Final Word from Friday, October 30, 2009
Russian journalist Yulia Latynina said recently that Russians fear America very "loudly," because everyone knows there's no risk that it will conquer them. The Kremlin's fear of China is much quieter, she said, but it derives from a terrifying expectation that China wants to overrun the country, esp. in the Far East. Czechs, for their part, fear Russians far more emphatically than they fear the Chinese. The biggest recent news about China came when a Czech journalist spoke unkindly of its ambassador. Yet as Czechs worry openly about becoming overdependent on Russia for energy, Moscow is signing deals to sell more and more of that energy to China. And as Škoda Auto slaps itself on the back because its car sales are on the rebound, it hesitates to mention that this is largely due to an expected 67% rise in its sales in China this year. How many Czechs realize that 23% of Škoda's cars are now made in China, with declining input from Czech workers? Is that something to celebrate, or to fear rather loudly? [Czech Republic Volkswagen]
Glossary of difficult words
to derive from - to have as origin;
to overrun - to conquer or occupy territory by force;
emphatically - in a forceful way;
Chinese ambassador - a journalist referred to her as an "arrogant hag";
to slap someone on the back - to congratulate someone.