Skeptics might say that [the Chinese] were lying [about the onset of war] in order to cover up for Putin. However, according to Chinese nationals in Ukraine, the Chinese Embassy in Kyiv denied the possibility of a war as recent as the week of February 14 and had made no evacuation effort or plan until after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. In fact, the embassy only began to register the 6,000+ Chinese nationals in Ukraine the day after the invasion. After realizing that chartered planes were not an option due to the war, the embassy started to coordinate “other means” on February 27. Given the high importance of protecting overseas Chinese nationals in the war zones for Beijing (as repeatedly portrayed in the infamous “Wolf Warrior” movie series), it is unthinkable that Beijing knew but did not bother to prepare.
The article also calls into question the competency of Chinese intelligence in that they had no clue what the Russians were preparing to do, despite the amble evidence that was in the public sphere.
One thing that is fairly clear is that the Chinese leadership excels in holding grudges. They don't like being played. Cont on it: One day, they will extract payment from the Russians.
I only did this one from the book. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015AR5O9E/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
ReplyDeleteAnother version of foolish
Sparrows
Sparrows were suspected of consuming approximately four pounds of grain per sparrow per year.[2] Sparrow nests were destroyed, eggs were broken, and chicks were killed. Millions of people organized into groups, and hit noisy pots and pans to prevent sparrows from resting in their nests, with the goal of causing them to drop dead from exhaustion.[2][3] In addition to these tactics, citizens also simply shot the birds down from the sky.[4] The campaign depleted the sparrow population, pushing it to near extinction.[4]
Some sparrows found a refuge in the extraterritorial premises of various diplomatic missions in China. The personnel of the Polish embassy in Beijing denied the Chinese request of entering the premises of the embassy to scare away the sparrows who were hiding there and as a result the embassy was surrounded by people with drums. After two days of constant drumming, the Poles had to use shovels to clear the embassy of dead sparrows.[5]
Effects
By April 1960, Chinese leaders changed their opinion in part due to the influence of ornithologist Tso-hsin Cheng[6] who pointed out that sparrows ate a large number of insects, as well as grains.[7][8] While the campaign was meant to increase yields, concurrent droughts and floods as well as the lacking sparrow population decreased rice yields.[8][9] In the same month, Mao Zedong ordered the campaign against sparrows to end. Sparrows were replaced with bed bugs, as the extermination of sparrows had upset the ecological balance, which subsequently resulted in surging locust and insect populations that destroyed crops due to a lack of a natural predator.[10][11]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Pests_campaign