Trade dispute likely to harm not help the US

Letter to the Financial Times (April 11, 2018) From Kai L. Chan, Montreal, Canada Sir, Standing up for American interests and actually improving the lives of Americans are different things. The heterodox economics espoused by Peter Navarro (Opinion, April 9) are reminiscent of the mercantilism that held sway in the 16th century. The “help” that Mr Navarro and Donald Trump are pushing forth in the trade dispute with China are more likely than not to be welfare decreasing for the whole world. A similar kind of help, likewise from another Asian rival in the 1980s, came when the US government pressured Japan to impose voluntary export restraints on their car manufacturers. That led to unambiguous welfare gains to Japan at the cost of Americans, even as politicians thought they had done a favour for the American people. Kai L. Chan Montreal, Canada Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2018. All rights reserved. Letter as it appeared in the FT.

Powerful Languages

Princeton Alumni Weekly (April 12, 2017) IN RESPONSE TO: WHEN LANGUAGE IS MORE THAN WORDS I was happy to see that PAW’s Jan. 11 edition was dedicated to languages. In a globalized world and in multicultural societies, knowledge of languages helps to facilitate communication and bring us closer together. In my work as a researcher with the INSEAD business school, I recently developed the Power Language Index (based on 20 indicators covering five opportunities afforded by language) as a means to measure the efficacy of languages. Not surprisingly, English is (by far) the most powerful language. Mandarin, French, Spanish, and Arabic round out the top five. In a world where we are losing languages — and with it culture — it is important to remind people of humanity’s linguistic dividend and the need to preserve our tongues. Moreover, given the political climate where there is backlash (by some) against those for not speaking English in America, it should be reminded that although English is the most powerful language in our era, true power comes to those who learn a second (or third) language. Kai L. Chan *08 Dubai, United Arab Emirates © 2017 The Trustees of Princeton University Letter as it appeared…

‘Bottle ladies’

Letter to the Globe & Mail Published December 29, 2016 Marcus Gee’s article on Toronto’s “bottle ladies” (The Secret Lives Of Bottle Ladies – Dec. 24) was a refreshing look into the invisible poverty of parts of the highly diverse Chinese community of Toronto. This community generally keeps its head down and is not associated with negative social behaviours, so has not attracted the attention or sympathy of social activists. When I was a child, and before Toronto’s initial Blue Box recycling program, I, too, collected empty beer bottles and cans (found in alley ways and park garbage bins) to return for a refund at the Beer Store. It was a means to make a little honest money to counter growing up in poverty. Although Mr. Gee notes that the women collecting bottles in his story are not doing it primarily because of money, I can assure you there are many who do it to supplement a meagre income and lifestyle. Poverty and its hardships for some members of this community are acute because they lack (among other things) the social capital and knowledge of the charitable services etc. available to them. If only my parents had known about food banks…

Letters: Germans are too ‘timid’ to state the obvious

Re: This Is Rape Culture, Robyn Urback, Jan. 8. A popular expression defines insanity as “doing something over and over again and expecting different results.” So it has been with the migrant crisis in Europe. I lived adjacent to the Cologne train station when I was a summer intern at a Cologne-based bank in 2004, and I have gone back on several occasions to visit their Christmas market. In near-year living in Germany (over three different stints) I have even picked up the language. Because Germans are so burdened by their collective guilt over the Second World War, many are timid about stating the obvious: a disproportionate number of crimes in that country (and Europe) are committed by immigrants who fit the profile of the recent migrants. With a weak track record on integrating (some) immigrant groups, it is surely foolish to assume that accepting more of the same will yield any different results. Kai L. Chan, Dubai. Letter as it appeared in the NP © 2016 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.

A cabinet that reflects Canada

Letter to the Toronto Star Published November 7, 2015 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is to be lauded for his commitment to a diverse cabinet, but gender is only one dimension of diversity. Although the minority share of cabinet posts (23 per cent) closely mirrors their share of Canada’s population (26 per cent), the cabinet counts no members from the East Asian, black, southeast Asian or Latin American communities even though East Asians are the single largest ethnic minority group in the country (5.3 per cent), and the aforementioned groups collectively form 13 per cent of Canada’s population. Kai L. Chan, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Letter as it appeared in the Toronto Star. © Copyright Toronto Star 1996-2015