Packaging is a huge industry and is one of the most critical factors in making a product sell. Packaging makes the product look appealing and attractive and this is a good way to promote sales. Here, manufacturers are always in need of a good packaging machine exporter or a packaging machine manufacturer.

Quality Machines

Packaging machines have to be of high quality and manufactures of liquid or powder-based products are generally concerned about the quality of the machines as this will be the most crucial factor in maintaining the quality of the products and in retaining the shelf life of the products . Most manufacturing companies prefer the machines from the OEM / ODM manufacturers whenever possible. The OEM manufacturer is the most reliable source as they spend a lot of resources in providing machines that are innovative and thereby help in improving the production and manufacturing processes of their clients.

Choose the Right Supplier

It is important to choose the right supplier and by choosing an OEM / ODM supplier, you will be able to benefit from the price of the machinery and you will also get adequate support with regard to the functioning of the equipment. Finding the right OEM / ODM manufacturer to supply the packaging machine is very important. You can get the most reliable equipment from the best packaging machine exporter by looking up their directories or websites. The liquid packaging machines from the OEM / ODM manufacturers from Taiwan are considered to be the best in the market. They have superior technologies and their machines are of the highest quality.

Criteria while Choosing

You must ensure that the packaging machine meets some of the basic criteria. The most critical one is the commitment from the manufacturer to supply the necessary spares and offer technical support for a reasonable period of time after the installation is completed at the manufacturing unit. In general, this is not something that is difficult for any packaging machine exporter from Taiwan as they have years of experience in this field and they generally offer their clients the necessary support to deal with their operational needs worldwide.

Packaging is the key to selling any product and with a little bit of creativity, one can make the packaging really attractive and this will help in boosting the sales instantly. The packaging industry is one area that continues to prosper even during difficult times. The packaging machinery market worldwide is expected to cross $ 40 billion annually by the year 2015, according to reports from Global Industry Analysts Inc.

Although the US packaging market has reached saturation point, there seems to be a steady growth in the packaging market. This is large due to the increased disposable income and the increase in consumption in most developing nations.

Every packaging machine exporter will see a rise in demand in the future due to the rising demand in the packaging market. Since packaging is previously used as another marketing tool, the industry is likely to get more competitive in the days to come.

The veterinary healthcare market is booming with the increase in farm animal and companion animals around the world and in this market Zoetis, Merck and Merialare the top contenders vying for top bucks and market share globally. But, will they be able to retain their position in the near future? A valid question considering the fact that a French company, by the name Virbac S.A. is making its way to the top day by day and is evolving rapidly to become a serious threat to the animal healthcare organizations on the top shelf, especially the likes of the top 3 players in the market currently. Virbac, currently 8th in the table of leading animal healthcare organizations, is at a stage where their market activity is comparatively higher compared to the likes of Merck and Merial. Their vision of providing veterinary services all around the globe has been their driving force in their stride up the market ladder. They have been constantly innovating in their approach towards catering the needs of the animal healthcare market. Virbac S.A. only deals in animal health products and has an extensive global reach, with nearly 70% of their work force outside France. The APAC and Latin American markets have been in key focus and this strategy has worked out favourably for Virbac. In spite of the unfavourable economic conditions in Europe during 2013, Virbac generated revenue of $1 billion and operating profits of 6.9% over the previous year, thanks to the business in Latin America and Asia Pacific.

Merck having to cut their budget for expenses by $2.5 billion and also their work force by 8500 employees and Merial losing 5.3% revenue as compared to the year 2012. Virbac has been performing well during the same period. Having considerable market share in the Latin American and APAC region they have managed to not only stay in the game but also turn profitable when their bigger competition has been finding the going tough. Their mergers and acquisition activity has also been commendable. They have recently acquired the US veterinary segment of Eli Lily (previously marketed by Novartis), the veterinary segment ofPfizer in Australia, the Uruguayan animal healthcare organization Santa Elena(one of the top veterinary healthcare companies in the South America). Virbac has also acquired the services of the company Centrovet, an aquaculture company which is the market leader in Chile which has made them the market leader in aquaculture globally. Also having acquired the services of Stockguard (New Zealand) they have expanded their dairy and cattle market globally as well.

Agreements with the Taiwanese vaccine manufacturing company Schweitzer Biotech Company (SBC) has been an instrumental factor in acting as a commercial platform for their expansion plans in the Asian market. It can be said that Virbac is doing almost everything right which a lot of other firms in the market are struggling to do, with the aim of expanding their market share. These factors point to the fact that Virbac.S.A. A is well and truly here to stay and their commitment and focus is driving the company to do well and more when the other competitors in the market struggle to hold on to their spot. It can be expected that within the next half a decade or so is going to give some of its more illustrious competitors a run for their money.

