China | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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China

Coburgtiger

Tiger Champion
May 7, 2012
4,955
6,939
Well I had a small win against the CCP's soft diplomacy today.

My kids attend a government primary school in Melbourne in which learning Mandarin is compulsory.

Due to the bastardtry of the CCP, my partner and I have strongly objected to our kids being forced to learn the language of this evil regime.

After 12 months of campaigning to the school and Education Dept, my kids are now exempt from learning Mandarin as of next year. They are going to learn French at the Victorian School of Languages. Took us threatening to go to the Ombudsman and Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission to get the result.

Apart from the political side of things, the number of students who continue on with Mandarin into secondary school is miniscule. The local high schools don't teach Mandarin, just French, as do the myriad of private schools in the area. As I said to the Principal, I thought primary schools were supposed to prepare students for secondary school.

The BS the school came up with was unbelievable. First of all, we were told we could leave the school, and that we were racist. Then nonsense like We have a sister school arrangement with a school in Nanjing....we need to retain that. When pressed to what programs they have with this sister school, there were crickets. We engage in cultural exchange. They send 10 students a year there, and that's all they do. Do you realise that China has arbitrary detention and it's extremely irresponsible to send staff and students to a country with arbitrary detention? Once again crickets.

The clincher was noise cancelling headphones. We knew they would say that if they don't attend Mandarin classes, the school doesn't have the resources to supervise our kids. We retorted by saying that our kids will sit at the back of the Mandarin class, with noise cancelling headphones, and study French. Crickets again, and checkmate.

We were told basically not to tell anyone, but the sight of a couple of kids skipping Mandarin lessons and sitting up the back with headphones will elicit great jealousy amongst the other students.

Anyway, a small but satisfying victory.

It's true, the best thing to do in the event of diplomatic conflict is to make sure nobody speaks each other's language.
 
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Nico

You psychopathological reactionary!
Jul 1, 2004
2,274
2,059
Melbourne
It's true, the best thing to do in the event of diplomatic conflict is to make sure nobody speaks each other's language.
I applaud those who make the decision to learn Mandarin, but I detest primary school kids being forced into it. Get it?
 

taztiger4

Shovelheads- Keeping hipsters off Harley's
Jul 13, 2005
7,814
6,445
Richmond Victoria
Well I had a small win against the CCP's soft diplomacy today.

My kids attend a government primary school in Melbourne in which learning Mandarin is compulsory.

Due to the bastardtry of the CCP, my partner and I have strongly objected to our kids being forced to learn the language of this evil regime.

After 12 months of campaigning to the school and Education Dept, my kids are now exempt from learning Mandarin as of next year. They are going to learn French at the Victorian School of Languages. Took us threatening to go to the Ombudsman and Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission to get the result.

Apart from the political side of things, the number of students who continue on with Mandarin into secondary school is miniscule. The local high schools don't teach Mandarin, just French, as do the myriad of private schools in the area. As I said to the Principal, I thought primary schools were supposed to prepare students for secondary school.

The BS the school came up with was unbelievable. First of all, we were told we could leave the school, and that we were racist. Then nonsense like We have a sister school arrangement with a school in Nanjing....we need to retain that. When pressed to what programs they have with this sister school, there were crickets. We engage in cultural exchange. They send 10 students a year there, and that's all they do. Do you realise that China has arbitrary detention and it's extremely irresponsible to send staff and students to a country with arbitrary detention? Once again crickets.

The clincher was noise cancelling headphones. We knew they would say that if they don't attend Mandarin classes, the school doesn't have the resources to supervise our kids. We retorted by saying that our kids will sit at the back of the Mandarin class, with noise cancelling headphones, and study French. Crickets again, and checkmate.

We were told basically not to tell anyone, but the sight of a couple of kids skipping Mandarin lessons and sitting up the back with headphones will elicit great jealousy amongst the other students.

Anyway, a small but satisfying victory.
Richmond West Primary ?
 

tigerman

It's Tiger Time
Mar 17, 2003
24,150
19,618
Three Australian owned iron ore companies have had their mining rights stripped from them.

"The government of the Republic of Congo has stripped Australian mining firm Sundance Resources of its mining permit to develop the Mbalam-Nabeba iron ore project, which straddles the border of Cameroon and the Republic of Congo in central Africa.

The government has cited a lack of development on the project for its decision to revoke the mining permits and grant them to a firm called Sangha Mining Development, which is reported to have Chinese backing.

Sundance plans to pursue a claim for $8.76bn in compensation, based on an iron ore price of $154/t.

"The Nabeba deposit is the most advanced in the region because of the work done by Sundance over many years. When combined with the other two projects, whose licences have been expropriated, we are talking about approximately 1bn t of high-grade, direct-shipping iron ore within a 100km radius that have been illegally seized by the Congo government," Sundance chief executive Giulio Casello said.

The Mbalam-Nabeba venture consists of 517mn t of 62.2pc Fe iron ore in a first stage. Sundance has previously stated plans to produce 40mn t/yr of iron ore from the project for 12 years.

Argus last assessed the ICX iron ore price yesterday at a nine-year high of $163/t cfr Qingdao on a 62pc Fe basis, up from $132.50/t on 30 November and $102.50/t six months earlier.

