Tobita Chow
LightNews LightNews
banner
tobitac.bsky.social
Tobita Chow
@tobitac.bsky.social
2.6K followers 780 following 1.7K posts
US-China, climate, politics, imperialism and world economy

Chicagoland | immigrant | he/him
Posts Replies Media Videos
tobitac.bsky.social
I learned about the BC Municipal Finance Authority from @thomasmarois.bsky.social @publicbanking.bsky.social and I think more Americans should hear about this publicbanking.mcmaster.ca/app/uploads/...
The Municipal Finance Authority of British Columbia (MFA BC) offers valuable insights into how the financing of sustainable infrastructure can be addressed by cities for cities. The MFA BC offers long-term, low-cost, and appropriate financing to B.C. local governments, based on cooperative values and the MFA BC’s pro-public mandate. Because the MFA BC is owned by cities for cities, it can pool the borrowing capacity of local governments in B.C. The MFA BC is also backed by local property taxes, meaning there is very little chance of the bank ever going bust. Financial markets, from which the MFA BC borrows, like this, and hence the MFA BC has a very strong AAA credit rating (which is higher than the Province of B.C.’s). This, plus the fact that the MFA BC is the sole lender to B.C. municipalities and does not need to compete with private banks, means it can provide the most competitive interest rates possible to local governments (and other public bodies). Only 19 employees manage over $10 billion in assets, making the MFA BC perhaps the most efficient bank in the world (in terms of assets per employee managed). It has also never suffered a loan default. The MFA BC also offers municipal and public bodies an investment option with very low fees charged. At the same time, the MFA BC helps the training of local government employees. The MFA BC collaborates with other public entities to assess climate threats and align municipal operations with sustainability principles. The MFA BC is a successful, financially sustainable, and democratically governed public municipal development bank that provides low-cost, long-term loans.
November 11, 2025 at 6:39 PM
tobitac.bsky.social
Wtf is this abomination. In the top left Windows provides a blurb identifying this as Kiyomizudera but it appears to be an AI mashup of an iconic shot of Kiyomizudera overlooking Kyoto with an iconic shot of the Chureito Pagoda overlooking Mt Fuji
November 1, 2025 at 1:26 AM
tobitac.bsky.social
I pretty consistently enjoy the "behind the great firewall" section of this Bloomberg newsletter about China www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
“Our lives are filled with intense competition, life-or-death struggles and zero-sum games at all times and in all places,” said Weibo user Daphnedorset. When an incident like the one involving the Taiwanese singer Zheng “escalates into a situation where supporters of people with disabilities and low-income workers take turns labeling the other as bullies, perhaps we should reflect on where this absurdity comes from.”
October 31, 2025 at 7:43 PM
tobitac.bsky.social
This church in the Chicago suburb of Cicero that a friend formerly pastored is canceling an outdoor movie night because of how ICE is terrorizing their community
Out of concern for the safety and well-being of our neighbors, and in response to the increased presence of ICE in our community, we are postponing our Movies in the Yard event. We remain committed to creating spaces of joy and belonging, and will reschedule when it is safe for all to gather. We invite you to reflect up Bishop Eaton’s words about the current events found here: https://www.elca.org/news-and-events/elca-statement-on-supreme-court-ruling-that-allows-racial-profiling-in-immigration-enforcement
September 27, 2025 at 2:28 AM
tobitac.bsky.social
A useful map. China's outbound clean energy FDI is concentrated in a small number of countries, which mostly either host promising consumer markets, or allow Chinese capital to gain greater access to such markets
September 11, 2025 at 1:49 AM
tobitac.bsky.social
"We're not free no more."
September 10, 2025 at 5:55 AM
tobitac.bsky.social
"Make sure you carry your passport."
September 10, 2025 at 5:54 AM
tobitac.bsky.social
Dude
The U.S. President's tariff policy = Trump could help tame capitalism A guest post by Kohei Saito The rejection of growth was long considered the idea of the left. Now the »MAGA« movement has discovered it for itself. Trump's economic shock policy could lead to a new kind of better economy.
