this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2025
121 points (99.2% liked)

chapotraphouse

13642 readers
648 users here now

Banned? DM Wmill to appeal.

No anti-nautilism posts. See: Eco-fascism Primer

Slop posts go in c/slop. Don't post low-hanging fruit here.

founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
 

https://www.economist.com/china/2025/01/16/an-initiative-so-feared-that-china-has-stopped-saying-its-name

agony-mescaline

Article text

An initiative so feared that China has stopped saying its name

The Economist

China | The Voldemort of economic plans

“Made in China 2025” has been a success, but at what cost?

LIKE LORD VOLDEMORT from Harry Potter, “Made in China 2025” is an initiative which induces so much fear and loathing abroad that Chinese officials dare not speak its name. The plan, introduced a decade ago, called for pouring money and resources into dozens of industries. The goal was to turn China into a green and innovative “manufacturing power”, one that relied less on labour and Western supply chains, and more on automation and new home-grown technologies. This was Xi Jinping’s vision for the Chinese economy.

[PAYWALL]

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 52 points 14 hours ago (2 children)
[–] driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br 48 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (2 children)

There's no way they still use the "but at what cost?" not ironically. That has to be an internal joke by now.

[–] Infamousblt@hexbear.net 36 points 13 hours ago

China was mentioned in a meeting at my tech bro job the other day and some guy that I'm cordial with messaged me privately "BUT AT WHAT COST". So I think oh this guy is dog whistling at me that he is actually a China enjoyer, so I test that out by being like "yeah it would be great to work with China" and he immediately launches into a serious tirade about how they're fascists destroying the world.

So uh...no I think they actually do say this seriously. I couldn't believe it

[–] bennieandthez@lemmygrad.ml 21 points 13 hours ago

for real, there even was one mexican NGO ghoul saying it in Spanish during an interview, it's like these people have a script.

[–] hello_hello@hexbear.net 21 points 13 hours ago

"But at what cost" is the West's trigger phrase for having their citizens imagine horrible things, get mad at their imagination, skim the article which confirms their imagination, and then go about their day like nothing happened.