Diplomatic tensions between China and Australia have led Beijing to ban imports of Australian coal, but China is still dependent on Australian iron ore. Beijing has been looking to diversify its supply of iron ore, including through a joint venture with UK-Australian firm Rio Tinto to develop the Simandou iron ore project in Guinea."


By Jo Clarke

 

Althom

Tiger Superstar
Jul 23, 2016
1,175
1,027
Three Australian owned iron ore companies have had their mining rights stripped from them.

"The government of the Republic of Congo has stripped Australian mining firm Sundance Resources of its mining permit to develop the Mbalam-Nabeba iron ore project, which straddles the border of Cameroon and the Republic of Congo in central Africa.

The government has cited a lack of development on the project for its decision to revoke the mining permits and grant them to a firm called Sangha Mining Development, which is reported to have Chinese backing.

Sundance plans to pursue a claim for $8.76bn in compensation, based on an iron ore price of $154/t.

"The Nabeba deposit is the most advanced in the region because of the work done by Sundance over many years. When combined with the other two projects, whose licences have been expropriated, we are talking about approximately 1bn t of high-grade, direct-shipping iron ore within a 100km radius that have been illegally seized by the Congo government," Sundance chief executive Giulio Casello said.

The Mbalam-Nabeba venture consists of 517mn t of 62.2pc Fe iron ore in a first stage. Sundance has previously stated plans to produce 40mn t/yr of iron ore from the project for 12 years.

Argus last assessed the ICX iron ore price yesterday at a nine-year high of $163/t cfr Qingdao on a 62pc Fe basis, up from $132.50/t on 30 November and $102.50/t six months earlier.

Diplomatic tensions between China and Australia have led Beijing to ban imports of Australian coal, but China is still dependent on Australian iron ore. Beijing has been looking to diversify its supply of iron ore, including through a joint venture with UK-Australian firm Rio Tinto to develop the Simandou iron ore project in Guinea."


By Jo Clarke

That was almost bound to happen. Sundance have basically sat on that project for years and are about to be delisted from the ASX.
I'd guess a little financial incentive tipped the Congolese Government over the line.
That particular project has a multi billion dollar capital cost and there's no way Sundance would have ever raised the finance for it.
 
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tigerman

It's Tiger Time
Mar 17, 2003
24,150
19,618
That was almost bound to happen. Sundance have basically sat on that project for years and are about to be delisted from the ASX.
I'd guess a little financial incentive tipped the Congolese Government over the line.
That particular project has a multi billion dollar capital cost and there's no way Sundance would have ever raised the finance for it.
They're quite partial to "a little financial incentive" over that way too. A coup, or just a change of mind and old agreements are torn up.
 
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MD Jazz

Don't understand football? Talk to the hand.
Feb 3, 2017
13,329
13,709
PNG is doing this to get China to take over some of their debt.

Doubt PNG are going to do anything to upset the Chinese in a hurry.

At least we have Dan keeping us in China's good books
 
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spook

Kick the f*ckin' goal
Jun 18, 2007
21,912
26,417
Melbourne
Did Dan give China a 99-year lease on the Port of Darwin and then resign from parliament and accept an $880,000 a year 'consultancy' with the CCP-aligned leaseholder?


Oh, no. That was former Liberal Trade Minister Andrew Robb. But he only made $2 million or so on the deal. And it's only 99 years. And it's not like it's a strategically important asset.
 
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MD Jazz

Don't understand football? Talk to the hand.
Feb 3, 2017
13,329
13,709
Did Dan give China a 99-year lease on the Port of Darwin and then resign from parliament and accept an $880,000 a year 'consultancy' with the CCP-aligned leaseholder?


Oh, no. That was former Liberal Trade Minister Andrew Robb. But he only made $2 million or so on the deal. And it's only 99 years. And it's not like it's a strategically important asset.

Anyone arguing against stopping these sorts of deals? These and the water deal EZY mentioned are a joke and the types of corruption that needs to be discouraged by the courts.
 
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AngryAnt

Tiger Legend
Nov 25, 2004
27,017
14,792
Anyone arguing against stopping these sorts of deals? These and the water deal EZY mentioned are a joke and the types of corruption that needs to be discouraged by the courts.

No but it makes a mockery of the argument that Dan Andrews and anyone who supports him are puppets of the CCP, unless the LNP are also considered the same.
 
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MD Jazz

Don't understand football? Talk to the hand.
Feb 3, 2017
13,329
13,709
No but it makes a mockery of the argument that Dan Andrews and anyone who supports him are puppets of the CCP, unless the LNP are also considered the same.
Dan has signed up to an understanding that is questionable at best and dangerous at worst with the B&R initiative.


Interesting that Dan has escaped criticism for his condemnation of the infamous tweet. I note Albanese also slammed China. But only Scomo has copped a whack for poor diplomacy. Below was Albanese's view.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese joined Morrison in criticising the tweet.

“I join with the Prime Minister in his condemnation of the tweet directed at the men and women of the Australian Defence Force that was published earlier today,” Albanese told the House of Representatives on Monday.

“It is gratuitous, inflammatory and deeply offensive.

“Australia’s condemnation of this image is above politics and we all stand as a nation in condemning it.”