To most people Karndean Flooring is this beautiful looking designer flooring and you would be right, however people also associate Karndean flooring as an individual type of flooring – this is definitely not the case!

Karndean is a brand name of the flooring product Luxury Vinyl Tiles, there are 100’s of brands out there selling luxury vinyl tiles, the well known brands such as Amtico, Polyflor, Marley, Project-Floors and obviously Karndean.

Karndean claim to be the manufacturer, however this is not the case as nearly all luxury vinyl tiles in the UK are manufactured in China, Taiwan etc. and are re-branded and brought into the UK. Therefore Karndean spend over £1 million each year on establishing their brand so that people become aware of the products they sell. So this is why Karndean is more expensive, as a lot of what you are paying for, is the brand awareness, which has been costed into the product.

If you are reading this article and are interested in buying Karndean, think again, here is a good tip for you, go to Google, or any other search engine facility and search for luxury vinyl tiles (LVT’s), you will find suppliers selling LVT’s very similar to Karndean for a fraction of the price. You can still create borders and features in these floors, the only difference is, you guessed it – the brand name. Like when you go to the supermarket and they have branded peas and unbranded peas, they both look the same when you take the packaging away and taste the same, because they are the same thing! this is the same with Karndean and LVT’s if you market it well and make it look nice it sells better – typical evaluation of marketing. However save yourself a small fortune and find an LVT with a cheaper price tag, odds are they are still top quality just cheaper due to the company selling them having a low marketing budget.

The quality of an LVT is measured in the wear layer, most have a wear layer of between 0.3mm and 0.7mm, the thicker the wear layer the better the quality, however a 0.3mm wear layer is a domestic wear layer and is suitable for all domestic areas, a 0.5mm wear layer and above can be used for commercial installations.

So now i have explained that Karndean is a luxury vinyl tile, lets discuss the possibilities and strengths of this type of flooring compared to alternative flooring products:

1. Durable – unlike ceramic tiles or solid wood, luxury vinyl tiles (LVT’s) will not split, chip, crack or splinter and will stand up to most things being dropped onto them. Most LVT’s come with gurantees between 8 and 20 years.

2 Realistic – they are designed to replicate natural products and are designed to a very high realistic standard.

3 Designer – luxury vinyl tiles (LVT’s) are one of the most bespoke, designer looking flooring available, using borders and strips you can create a floor that fits in perfectly with your interior needs.

4 Easily Maintained – cleaning LVT’s is very easy, unlike natural wood floors, you wont need to sand and seal every couple of years, instead you can just mop the floor with hot water and a splash of LVT routine cleaning solution.

5 Waterproof – To a certain degree luxury vinyl tiles can with stand water a lot better than a laminate or wooden floor can, it can be mopped and cleaned a lot easier.

6 Quiet and Warm Underfoot – unlike ceramic or stone tiles or laminate flooring, luxury vinyl tiles are quiet and warm underfoot.

These are just a few benefits of using luxury vinyl tiles opposed to natural flooring products. So when you hear about Karndean remember that it is an LVT and to always look for a luxury vinyl tile first so you can see the price comparison. Luxury vinyl tiles like Karndean are a great product to use as they have more benefits than any other type of floor covering, however for them to look good and perform how they should, you also need to prepare the floor as per the installation instructions given by the manufacturer. As a perfect sub floor is one of the most important aspects of the job.

Bird Name:

Hwamei

Latin Name:

Garrulax conorus

Status:

Least concern

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Timaliidae

Genus: Garrulax

Species: G. canorus

General information:

Common names include Hwamei Laughing Thrush, Melodious Laughing Thrush and Chinese Thrush. The name “hwamei” comes from Chinese and means “painted eyebrow” referring to the distinctive marking around the bird’s eyes. There are three subspecies: G. canorus owstoni, G. canorus taewanus, and G. canorus canorus. Due to the males’ elaborate songs, the Hwamei is the most popular caged bird in the global Chinese community. Hwamei’s song is a loud, clear, varied whistling with regular repetition and imitations of other birds.

Physical Description:

The Hwamei is 21 to 25 cm long with broad, rounded wings and a fan-shaped tail. The plumage is reddish-brown with dark steaks on the crown, back and throat. There is a white ring around the eye which extends backwards to the nape forming a white streak. The bill is yellow as are the feet and the short legs. G. c. owstoni is paler and more olive-colored. G. c. taewanus is greyer and streaks are more evident. This subspecies also lacks the trademark white markings around the eyes. Sexes are similar. The

Diet:

Diet consists mainly of insects but the Hwame will also eat fruit and seeds. They forage for food on the ground in leaf litter.

