BBC's 6,000-Word Harvard Meltdown While Starbucks Gets Schooled by Chinese Coffee

The world's moved on - America's June riots shocked everyone, and the 'Harvard New Girl' saga has become yesterday's news. Yet the BBC has only just gotten around to tackling this spectacular PR disaster. Yesterday, BBC's Chinese service dropped a mammoth 6,000-word piece titled "I Felt Reality – The Full Story Behind Jiang Yurong's Harvard Speech Controversy" to explain the whole mess.

When Starbucks Gets a Reality Check

Let me pivot to another bit of news that's rather telling. Deutsche Welle reported that coffee giant Starbucks, facing brutal price competition in the Chinese market, announced cuts on dozens of drinks. But here's the kicker - facing Starbucks China's latest discount moves, Chinese netizens weren't impressed, saying "the price cut isn't enough" and "still terrible value for money." Starbucks, standing there looking rather forlorn, posted on WeChat: "Taking large cups as an example, the average price reduction is around 5 yuan. Customers only need a minimum of 23 yuan to enjoy a high-quality summer specialty drink in a comfortable and pleasant store environment." That phrase "minimum of only 23 yuan" particularly wound up netizens - and rightfully so.

China's Coffee Revolution vs. Western Arrogance

The reality is undeniable: China is becoming a coffee powerhouse. The report noted that domestic competitors like Luckin Coffee and Cotti are flogging drinks for as low as 9.9 yuan or even 8.8 yuan. Well-funded internet giants JD.com and Alibaba have also jumped into the delivery game, ramping up competition. Through promotions and coupons, Chinese coffee consumers can grab drinks for as low as 2.9 yuan. As Chinese consumers, the most obvious takeaway is just how obscene foreign coffee profit margins really are - we don't need to ask about anything else.

This brings us back to Jiang Yurong's tone-deaf performance. Her speech included this particularly polished bit of parallel structure: "If there’s a woman anywhere in the world who cannot afford a period pad, it makes me poor; if a girl skipped school out of fear of harassment, that threatens my dignity." These words were absolutely slammed on the mainland as hollow virtue-signaling, revealing that classic "let them eat cake" arrogance. You could say this, along with Starbucks' "minimum of only 23 yuan," represents the same kind of PR-gone-preachy disaster.

Here's what really gets me: Western media shouldn't lazily attribute China's competitive advantages to "state subsidies" or "unfair corporate competition." China has genuine innovation - not just in tech, but take Luckin's brilliant "Moutai Latte" collaboration with Guizhou Moutai. That was a masterclass in marketing creativity that no amount of subsidies could have dreamed up.

America's Systemic Breakdown Exposed

America's problems can't be papered over with 6,000 words of text - the country is in a state of "systemic failure." Problem one: the American government is bankrolled by capitalists, so it only chases profits. Problem two: politicians only care about elections, excelling at emotional manipulation to bag votes and grab power. None of them actually serve the people. During America's glory days, these flaws weren't obvious - or perhaps they were manageable - but now it's far too late for any meaningful recovery.

California Governor Gavin Newsom perfectly embodies the "American smart guy" archetype. Facing the Los Angeles riots, he struck his righteous pose, grandstanding against the federal government with his "Come at me!" routine. He pretends to have compassion for illegal immigrants - good grief, how can a governor possibly sidestep the basic legal framework of immigration?

What's more, Newsom typically just focuses on looking the part. During this year's Los Angeles fires, disaster victims demanded answers: Why were the fire hydrants in that area bone dry? Reporters pressed: Did that $17.6 million cut to California's fire department cause these problems? Newsom couldn't answer and simply turned around and walked away. Classic.

Honestly, I'm starting to question the caliber of American university education. While Newsom isn't a Harvard grad, I'm beginning to think Trump's plan to redirect funding toward vocational training might actually have some merit.

Finally, still not satisfied, let me borrow the closing line from Stephen Chow's "Hail the Judge": "What are these people?" "Democracy and freedom." "Wow, democracy and freedom - how bloody impressive indeed!"

Deep Blue

** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **

In the world's supposedly richest nation, 12% of adult households can't get enough food, and a staggering 20% of families with children simply can't afford to feed their kids properly. That's not some dystopian fiction – that's the United States of America in 2025, folks.

The situation has only gotten worse over recent years, with Axios reporting that more and more adults are going hungry. But it's not just about the raw numbers anymore. The pessimistic mood hanging over the country is dragging down American morale like a lead balloon. Trump's latest "big and beautiful" legislation might sound impressive, but food bank communities are sounding the alarm bells. The bill essentially throws the burden onto cash-strapped states while the federal government tightens its purse strings on food assistance.

The White House's response: pure callousness wrapped in political spin. They're peddling the tired old line that cutting food aid will somehow "encourage more people to enter the labour market" and reduce dependency. It's the kind of bootstrap rhetoric that sounds great in campaign speeches but ignores the harsh reality that over 42 million Americans including low-income households, low-income elderly, the handicapped and the under-privileged needed help from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program just this past March.

The Dollar's Last Stand

Ironically, America can still print a hundred-dollar bill for just 6 cents – talk about a neat trick to keep the title “wealthiest country in the world”! Remember Obama's West Point speech back in 2014? "America Must Always Lead," he declared, followed by "If we don't, no one else will." Classic American exceptionalism right there. Obama was essentially laying down the gauntlet: America's military might backs up the dollar, and anyone who wants to challenge that system better think twice.

But does Trump have that same steely determination today? You've got to wonder if the White House team is scrambling to figure out how to deal with China's rare earth export controls first. They probably need Beijing to play nice – like Wong Tai Sin, that responsive deity from Chinese folklore – before they can confidently shout those "Make America Great Again" slogans.

China's Manufacturing Masterstroke

Over the past decade, China has pulled off something absolutely remarkable – it's become what you might call a "hexagonal" great power. Traditional measures of national strength usually cover five areas: politics, culture, technology, finance, and resources. America had all these boxes ticked and became the world's first superpower. But there was always that one glaring weakness – industrial manufacturing.

America's grand strategy was to evolve into a financial virtual economy. Starting in the mid-1970s, they shipped production overseas, using finance and technology to control the top end of manufacturing while the military-industrial complex provided the muscle. Soft power became their "master key" to unlock global markets. Before 2000, global manufacturing basically danced to America's tune.

Then China joined the WTO in 2001 and everything changed. By 2010, China had overtaken the United States as the world's largest manufacturing nation. By 2018, China's industrial added value hit 30 trillion yuan, making it the world's largest industrial economy with a complete, independent modern industrial system covering every category you can think of. China had effectively added that crucial sixth side – manufacturing – to become a truly "hexagonal" great power.

America's decline isn't just about economics or military capability – it's about the hollowing out of the very foundations that made it a superpower in the first place. When your own people are going hungry while you're busy playing global policeman, perhaps it's time to reassess priorities.