Finland offers a glimpse of the hurdles Chinese electric vehicle makers face in winning over Europe – consumers ask whether the cars spy on them, or if they have kill switches
I hate how you cannot purchase ‘dumb’ stuff anymore. Even if you completely trust the government and companies, bad actors can utilise these systems too.
I hate how you cannot purchase ‘dumb’ stuff anymore. Even if you completely trust the government and companies, bad actors can utilise these systems too.
Genuinely this. I don't have Chinese companies serving me ads and telling me to buy their pizza when my fridge is empty. There is a decent, much larger scale, point to be made when China may have...
There is a decent, much larger scale, point to be made when China may have an outsized impact when the market is saturated with Chinese vehicles and competition is stifled and/or geopolitical strategic influences are becoming problematic, but until then the consumer is likely better off with a qualitative and cheaper product from overseas.
That's only a huge problem with western views on markets though and only if you treat those concepts as rigid and un-adaptable. We need to start looking at economics differently with new ideas...
There is a decent, much larger scale, point to be made when China may have an outsized impact when the market is saturated with Chinese vehicles and competition is stifled and/or geopolitical strategic influences are becoming problematic, but until then the consumer is likely better off with a qualitative and cheaper product from overseas.
That's only a huge problem with western views on markets though and only if you treat those concepts as rigid and un-adaptable.
We need to start looking at economics differently with new ideas because the thing no one seems to be talking about with the current state of capitalism in the west is that there IS going to be a limit to the concept "unlimited growth". Where that limit actually is is arguable, but there will be a limit where unlimited growth will stop making practical sense and systems will start to collapse entirely.
We discussed "impaired driving detection" here. Since the NHTSA hasn't published any regulations (they don't think it's feasible), maybe the car manufacturers don't have to do anything? That is,...
We discussed "impaired driving detection" here. Since the NHTSA hasn't published any regulations (they don't think it's feasible), maybe the car manufacturers don't have to do anything? That is, it's the NHTSA that's not in compliance with the law. (Lots of that happening with this administration.)
There is massive anti-China propaganda across Europe. It is practically impossible to have any honest discussion about any Chinese tech products without someone bringing up how they spy on you. I...
There is massive anti-China propaganda across Europe. It is practically impossible to have any honest discussion about any Chinese tech products without someone bringing up how they spy on you.
I can't help but feel it's been a successful distraction campaign from how our politicians are literally voting on stuff like chat control to break encryption and actually pay on us.
It also has been used as leverage to impose high tariffs on Chinese EVs as a way to protect domestic car manufacturers, but all that I see as an end consumer is that now every EV is equally as expensive instead of there being price competition.
Not just Europe, all across the western world. I've been trying to shout it from the rooftops over the years that the US in particular is literally turning into the exact thing that anti-China...
Not just Europe, all across the western world.
I've been trying to shout it from the rooftops over the years that the US in particular is literally turning into the exact thing that anti-China propaganda has said that China was guilty of.
And it's like sure, you can argue that China is a surveillance police state, but at least they get the benefits of a benevolent police state. Their population exists without as much anxiety and struggle over like basic survival and at least they get positive benefits such as public safety, online decency, and a baseline quality of life where even if you're dirt poor and homeless there's still some dignity left. And generally the population isn't out there feeling oppressed and discarded, and most of them believe that the government takes care of them.
Meanwhile the US's police state is heading towards a dystopian hellscape of oppressive corporate feudalism where no one feels safe or taken care of and it feels like the quality of life and happiness here is just plummeting into the depths with no end in sight. Sure, you can stretch that the Chinese citizens are oppressed but brainwashed, but christ sometimes I WISH I was fucking brainwashed so I wouldn't be as depressed and stressed out all the time.
Obviously there's a lot of nuance to the above statements that I didn't get into, but I'm writing a comment on tildes, not a dissertation on police states. lol
At this point it's almost farcical how many people seem to be so pre-occupied with anti-China propaganda that they're failing to notice how the world around them is starting to look exactly like the anti-China propaganda they're so terrified of.
It's nice to see someone share such a close opinion to mine. Every time I hear politicians like Von Der Leyen talk about how China is being dishonest with business practices and taking advantage...
It's nice to see someone share such a close opinion to mine.
Every time I hear politicians like Von Der Leyen talk about how China is being dishonest with business practices and taking advantage of "loopholes" to sell things cheaper, in my head I'm like "so do the same? Sell us things for cheap?"