Habitat:

The Hwamei inhabits scrubland, secondary forests, parks and gardens up to 6000 feet above sea level.

G. c. canorus occurs across south-eastern and central China and in northern and central Vietnam and Laos. It has been introduced to Hawaii, Singapore, and Taiwan. G. c. owstoni is found on Hainan while G. c. taewanus is found on Taiwan.

Reproduction:

The breeding season lasts from May to July. A pair is monogamous. A cup-shaped nest is built up to two meters above the ground in a tree, bush or amongst undergrowth. Two to five blue or blue-green eggs are laid. The female will incubate the eggs for 15 days. Nestlings are feed by both parents. The young fledge after about 13 days.

Little-Known Self-Defense Weapon Offers Exercise Benefits Too. The tai chi walking stick was developed by Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-tchen. This is a novel form and practice that he developed over many years. He certified his American teachers to pass on this method including David Harris, Andrew Dale, Don Scott, and Harvey Kurland.

Traditional kung fu teaches 18 traditional weapons and a variety of secondary weapons. The internal art of tai chi ch’uan, however, teaches just four traditional weapons: straight double-edged sword, curved single-edged broadsword, spear, and halberd. There are several non-traditional weapons as well, such as the double sword, flute, fan, and short staff. One of the least known is the walking stick, which the Chinese call tuan kune.

Some students practice weapons forms for exercise or to be able to put on exciting exhibitions, while others do so for self-defense. The tai chi ch’uan walking-stick forms are among the few that provide exercise, self-defense and a method for bringing mind and body into harmony.

History:

The walking stick forms are part of the Tchoung style of tai chi ch’uan, developed by Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-tchen. Originally from China’s Hunan province, Tchoung was an officer in the Kuomintang army and battled the Japanese. He trained with many masters and learned several obscure styles, such as the green-duckweed sword, gate-of-sorrow sword, green-bamboo-sticks-of-the-beggars style, three-power sword and mountain sword. Tchoung became well known in Taiwan and later was head of the tai Chi Ch’uan Health and Defense Institute of Taipei and as a representative of the Chinese tai Chi Ch’uan Association of Taiwan.

From his experience teaching in Taiwan and abroad, Tchoung believed that traditional weapons were not appropriate for use in the modern world. If a man walks into a post office carrying a spear or a sword, Tchoung would say, people will look at him as if he is crazy. Although weapons such as the spear and sword have been used effectively in combat for thousands of years, they are not practical in the 20th century. But Tchoung believed the walking stick was a practical, easy to use self-defense weapon – especially for older people. It was for this reason that he developed and taught the walking stick forms.

Basic:

Students do not begin their study of Tchoung-style tai chi ch’uan by learning the walking-stick forms; they must learn the system in a specific order: First come chi kung, ding gong/zhan zhuang (standing meditation) and the basic exercises. Then come the old yang-style form and the short form. Emphasis is placed on the essence of tai chi ch’uan: relaxation, breathing, turning the waist and shifting the weight. The basic concept follows the theory of differentiation of yin and yang.

After mastering the solo forms, students begin learning push hands and san shou, a two-person form which teaches the applications of the movements. Then they learn the fast tai chi ch’uan form and the tai chi sword. Finally they come to the solo and partner walking-stick forms. A cane may be substituted for the walking stick at this point.

Many benefits come from practicing the walking-stick forms. The most important is learning to relax and work on basic tai chi ch’uan principles with an implement in hand. This teaches students a higher level of relaxation and concentration as they learn to extend their mind through the end of the stick.

The health benefits of handling the walking stick are more tangible. It overloads the muscles of the arms and shoulders, thus strengthening them. Seniors enjoy using the walking stick because it gives them additional exercise benefits over normal tai chi ch’uan training and can help prevent osteoporosis.

Technical:

Tchoung taught the walking-stick forms to students after they had learned the straight-sword form because using the stick involves a similar type of “snake-like” energy with an emphasis on turning the waist and relaxing the arms. All movements are actually generated by the feet and the waist. Stiff or muscle-oriented movements involving only the arms are not correct and result only in one’s flailing the stick.

The dimensions of the walking stick or cane should be as follows. Stood on end, it should reach as high as the waist. One end should be rounded, but a hooked cane can easily be used and some teachers actually prefer it. (The hooked end can be used for catching, throwing, and striking pressure points, but it is slower in transitions and can snag your own arm if used improperly.) The handle end, which is used for thrusting, can be thick and heavy, for the added mass will give greater striking power. Beginners, however, should start with a lighter stick to avoid injuring their forearm muscles.

