Should the UK ( World ) seek compensation from China for the damage it's citizens have done?

[KTHSullivan]

Just ban Chinese "take away" food that should ruin them

[Ben@Forest]

Have watched the very watchable 'Chernobyl' mini series in the last week and it struck me that there was no amount of recompense that could have been payable to affected countries anyway and when the recent sarcophagus was built over the ruined reactor it was paid for by about 45 countries (of course the guilty Soviet Union no longer exists to pay it anyway and the Ukraine can't be blamed for it).

And it is the same with coronavirus, the Chinese may even have tried to cover it up first, just as the Soviets did with Chernobyl, but looking at the global impact how could they ever pay?

[reohn2]

Worth a lisren:- https://youtu.be/PekbEsVAY6M

[mercalia]

seems I am not the only one that thinks China should pay reparations for the damage it has done to the rest of the world

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-case-for-chinese-reparations?

[kwackers]

seems I am not the only one that thinks China should pay reparations for the damage it has done to the rest of the world

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-case-for-chinese-reparations?

Of course you're not. Turns out there's more than one flat earther too!

If paying reparations for global damage where a thing, as a country we'd never be able to pay our debt.

[Stevek76]

ooh, Douglas Murray, another one of the spectator clique who've been spoon-fed an expensive education, some non-degree at oxbridge and failed to have a 'proper' job. Doing little with their lives other than write poorly evidenced but well argued (in a short hand debating society sense) opinion pieces.

Given the opium wars I'm not sure starting opening the reparations can of worms with china is really a good idea and I doubt going 'recent stuff only!' is going to help much there. Further, aside from being futile given china is more than powerful enough to simply tell the RoW to go away, I can't think that a fair assessment would leave them liable for much anyway.

While there appears to have been some issues over them being less than forthcoming on the seriousness of the disease in the earlier days anything relying on that tends to lose a significant amount of credibility when most European countries and the US took months to actually take the disease seriously even after the seriousness was well known and the WHO was urging them to take it seriously.

Even relatively simple measures such as restricting travel from affected countries weren't taken, several transmission vectors were established to be via british and european businessmen from china and other parts of east asia, including the well publicised incident of the chap who went from singapore via a ski resort and infected several there too.

And while Murray is quick to point out that the CCP has bought a number of UK assets, he conveniently misses out that it was predominantly the politics he espouses and party he somewhat supports that encouraged those sales to happen. Same with hinckley point C, there was little reason to rely on french and chinese funding to build it, our borrowing costs were incredibly low, we could have simply funded it ourselves, indeed there have been assessments indicating it would have been significantly cheaper to do so.

[DevonDamo]

Yep, it's an article written by someone who not only demonstrates zero understanding of the source of the pandemic, but actually accepts he has no knowledge about the source of the pandemic. All he's saying is that he's become very angry from reading mad conspiracy theories about how this was some fiendish plan by the Chinese to cripple the rest of the world so they can take over. He finishes by saying "and we would like reparations. I am open to suggestions on how we do this: sanctions, gunboats — nothing should be off the table. China gave us 2020. We need to make them pay for it." In other words, he effortlessly manoeuvres from a position of self-confessed ignorance about the cause of the pandemic, to being certain it was a James-Bond-villainish plan for which the Chinese must pay.

The world has already got enough tin-foil-hat, anti-science conspiracy theorists. If you're into that sort of thing, why not send Donald Trump your life savings to overturn this corrupt US election - he's your kind of guy, and I'm sure he'd appreciate your money.

[mumbojumbo]

When it was decided that Germany make such payments in 1919 the consequences were
1.revelotion in 1920
2.hyperinflation in 1920s
3.dev of facism
4.emergence of dictatator
5WW2
6.growth in 2 power blocs,usa and ussr
7.Cold War
8.nuclear proliferation
Quite a price to pay.The question posed is raddled with racist implicastions.

[reohn2]

Douglas Murray 'nuff said.......

[mercalia]

When it was decided that Germany make such payments in 1919 the consequences were
1.revelotion in 1920
2.hyperinflation in 1920s
3.dev of facism
4.emergence of dictatator
5WW2
6.growth in 2 power blocs,usa and ussr
7.Cold War
8.nuclear proliferation
Quite a price to pay.The question posed is raddled with racist implicastions.

well China is already a dictatorship with abysmal human rights record and we have been entering the 2 power blocks scene with China flexing its muscles with rampant theft of intellectual property from the west it seems. Not a cold war but an economic war is/will be being waged. As for the racist implications how do you make that out?

[Carlton green]

When it was decided that Germany make such payments in 1919 the consequences were
1.revelotion in 1920
2.hyperinflation in 1920s
3.dev of facism
4.emergence of dictatator
5WW2
6.growth in 2 power blocs,usa and ussr
7.Cold War
8.nuclear proliferation
Quite a price to pay.The question posed is raddled with racist implicastions.

well China is already a dictatorship with abysmal human rights record and we have been entering the 2 power blocks scene with China flexing its muscles with rampant theft of intellectual property from the west it seems. Not a cold war but an economic war is/will be being waged. As for the racist implications how do you make that out?

China, gosh we are idiots with the way we have dealt with it and do deal with it. Whilst I really like the Chinese people that I know and admire a lot about China Mercalia’s comments above are all too true. If it were up to me, which it isn’t, I’d very much limit trade with China and certainly on a global level I believe they shouldn’t have access to market technological products in any field. China is now a mighty nation and perfectly happy to flex its muscles in what ever way it chooses, a some point it will become the most powerful nation on the planet and we would be wise to have that in mind - be somewhat concerned.

The points about WW1 and forced payments are, I think, very valid. What might seem right at the time can have dreadful and totally unforeseen consequences.

[kwackers]

I wouldn't get too comfortable about our own civil rights records, our own abuses are pretty good at sneaking in under the radar whilst we're grinning smugly at other countries and decrying theirs.

I believe the tories still have the ECHR in its sights - apparently they think we have too much of them.

[mumbojumbo]

What about the British selling opium to China and forcing the Chinese state to accept the drug on a duty-free basis.

https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/opium-war-1839-1842

Chinese now hold whip-hand and feel aggrieved due to our imperialist crassness.

[Stevek76]

I wouldn't get too comfortable about our own civil rights records, our own abuses are pretty good at sneaking in under the radar whilst we're grinning smugly at other countries and decrying theirs.

Our present government is looking distinctly proto fascist right now with its regular attacks on 'activist lefty lawyers', 'unelected bureaucrats' and the rest.

[Jdsk]

I wouldn't get too comfortable about our own civil rights records, our own abuses are pretty good at sneaking in under the radar whilst we're grinning smugly at other countries and decrying theirs.

Our present government is looking distinctly proto fascist right now with its regular attacks on 'activist lefty lawyers', 'unelected bureaucrats' and the rest.

And on Parliament. Plus the failure to enforce the Ministerial Code of Conduct. Plus the massive cronyist procurement. Plus the deliberate steps to breach international law.

Sure is.

Jonathan