Author Archives: montecyril

President Xi Jinping has cemented his rule over China for at least another term. On Sunday, 23 October 2022, he was appointed as general secretary of the ruling Communist Party for a third term since he was named leader in 2012. This is a departure from all his predecessors, who resigned after two terms. He isContinue reading “Xi Jinping consolidates grip on power, but will he take heed of his failures? “

Too many cooks spoil the broth, they say, just as too many hands mess up what one’s got. But how does one ever imagine what’s up with the bureaucratic lot. There are many that have scalded at the top of the bureaucratic pot.  For, the first axiom of bureaucracy is: wallow in the irrelevant.  Here’sContinue reading “Just for laughs: Bureaucrats love to wallow in the irrelevant “

It is easy not to struggle and to swim downstream  For downstream is the fulfilment of material dreams  Life, though, is about living a little and dying a little  But in living must be certain that integrity is not whittled  There is no harm in acquisitions, but happiness is in keeping  the charm of innocenceContinue reading “God’s tabernacle is at the pinnacle: A poem “

Communist Party spokesman Sun Yeli, on Saturday, 15 October 2022, reaffirmed China’s stance on Taiwan, stating that the reunification of China and Taiwan meets the interests of all, including Taiwan compatriots.  Sun said Beijing will do all it takes to bring Taiwan under its control peacefully. But he said China would not tolerate what heContinue reading “What will Xi do next against Taiwan? A blockade or an all-out war? “

To be driven by pleasure  Is not by any measure  What one should treasure  It is a shame if we only seek to ourselves titillate  The joys of life should be honest and sublime at any rate  True ecstasy is in eternity if we only choose to wait  Happiness not pleasure is what one shouldContinue reading “Hedonism and stoicism; Good and evil: A poem “

On 16 October 2022, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will convene its 20th Congress to elect the country’s leader. Xi Jinping is most likely to secure a third term then as the President of China.   Xi Jinping has transformed the Chinese leadership from a collective leadership, with the general secretary being primus inter pares onContinue reading “Xi’s obsession with power could cost the Chinese economy dearly “

What do we aspire for from the divine supreme?  That in our hapless tribulations it obviously seems  We wish for the alleviation of all our sufferings  Or do we desire the benevolence of wealth to ring in? How often do we ask to obtain what is undeservedly more?  That this is the basis of what ourContinue reading “Prayer to the divine supreme: A poem “

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on 14 September 2022, endorsed legislation that would markedly enhance US military support for Taiwan, including provisions for billions of dollars in further defence reinforcement.   The Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022 by 17-5, despite concerns about the bill in the US, that itContinue reading “Will the US uphold its credo on Taiwan? “

How often do we wonder what makes each of us so distinct  Can we be judicious or do we fall prey to baser instinct  That memories of past lives form the basis of our beliefs  It is for us to judge what is good and what ills we relive  That as we wander amid life’sContinue reading “Instinct and the wisdom of intuition: A poem “

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maintaining a safe distance from Chinese President Xi Jinping at the recently held (September 2022) Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand is a pointer to the continued distrust India has for its northern neighbour China, that was compounded by the June 2020 incursion incident in India’s Galwan ValleyContinue reading “India-China relations: No thaw despite disengagement at border “