Because the walking stick cannot cut like a sword, its use is directed toward snapping, striking, thrusting, and joint-locking. Many of the movements are similar to those in other tai chi ch’uan weapons forms, but the delivery has a different energy and focus.

The walking-stick forms differ from the tai chi spear and halberd forms in that the walking stick is primarily a one-handed weapon and lacks a sharp tip for thrusting. It requires coordination between the body and the silk-reeling energy; this coiling, spiraling energy is an essential part of the basic training.

Training:

As stated above, learning the tai chi ch’uan walking stick is progressive. Advanced students usually begin with 24 basic exercises that include specific stretches, warm-ups, individual patterns and partner drills. Practicing these basics lays a good foundation for the solo form.

After learning the basics, students start the Tchoung-style solo walking stick form. This teaches how to flow and coordinate the footwork with the movements of the weapon. It also includes a variety of angles, parries, and strikes.

While practicing the solo form, a high stance is used for greater mobility. There are some balancing and leg-strengthening movements, and quick changes in direction and stance height are emphasized.

After learning the solo form, students learn the “three-powers” walking-stick form. There are two variations of this two-person form: One is done with the traditional waist high walking stick, and the other with an armpit-high staff. At this stage, students concentrate mostly on the practical self-defense applications of the movements.

By practicing the stick forms, applications and drills, students learn to use the weapon for self-defense. A certain amount of technical skill and strength are necessary to use it effectively, however. Only through the proper use of mechanics does power flow from the entire body according to basic tai chi ch’uan principles.

Practice:

The walking stick is a practical defensive weapon that is not meant for sport. When the drills and forms are diligently performed, students will be able to use the stick effectively even under stressful conditions – when accuracy and coordination would otherwise be impaired.

Most students and teachers of tai chi ch’uan, however, practice the forms by themselves for their physical benefits and mind-body training. To realize these goals, the walking stick must become an extension of the body that can be used to bring it into harmony with the mind. In this way, the training becomes an effective way to develop mental discipline.

In reality, most tai chi ch’uan students are interested in improving themselves, not in defeating an opponent. The walking stick forms are an extension of that philosophy. Being able to duel with walking sticks is not the primary goal of most peoples training. Good health is. After all, you may train until you can defeat 1,000 opponents, but will that add years to your life?

In tai chi ch’uan, preserving the practitioner’s health is the highest goal. Practicing the walking-stick forms can take you one step closer to it.

Reference

Kurland, H., “tai Chi Walking Stick”, Kung Fu Illustrated, August 1996

I love Facebook just as much as the next guy. I’m logging in daily to see what my friends are up to, and I’m always sharing and liking the “good stuff” I come across while browsing the web.

I grew up alongside the internet and I even made the jump over from Myspace as the tides were changing. But somewhere along the line, the simple website changed from a hobby of mine to daily ritual. It was no longer just for fun- it was a medium for connecting to the world I know. As strange as the idea seems, Facebook became a staple in my life. It also happened to become important to the other 900 million users worldwide. In fact, If all the users were in the same country, it would be 3rd largest in the world.

Now in most countries, there are laws in place to protect the citizens and preserve the fundamental rights to the pursuit of happiness, freedom and privacy. For corporations however, their multinational nature allows them to cherry pick how they adhere to certain principles in different locations.

For instance, Apple allows their products to be produced by workers in Taiwan making a modest 4,000 Yuans ($630) a year.

If you’re wondering how that can be, it’s because that pay rate is perfectly legal in Taiwan and it happens to be far cheaper than paying people to do the same work in the United States. Is that a bad thing? Maybe, maybe not. After all, the workers are free to work elsewhere on the open marketing, and it saves a few bucks on the price of your iPad. That example is the perfect analogy of the values conflict tug-of-war between different people in different places in this newly globalized world.

For online organizations, such as Facebook and Google, one of their struggles is with the balance between privacy and revenue. They have to protect their users or they’ll eventually leave, but they have to protect their revenue or they’ll eventually go bankrupt. Let’s not forget, that as a corporation, their main responsibility is to their shareholders and their profits, and they generated most of their revenue through utilizing the users’ data. If you like a post or share an update, they share that information to advertisers so you can be solicited based on your preferences. The data is a critical part of a 128 billion dollar industry.

