[Carlos Fernandez]

As an Economics teacher I really enjoyed this week's video lectures.  I am all about statistics and numbers and I really enjoyed the statistics  presented in the lecture.  I really would like to get more in depth information on the economic prowess of China and more numbers on their influence.  One particular area I would like to get more data on would be the debt owed to China from around the world.  I liked hearing about the Sri Lanka port turned over to China due to the inabilty of repayment.  Venezuela's $5 billion debt was of interest to me and as a North American, I would like to learn more about the heavy investments in North America, with particular interest in Mexico where my parents were born.  I am assuming most investment is occurring in the huge metropolis of Mexico City.  I would love to see some insight on the trillion dollar debt of the United States to China and how that has changed over time.  In connection to this, the global community's perception of China as a threat and how it's changed over time was also interesting to me.  I recall the newly-elected president prompted to confirm China as a threat to the competition.  As all politicians, he did a good job of dancing around the question.  Speaking of politics, I also enjoyed the breakdown of popular opinion on China, by political party and also by nation.  Lastly I found humor in the banking system and how it said it was clean, green, and not mean.  I know I'm missing one, but found it interesting how they promoted the idea they would not take advantage of consumer deposits as much as our banks of America do.  Lastly, getting into the dynamic relationship of African-Chinese relations seems interesting to me.  I like to learn the most of developing nations in this global economy we live in today.  I also like learning about our backyard, so the constructions accross Staples Center is something I would like more information on, especially the pause in construcion.  Once again these polls are interesting to me and seeing political corruption as a primay concern grabbed my attention.  It will be interesting to see if we touch on this concern through the lens of the pandemic.

[Carlos Fernandez]

The rapid changes I've read and listened to so far are amazing when you think about it.  The first article and the focus of urbanization in China was insightful as we do just think of the farming history and nature of the country of China.  Oh how it changed so much in the years following Mao to even the cultural changes of the late 20th century is truly amazing.  Even looking at the clothing styles of young Chinese students are areas I like to learn about.  The use of the Internet, as stated above by Johnny Walker is also of interest to me in regards to the censorship that exists in China.  The talk of the app "WeTalk" brought this even more to life with the visual representation of the authority, the law, the police officer.  As I continue the readings, I hope to learn more about the impetus for these changes as well as the changes themselves.  I feel a bit as a novice to China as I haven't traveled to China, which many of the seminar participants have.

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