September 8, 2025 at 8:50 PM
tobitac.bsky.social
Making it explicit
Tweet from Elon Musk: White people are a rapidly diminishing minority of global population
September 7, 2025 at 7:45 PM
tobitac.bsky.social
Bullshit machine continues to bullshit
Screenshot reads AI Overview In the primary, Zohran Mamdani received endorsements from the following unions: Local 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, the United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 9A, and the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA). These endorsements were significant as they came from major labor
September 3, 2025 at 5:50 PM
tobitac.bsky.social
September 2, 2025 at 4:04 PM
tobitac.bsky.social
"Beyond hedging: understanding India’s polyalignment in the Second Cold War" by Aaron Magunna

The abstract has me sold immediately

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
As China-US competition intensifies, Indian foreign policy has engaged with China, the US, and other actors in the infrastructure domain and technology networks. What factors and dynamics shape this polyalignment? The existing literature has primarily conceptualised India’s foreign policy behaviour as ‘hedging’. Conversely, this paper argues that India’s polyalignment in infrastructure and technology networks is shaped by the fragmented nature of foreign policy decision-making authority in India and the relations between the Modi government, different fractions of domestic capital, and their allies in the state apparatus. In the infrastructure domain, political cronies benefit from a securocrat-driven anti-China policy that protects domestic markets and creates new investment opportunities abroad. In technology networks, however, capitalists favouring greater access to the Chinese market and their partners in economic ministries have successfully promoted renewed openness to China. While both policies are consistent with the interests of domestic capital, the latter is inconsistent with India’s stated national security interests – demonstrating that class power, not a clever hedging strategy, defines the exact contours of India’s response to the ‘Second Cold War’. The paper ultimately demonstrates the need to consider how state transformation dynamics shape political decisions within the context of networked competition.
August 19, 2025 at 5:00 PM
tobitac.bsky.social
Everything is terrible but at least it’s funny www.wsj.com/world/india/...
Trump posted on social media that his team brokered a deal that led to a cease-fire on May 10. Pakistan embraced the announcement, praising Trump and nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. India, by contrast, bristled at Trump's assertions and insisted no outside power dictated the cease-fire. India's insistence that the U.S. role was overblown has privately angered Trump, who has told aides he's upset with Modi for not thanking him.
August 6, 2025 at 9:46 PM
tobitac.bsky.social
In response to China’s totally unique and unprecedented “civil-military fusion” the US military and advanced sectors of US industry are becoming more closely integrated, into what you might call a kind of complex, for the first time
"We are in a massive technological race with China and the private sector and capital markets are bringing more resources to critical missions," said Matt Calderone, chief financial officer of Booz Allen. "China has been integrating public and private [to this aim], and the US is starting to follow."
August 5, 2025 at 11:24 PM
tobitac.bsky.social
That last point is pretty good imo
Title of podcast episode: This Is How Chinese Manufacturers... Text of transcript: Is Dow Chemical doing that? Is BMW doing that? I would argue no, and this is why, in my mind, China is very far ahead in the Al race. People look at it as we have breakthroughs, we have this and that, and that's absolutely true. The US is 100% ahead in that. But I call it the metaphysical versus the tangible. The US and the West is going to be great at them as metaphysical discoveries and everything else. We're going to build the digital god first. That's right. The technology and the adaptation and the integration is all going to be Chinese.
August 5, 2025 at 2:54 AM
tobitac.bsky.social
What are you weirdos doing over there
A fixed bladed article with a blade between 14-24 inches (the length of the blade being the straight-line distance from the top of the handle to the tip of the blade) with: (i) A single straight cutting edge; and; (ii) A tanto style point - by tanto style point, we mean a point which is created by the main cutting-edge changing direction in a short (relative to the overall length of the blade) straight line, with an angle (between the primary long cutting edge and secondary short cutting edge at the tip) greater than 90 degrees and continuing up to form a point of less than 90 degree, where the secondary short cutting edge meets the spine. The secondary short cutting edge should not deviate in length more than 5% more or less than the width of the blade immediately after the hilt; or
August 3, 2025 at 2:02 AM
tobitac.bsky.social
His volatile side
The New York Times ANALYSIS Lashing Out Over Russia and Jobs Data, Trump Displays His Volatile Side
August 2, 2025 at 9:27 PM
tobitac.bsky.social
In addition to concerns about derailing a summit, some officials say the US needs to "hide and bide" with respect to China. The phrase - which was used by China's former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping - is being invoked to explain that the rare earths leverage China has created over the US limits Washington's ability to take tough actions against Beijing.
July 29, 2025 at 4:46 AM
tobitac.bsky.social
In addition to their investment in the economic relationship with Israel, China has an inconsistent but still kinda real “non-interference policy” chinaglobalsouth.com/analysis/non...