When the data is sold, advertisers can only get to you through the companies and it’s expected that they never know who you are unless you choose to tell them. This entire process is expected to be anonymized. Though many companies like Facebook and Google say your data and identity are protected, that’s often just not the case. Consider the recent hack of Facebook and how someone bought over one millions users’ names and email addresses by utilizing a weakness in their application privacy. Was the data gathered illegally? Or was it just sold illegally once it was outside of Facebook’s control? I’ll tell you- It’s the latter. Technically, all of us agreed to let our data out when we clicked through those jargon-laced user agreements, and this is merely a side-effect. The blame is on the collective “we.”

It’s becoming increasingly clear that revenue-hungry companies are cutting corners that jeopardize our privacy. So what can we do to solve this? I suggest that we as a society ensure there are enough incentives for organizations to literally guard the information with their lives. After all, it does no good to plug a leak after the fact- once the data is out there, you can’t put the cat back in the bag. Like it or not, Facebook is only free because the data is how we pay in this two-way street. That okay in my book, because what Facebook offers enhances my life and I’m willing to pay for it. However, I don’t like the idea that I’m just a hog on Facebook’s farm waiting to be slaughtered- when something like this happens, it hard to see a symbiotic relationship.

Now I actually happen to prefer the idea of targeted advertisements. After all, if the ads are there to stay they might as well know what I’m actually interested in. My main concern is protect of my identity, and what the consequences should be when my privacy in compromised. It’s my belief that the consequences should be enforced, they should be swift, and they should be severe to the point that companies aren’t willing to risk crossing the line. Today it might just be my email address being leaked, but what about my health records, my private Facebook messages, my credit card numbers or yours?

I think it time we set a gold standard on privacy, and make sure that there’s a universal foundation for each country to build off to protect its citizens. We’re certainly getting there, but in a world that evolving faster each day, we’re just too slow. The European Union has been doing an exemplary job of leading the pack with internet privacy and it’s time our laws catch up with the technology. I do believe people will opt into tracking via cookies and anomyzed data, but only told about it. Anything after the fact is purely unacceptable. If an organization stores information that is leaked out or is hacked from a security flaw, my trust as a consumer goes with it.

I have no problem moving on to the next Facebook or Google- I’ve done it before and I’m not alone in feeling this way. Now I know I’ve been overtly critical, but on the flipside I do believe that innovational companies like Facebook, Google and Apple are propelling out society. I think a world with more sharing of information and connectedness is a wonderful thing. And I don’t mean to single out Facebook either- there are countless examples of privacy leaks that have been much worse.

Big data comes with big responsibilities. When it comes to data protection, no one person or company will ever be perfect. As we transition from this current poor state to a better one, it may even be a very bumpy ride. All I ask is that as a society, we invent some seat belts for this new car before too many people get hurt because privacy matters.

Have you heard the buzz about GABA? The human enzyme that functions as a natural tranquilizer? GABA supplements are popping up in health food stores everywhere and consumer demand for GABA products is increasing every year.

With all this fanfare, little attention has been paid to GABA tea – an all natural source of GABA. GABA tea was discovered by Japanese scientists more than 20 years ago. They were trying to preserve various foods and in the process discovered that tea leaves exposed to nitrogen increased the natural levels of GABA 10 fold.

Since then, GABA tea has become a standard part of the Japanese diet. The Japanese value GABA tea for its calming properties and it has been found to have numerous health benefits including lower high blood pressure.

However, unlike that other Japanese gift to health – green tea – GABA tea has not caught on in the western world. This is puzzling to Su Chiu Kuei, the owner of a GABA tea production facility in Taiwan.

"GABA tea has more health benefits than green tea," says Su, "and is also more flavorful. By all rights it should be more popular than green tea."

There is a lack of awareness about GABA tea in western countries. Even though GABA tea has been a staple of the Japanese diet for more than 20 years, most people in the United States have never heard of it.

That is unfortunate, because GABA tea is specifically suited to combating the # 1 scourge of the American lifestyle – high blood pressure.

Numerous scientific studies have confirmed that GABA is an excellent treatment for high blood pressure. Because of its inhibitory function it causes the muscles lining blood vessels to relax which in turn increases blood flow.

The same inhibitory function is responsible for GABA's role in anxiety reduction and stress relief. GABA is increasingly being prescribed as a natural alternative to pharmaceutical tranquilizers. It has no side effects and is non-addictive.

Because of these health benefits, many Japanese include GABA tea as part of their daily diet. It is even served to children to stimulate mental alertness thus giving them an advantage in school.

What is GABA tea?

GABA tea is an all natural product. Su Chiu Kuei explains the procedure for making GABA tea:

"We start with high grade tea. Premium quality tea has more glutamic acid which is the precursor to GABA.

