No Chinese tech giant or entrepreneur is beyond the reach of Xi Jinping.

[Rogue Trader]

terribly short sighted aren't we?

****

Even mundane economic reports revealed the scale of dislocation beginning in 1966, as reverence for Mao grew feverish while people attacked and killed each other in efforts to wipe out "capitalist roaders." Entire categories of people lost work overnight, including florists, fruit sellers, undertakers and dressmakers.

Toymakers curbed output as plastic became needed, instead, to make glossy covers for the Little Red Book. Factories churned out 50 million Mao badges a month, but still struggled to keep up with extraordinary demand for wearable images of the leader. So much aluminum was diverted to those badges that by 1969 Mao himself had to step in, demanding "give me back my airplanes."

If you ever have a chance to speak to a mainlander, you will know that they have been coming to terms with their own bloody history. Just like the Japs and Germans.

They are fully aware the great leap forward and cultural revolution crippled the development of China for at least 20 years... And they have been trying to catch up with the Western and other developed countries since Deng started his reforms. And it is the wrong assumption to make that the Chinese people and government have not learned from their political failings.