China

People are worried about the ascendancy of China.
I had a brief taste of China when I saw Aladdin at the Theatre Royal Windsor last week -- a show that I recommend, more so for the supporting cast.
We need not fear the Chinese who are fatally flawed as a people. Often in history they have made technological advances, always to let themselves them down.
I believe countries get the government they deserve, and the fact that they live under totalitarian rule is merely a result of them being too feeble as individuals to revolt. The English were never going to kow-tow to Hitler, and though the Americans are too conformist to my mind, their elections are too frequent to allow a dictator ever to take over.
One thing I can never understand is why we allow China to vote and to exercise a veto on the international stage (e.g. at the United Nations and the Copenhagen Summit) when they are denied democracy at home?
So should we embargo Chinese goods? Well, if I can find stuff of equal quality I buy cheaper from elsewhere. But if there’s a saving to be made, then we’re better off buying the cheapest, even from China.