Why the hell is a country investing in and subsidizing its industries bad? Something that literally provides benefits for its citizens? Hello??? Can I get some too??? Oh we're just shutting them down and letting our private sector ravage us with no benefit? Okay then.
I understand there's nuance and that of course China is not perfect, just like no country is, but the discourse on the topic at the EU-level is eye-roll inducing. Politicians out there bashing China for being literally 1984 while we're having the 3rd vote on chat control tomorrow for crying out loud...
Oddly enough, American cars spy on their users already and killswitches are mandated for 2027 models
I hate how you cannot purchase ‘dumb’ stuff anymore. Even if you completely trust the government and companies, bad actors can utilise these systems too.
When I purchase things these days, I just consider which country I'd rather be spying on me.
At this point I'm in the "I'd rather have China spying on me" camp because I'm well outside their "sphere". 中国共产党万岁!
Genuinely this. I don't have Chinese companies serving me ads and telling me to buy their pizza when my fridge is empty.
There is a decent, much larger scale, point to be made when China may have an outsized impact when the market is saturated with Chinese vehicles and competition is stifled and/or geopolitical strategic influences are becoming problematic, but until then the consumer is likely better off with a qualitative and cheaper product from overseas.
That's only a huge problem with western views on markets though and only if you treat those concepts as rigid and un-adaptable.
We need to start looking at economics differently with new ideas because the thing no one seems to be talking about with the current state of capitalism in the west is that there IS going to be a limit to the concept "unlimited growth". Where that limit actually is is arguable, but there will be a limit where unlimited growth will stop making practical sense and systems will start to collapse entirely.
...I hate that this is actually a convincing argument to me because the best option should be "no countries spying on me".
We discussed "impaired driving detection" here. Since the NHTSA hasn't published any regulations (they don't think it's feasible), maybe the car manufacturers don't have to do anything? That is, it's the NHTSA that's not in compliance with the law. (Lots of that happening with this administration.)
There is massive anti-China propaganda across Europe. It is practically impossible to have any honest discussion about any Chinese tech products without someone bringing up how they spy on you.
I can't help but feel it's been a successful distraction campaign from how our politicians are literally voting on stuff like chat control to break encryption and actually pay on us.
It also has been used as leverage to impose high tariffs on Chinese EVs as a way to protect domestic car manufacturers, but all that I see as an end consumer is that now every EV is equally as expensive instead of there being price competition.
Not just Europe, all across the western world.
I've been trying to shout it from the rooftops over the years that the US in particular is literally turning into the exact thing that anti-China propaganda has said that China was guilty of.
And it's like sure, you can argue that China is a surveillance police state, but at least they get the benefits of a benevolent police state. Their population exists without as much anxiety and struggle over like basic survival and at least they get positive benefits such as public safety, online decency, and a baseline quality of life where even if you're dirt poor and homeless there's still some dignity left. And generally the population isn't out there feeling oppressed and discarded, and most of them believe that the government takes care of them.
Meanwhile the US's police state is heading towards a dystopian hellscape of oppressive corporate feudalism where no one feels safe or taken care of and it feels like the quality of life and happiness here is just plummeting into the depths with no end in sight. Sure, you can stretch that the Chinese citizens are oppressed but brainwashed, but christ sometimes I WISH I was fucking brainwashed so I wouldn't be as depressed and stressed out all the time.
Obviously there's a lot of nuance to the above statements that I didn't get into, but I'm writing a comment on tildes, not a dissertation on police states. lol
At this point it's almost farcical how many people seem to be so pre-occupied with anti-China propaganda that they're failing to notice how the world around them is starting to look exactly like the anti-China propaganda they're so terrified of.
In the words of Saul Goodman: Misdirection!
It's nice to see someone share such a close opinion to mine.
Every time I hear politicians like Von Der Leyen talk about how China is being dishonest with business practices and taking advantage of "loopholes" to sell things cheaper, in my head I'm like "so do the same? Sell us things for cheap?"
Why the hell is a country investing in and subsidizing its industries bad? Something that literally provides benefits for its citizens? Hello??? Can I get some too??? Oh we're just shutting them down and letting our private sector ravage us with no benefit? Okay then.
I understand there's nuance and that of course China is not perfect, just like no country is, but the discourse on the topic at the EU-level is eye-roll inducing. Politicians out there bashing China for being literally 1984 while we're having the 3rd vote on chat control tomorrow for crying out loud...