"The fresh tea is placed in stainless steel vacuum drums and the oxygen is removed and replaced with nitrogen. The tea leaves are exposed to this nitrogen-rich atmosphere for about 8 hours. the process. This procedure produces the highest concentrations of natural GABA. "

Taiwan is an important supplier of GABA tea to Japan. Not only does Taiwan produce some of the best tea in the world, it also has the facilities and technicians for making GABA tea. The Japanese government has strict standards on GABA tea, and the GABA tea produced in Taiwan meets or exceeds these standards.

How does it taste?

According to Huang Tien Ming, a well-known tea expert in Taiwan, most people are surprised by the taste of GABA tea. "It is quite different from other tea, although there are similarities to black tea." The initial surprise, though, quickly turns to enthusiasm as the tea has a pleasant taste and can be enjoyed either hot or cold. "Everyone I've served it to has come to enjoy the refreshing taste," says Huang.

Airsoft is a military/law enforcement sport simulation, where players participate in a mock style combat with military like weapons and tactics. Firearms are 1:1 scale models of real firearms. A typical example of an airsoft firearm is: firing 6mm or 8mm spherical, solid plastic BBs of usually .12, .20, or .25 grams, with propulsion for the projectile provided by manually compressed springs, compressed gas, or electric motors.

Airsoft as a sport is extremely popular in eastern Asia, in Japan, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. This popularity is a result of real arms being difficult or impossible to obtain because of local laws. For this and other reasons the vast majority of Airsoft guns [http://www.pixibot.com/519-airsoft], accessories, and aftermarket upgrade parts are made in Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Korea. For a while it was rumored that Airsoft was made illegal in Mainland China. That is just a rumor though as it is actually very legal and extremely popular.

The popularity of Airsoft is starting to grow in the West. Especially in countries like the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Finland, Italy, Belgium and Denmark. Starting in 2003 Daisy once again started marketing airsoft guns for sale in the US, under their “Powerstrike” brand name. Trying to get in on the expanding market, Powerstrike and other competing models have started to appear in mass across the US. The Internet auction site, eBay, has noticed the increased interest in airsoft products as well, and as a result has created several categories specifically for the thousands of listings of airsoft gear and guns.

Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the following caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Using a breezy, didactic style, Harvard Law Professor Noah Feldman’s new book Cool War: The Future of Global Competition, discusses how China’s rise as a globally significant economic superpower has created an increasingly complex dilemma for the United States from both military and economic perspectives. Consequently, Feldman aptly coins the term “cool war,” to describe a far more complex set of cooperation, competition and tension between two foes locked in an uneasy embrace of economic interdependence.

Feldman notes that the two nations’ interrelationship is novel by historical standards. For example, during the entirety of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union were clear military and political rivals, with little or no meaningful economic interactions. In contrast, communist-controlled China is currently the United States’ largest trading partner. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese students study in American universities, and the two nations have become stakeholders in a shared cultural and economic experiment.

Further, China quietly amassed a staggering amount of America’s sovereign debt. Even in the 20th century, Feldman points out that nations never invested significantly in another country’s national debt.

To act as the last remaining global superpower, Feldman correctly points out means having to spend like one. And, after several costly misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. populace is clearly in no mood to spend trillions more on a massive military buildup, especially one that is premised on borrowing from the very nation that you ostensibly seek to defend against, to finance it.

While China has not yet sought to achieve military parity with the U.S., such a strategic goal is not beyond possibility. The end result, Feldman observes, is that a shooting war is not unavoidable, but some form of ongoing conflict clearly is.

He illustrates how Taiwan’s status and independence represents a significant potential flashpoint for both nations, as Taiwan’s current diplomatic posture involves ambiguity that suits both China and American desires. On one hand, chief among Chinese ambitions is to bring Taiwan back within its own orbit. On the other hand, a visible failure to defend Taiwan in the event of a crisis with China would effectively end any semblance of American global hegemony in the Far East. This imaginative moment may actually arrive sooner than anticipated, as many experts have contemplated that the U.S. may have to realistically abandon any hope of continuing to treat Taiwan protectively, in light of larger global realities involving North Korea and other flashpoints.

China’s global ambitions are hidden in plain sight. The populous nation has already invested billions in a conventional military buildup. In practice, China’s outward activities are in line with a government intent on eventually bringing its geostrategic position in line with its economic one.

With respect to China’s weaponry, Feldman astutely notes that such empowerment occurs over decades, not in a few months. And, unlike the U.S., which confers its powers to officials after a publicly visible election in regular cycles of 2 or 4 years, Chinese military plans can be more gradual, and without the need for sudden policy shifts after a contested election.

