaoping still believed that “socialism will inevitably replace capitalism after a long process of development.” He believed that socialism is more in line with the expectations of the majority than capitalism. Capitalism is not necessarily the fate of mankind, and mankind should explore a better future based on the experience of capitalism. Here are his reasons.
Today’s world capitalism includes at least four contradictions. First is the polarisation of the rich and the poor that capitalism is bound to exacerbate and the desire for fairness in human society. At the same time, the desire for fairness is basic human nature, and the cornerstone of social stability. When polarization between the rich and the poor produced by capitalism meets the human desire for fairness, problems will inevitably arise.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many believed that capitalism had triumphed across the board. Photo is of the military parade held by the former Soviet Union in 1990 to celebrate the “October Revolution”
Second, the foundation of capitalist economic logic is that rational people can make wise decisions and that all market participants have the same wisdom, rational ability. However, evidence has repeatedly proved that human rationality is limited and deeply affected by irrational factors. This will lead to economic crises from time to time and waste of resources – as well as environmental pollution.
Third, profit-seeking capitalism puts the relationship between people into a narrow financial relationship. But the relationship between people is complex and multi-dimensional. No matter which society, once capitalism prevails, it is difficult to avoid alienating people into tools and commodities.
Fourth, the globalization of capital, trade without borders, and the contradiction of the world order with the nation-state as the basic unit of competition. Under the process of globalisation, capital takes advantage of the gaps in the existing nation-state system to obtain maximum benefits. Capital flows around the world are more difficult to regulate. As a result, capitalism incorporates the world into itself, and thus makes a lot of money.
Thus, although capitalism has energy in stimulating people’s enthusiasm and promoting economic growth, capitalism should not and will not be the human fate. Those societies that pursue capitalism can only meet the growing needs of the world for a better life if they continuously absorb factors such as fairness and justice, safeguarding vulnerable groups, and coexisting in harmony with nature. And such capitalism will increasingly converge with socialism.
Today, as Deng Xiaoping predicted, it is important to re-understand capitalism and seek another possibility based on the lessons of the disintegration of the Soviet Union. This is the case in Hong Kong.
Source: hk01.com.
This article on electric cars in northern China, where the temperature regularly falls below -20 degrees, shows an awkward problem for EV enthusiasts. Fortunately, much of the world does not experience such an extreme climate.
Since late January, cold warning signals have been issued all over the country. Even Guangzhou, which is in the subtropical zone with an average annual temperature of 22.8 °C, has recently issued cold warnings. This made Li Dong, who was about to drive back to Shenyang from Guangzhou a little nervous the journey.
After Li Dong successfully arrived in Shenyang, he took a video for himself, entitled “It’s really anxious to go to the northeast with electric vehicles”. In the video, in addition to the joy of returning home, Li Dong also sighed helplessly about this electric car trip. After passing Shanhaiguan, there were no charging piles in all high-speed service areas. A battery life of more than 600 kilometres could allowed 270, which was only 40% of the supposed battery life. After the temperature drops, the battery life will be greatly reduced. It is necessary to plan the itinerary in advance and allow for charging more frequently.
To save electricity, some electric vehicle taxi drivers do not turn on the heater in winter. Ma Bo complained in Moments, saying that he had used an electric taxi twice in 24 hours. After entering, he found that it was “like an ice cellar” and asked the driver to turn on the heater. The driver said it was “broken”.
Some brands are working hard to market for low-temperature endurance. Some brands even claim that new technologies can survive minus 30 degrees with only slightly power reduction.
However, is December 2021, the China Academy of Automotive Engineering issued a white paper, reporting that the average mileage retention in cold weather has not changed significantly.
At present, the batteries used in electric vehicles are mainly lithium iron phosphate batteries and ternary lithium batteries. In a low-temperature environment, the diffusion ability of lithium ions in the electrolyte decreases, resulting the loss of power. At extremely cold temperatures, the battery may even stop working.
Xiaopeng Automobile has issued a “Wintering Guide” for the winter endurance and charging of vehicles. It is mentioned that “the temperature of the air conditioner is recommended to be set at 22 degrees Celsius, maintain good driving habits, drive at a uniform speed as much as possible, and park the car in the warm room or a suitable temperature as much as possible during the winter day.”
However, the poor endurance of electric vehicles in winter is well-known. Of course, manufacturers understand the concern of users, so they will emphasise their endurance in publicity, rather than deliberately explain how much their endurance mileage has shrunk in winter.
The core of the problem has not yet been solved. To solve the problem of low-temperature endurance, it is necessary to change the power battery materials or use some new electrochemical methods, but it is not realistic at present.
“An electric car can only drive for three quarters a year, and it can hardly be used in winter.” A Beijing car owner said, “That’s equivalent to buying three quarters of the car.”
Source: new.qq.com.
Worked on the article:
Wanlikhang