China has begun renegotiating its once unwavering non-interference policy as the country has ascended to global power status. For years, China has attempted to reconcile its image of "responsible great power" with its narrative of "peaceful rise", developing a "cautious" approach that avoids meddling in foreign conflicts and disputes that could force Beijing to assume a clear position in favor or against one of the conflicting parties. China's position papers treat the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine contexts similarly, encouraging a "political solution" (政治解决) brokered by the UN and centered around the will of the conflict-afflicted populations. Such an approach affords China the opportunity to exert influence on conflict resolutions while deflecting responsibility to supranational actors (the UN) and ascribing agency to the conflicting parties, thereby attempting to safeguard its non-interference trademark. The Iran-Saudi case follows a similar pattern, placing Tehran and Riyad's roles under the spotlight and downplaying those of "mediators" such as China, Iraq, or Oman. The "Joint Trilateral Statement," for example, only gives active negotiating agency to Iran and Saudi Arabia. Tehran and Riyad, in fact, "express their appreciation and gratitude" to Baghdad and Muscat for hosting multiple dialogues in 2021 and 2022, as well as to China for "hosting and supporting talks." All three cases promote a political solution that places conflicting parties at the forefront and endorses hands-off Chinese "intervention". '. This stance aligns with Beijing's self-representation as a rising global power, distinguishing China's practices from the U.S. and making the "Chinese approach" more appealing to the eyes of states that witnessed or experienced firsthand instability following direct U.S. military interventions.
July 26, 2025 at 2:43 AM
tobitac.bsky.social
hiccups
Meanwhile, the proliferation of roles Rubio has taken on has led to occasional scheduling hiccups. In early May, less than a week after Trump appointed him acting national security adviser, he was expected to address the diplomatic corps in Washington for the first time. More than 100 ambassadors and senior diplomats gathered for the reception. But, according to several diplomats who attended the event, he never turned up, much to their frustration.
July 23, 2025 at 6:00 PM
tobitac.bsky.social
A lawn sign reads, presidents are temporary, Wu-Tang is forever
July 17, 2025 at 3:36 AM
tobitac.bsky.social
Nice @iliasalami.bsky.social @adamdixon.bsky.social academic.oup.com/book/57552/c...
By depicting state capitalism in non-Western spaces as deviant, corrupt, politically driven, undemocratic, and irrational, imaginaries of the new state capitalism deny that those traits and attributes are potential facets of Western capitalism too, which is simultaneously represented as a fundamentally democratic, rational, efficient, meritocratic, virtuous, and pure version of capitalism. Hence, this Western capitalism is constituted not only as morally superior, but also as the ideal norm. This is evident in much of the work of foreign policy analysts, political pundits, think tanks, and business commentary that we have discussed at length so far, but also in many academic writings on the new state capitalism in developing and emerging economies.
July 12, 2025 at 3:26 AM
tobitac.bsky.social
And attacking the tax cuts for being regressive
Elon Musk @elonmusk 🤔 Quote Grok @grok · 15h Replying to @ZhuhuiRiu and @unusual_whales @ZhuhuiRiu The claim by @unusual_whales is largely accurate. Bloomberg and Yale Budget Lab data confirm the Senate tax bill would cost the bottom 20% about $560-$700 annually, while boosting the top 20% by $5,700-$6,055. The bill is regressive, favoring high earners. Supporters
July 2, 2025 at 2:00 AM
tobitac.bsky.social
Elon has been polarized into RTing labor unions
Michael Thomas @curious_founder · Jun 30 Another big statement against the Senate bill. The trade union representing 860,000 electrical workers says the bill will cost "hundreds of thousands of good-paying construction jobs." I hadn't seen this statement reported anywhere else. IBEW Statement on the draft senate budget reconciliation bill
July 2, 2025 at 1:57 AM
tobitac.bsky.social
They suggest two explanations. One is ofc "culture war". The other is more interesting: "renewable energy generation isn’t leading to the kinds of jobs or government revenue that can insulate it from danger"
The second, which feels more likely, is that renewable energy generation isn’t leading to the kinds of jobs or government revenue that can insulate it from danger. Most of these projects have received considerable tax abatements from cities, counties, and local school districts, limiting their positive fiscal impact. They also employ relatively few workers once construction is complete. For example, the most recent Texas application for school tax abatements is Skull Creek Solar’s $147-million solar energy project. In their application for school tax abatements, they propose the creation of one job. If these projects are generating little tax revenue and few jobs, of course skeptical politicians might be indifferent to their fates. In contrast, other green investments, such as electric vehicle assembly and supply chains, can create thousands of jobs.
July 1, 2025 at 7:49 PM