Further, China needs only to grow its military capacity to the point where it would be large enough to not have to actually use it. China ends up winning a war without ever firing a shot, as America suddenly finds itself disinterested in waging a serious war that it could actually lose.

Feldman also correctly notes that modern acts of “cyberwarfare” are a form of asymmetrical, non-traditional combat that permit the Chinese to exploit non-traditional weaknesses in the American security infrastructure without a realistic threat of military retaliation. Furthermore, covert cyberwar permits intellectual property theft and corporate espionage, where American companies’ trade secrets and other valuable data become compromised and stolen. Feldman predicts that regular, ongoing acts of cyberwarfare arising from within China are likely to continue in this “cool war” phase.

Feldman’s book notably does not explore the prevalence of Chinese counterfeiting as a source of ongoing contention with the United States corporate world. Counterfeit products are widely seen by American corporate interests as a serious covert form of economic espionage that are causing significant harm to business interests. While human rights are most certainly an important source of Chinese criticism from the West, China’s tolerance of intellectual property theft is a sorer spot for thousands of American companies, who routinely lobby for stronger and harsher penalties against such violations of WTO rules.

Feldman also notes that nationalistic sentiment exists on both sides of the coin, with China’s citizens likely to feel pride in China’s ascent to global prominence, and Americans’ frustration with Chinese currency manipulation and a growing trade deficit, equally robust. He notes that economic interdependence does not remove this tendency toward quiet conflict.

Another interesting area that Feldman discusses is the conflict between American and Chinese ideology, such as it is. The core ideology of the Communist Party today represents an odd experimental pragmatism in economics summed up by Deng Xiaoping’s quote: “It doesn’t matter if the cat is white or black; if it catches mice, it’s a good cat.” Even the goal of maintaining the communist party’s apparatus is viewed with such hard-nosed pragmatism, putting China is a very different ideological place than Stalinist Soviet Union in the 1960’s.

China’s ideological pragmatism leads to the result that it will gladly do business with countries such as the United States, as long as the American democracy will respect the way it does things. Therefore, the ideological divide between America and China is far less a moral chasm than the disagreements that separated Kennedy and Khruschev. However, to the extent that Americans perceive China as fundamentally unwilling to compromise on Western values such as human rights and the rule of law, it is difficult to imagine how continuing ideological conflict is not inevitable.

Cool War skirts an interesting issue: Feldman notes that as long as America can preserve the rule of law for itself, it has no absolute need to export it. For example, he notes that Western investors have an interest seeing their investments in China respected, but they would still eagerly invest there if China’s legal establishment were coercion-based (or even overtly corruption-based).

The problem with this observation is that it ignores the reality that in this current state of economic and fiscal interdependence, the American rule of law must be exported elsewhere, under the weight of its own legal system. Take, for example, when an American business executive famously invests in a Chinese-managed factory to make his company’s widgets. His company is bound by, among other things, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and a wide variety of regulatory, contract and tort-based doctrines, that would be applied in U.S. Courts against him and his company.

Assume that his Chinese-managed factory ends up hiring a few underage workers to make a few substandard widgets, which are later imported and sold to American consumers and his manager pays off a Chinese official to avoid any problems. This situation may be de rigeur in Chinese business, but in America, it can lead to that executive being terminated, sued, even prosecuted. This cultural and legal clash is not academic.

Illustrating this culture clash through diplomatic events, Feldman also discusses the anecdotal example of Wang Lijun, the Chinese police chief who sought asylum from the West after uncovering a murder case involving Bo Xilai and a dead British expat involved in a bribery scandal. The story confirmed several widely-held beliefs: first, that senior Chinese Communist Party officials engage in widespread corruption, and second, that these party officials and their family members act as though they are immune from the rule of law.

The modern twist is that the Chinese party ultimately tried to use this scandal to actually strengthen its own party apparatus, by citing the sordid affair as evidence in the alternative narrative that Chinese corruption will ultimately not stand. Whether any one actually believed the party is another matter entirely.

A Brief History of Miss China

When Zhuo Ling, a native of Shangai, was named Miss China Universe of 2002, she, an attractive fashion model, became the first Chinese woman to win a modern beauty contest in the People’s Republic of China, one of the world’s last Marxist nations in the 21st century. But there’s more, of course. In the previous decades, the Communist rule, as a number of Marxist states in Eastern Europe, among them the USSR and the Democratic German Republic, did not send entries to Miss Universe and Miss World.

China Under Mao Zedong

After China’s independence in 1949, Madame Chiang Ching, “First Lady of the Cultural Revolution” (1966-76), and Mao Tse-tung (or Mao Zedong), who said which “women hold up half the sky”, proclaimed total war against the capitalistic traditions: tourism, beauty pageants, and western clothes. During that time, the cult of beauty was replaced by the cult of Mao Tse-tung. The People’s Republic underwent over 25 years of Maoist government.

In contrast to the People’s Republic, Taiwan sent a handful of contestants to Miss Universe and other international pageants in the 1960s. Against all odds, Taiwan became one of the world’s beauty pageant superpowers, along with the United States, Argentina, and Britain. On November 9, 1961, Grace Li Shiu-ying was first runner-up to Miss World in the United Kingdom. During that year, Lily Wang Li-ling was a semi-finalist at the Miss Universe contest in America. In addition, Dolly Ma was one of 15 semi-finalists in the First Miss International in Long Beach, California. On July 14, 1962, Miss Taiwan Universe Helen Liu Shiu-man finished in the Top Four in Miami Beach, Florida. Nine months later, Helen was first runner up to Miss Asia-Pacific in Tokyo.

At the end of 1964, Taiwan’s delegate Linda Lin finished third in London, behind Great Britain and Argentina. Meanwhile, four months ago, Lana Yu Yi made the Top Five in Miss Universe 1964. Otherwise, Macy Shih earned the 1968 Miss Asia-Pacific title in Quezon City, Philippines. Finally, Patsy Wu was crowned Miss Queen of the Pacific Quest in Australia in 1969.

During Cold War, Taiwan was not the only Chinese territory in the pageants. Hong Kong, a British dependency from 1842 until July 1, 1997, also competed in the United States and London. But there’s more. The 24th Miss Universe was held in 1976 in Hong Kong, a few kilometers from the People’s Republic. In the subsequent decade, Eric Morley, Chairman of the Miss World Organization, chose HK to host the 1989 Miss World.

Goodbye Madame Chiang Ching!

After the fall of Madame Chiang Ching, an admirer of Sweden’s actress Greta Garbo, the new Chinese leaders, among them Deng Xiaoping, put an end to the Maoist policies. However, despite the end of Maoism, women weren’t allowed to compete in beauty pageants. That’s why China, on the other hand, decline to participate in the global contests in the 1990s.It was not until 2002 that the Marxist country held its first beauty contest. Since then, China was one of the last places, apart from the likes Vietnam, Cambodia and Mongolia, in the world to hold a contest. Before the Communists came to power in 1949, this nation had had several beauty queens.

Zhuo Ling — A Pioneer in China

Against all odds, Zhuo Ling was crowned Miss China Universe in the early 2000s. After winning the crown, she went to San Juan de Puerto Rico, host to Miss Universe 2002. Without the financial advantages of so many of the world’s beauty queens producers, Miss China participated in Miss Universe, where she had three tests: firstly, a physical fitness evaluation, (finished fourth); an evening gown competition (first place);and finally an exhaustive personal interview with 12 international judges, among them Tatjana Patitz (fashion model), Marisol Malaret (former Miss Universe), and Christopher McDonald (performer). During an interview for the New York Times, she told, “Generally when you’re picked as your country’s representative there are some special events and you’re given some tutoring, I didn’t have a chance to help my country. And I didn’t have a former Miss China at my side. It made me pretty sad.”

But China gave a more than satisfactory showing in its first-ever involvement in MU in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Surprisingly, Ms. Zhung, who speaks fluent English with an Asian accent, made history when was first runner-up, ahead of some of Latin America’s most beautiful girls, among them Vanessa Mendoza (Colombia’s representative) and Cinthya Lander (Miss Venezuela). According to the new results, she finished second, behind Justine Pasek, Miss Panama (Russia’s Oxana Fedorova had won but she was disqualified by the Miss Universe Organization).

Miss China

Once the People’s Republic of China became a member of the Miss Universe Pageant, several beauty contests popped up like never before in Shangai, Beijing and other Chinese metropolises, as well as Tibet. At the same time, Amelia Vega, 2003 Miss Universe, arrived in China for a visit. Likewise, it hosted a host of global events, including Miss International (2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 ), and Miss Tourism Queen International (2004-2009 ). Since November 2003, up to 800 foreign beauty queens have arrived to Beijing and other cities, including entries from countries which does not have diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic.

From 2003 to 2005, Hainan, a tropical island in the Chinese Sea, hosted the Miss World competitions. Two years on, at the end of 2007, Zhang Zi-lin, a well-trained contestant, was crowned as the new Miss World, making it the first Communist country in the world to produce a Miss World title since 1989.