StandardToaster,
OK, I'll try on your bait. To me, there are four general categories of experience. FWIW, I think an FO at Cathay Pacific ought to have 7-10 years experience with PIC time in the higher two categories.
Category 1: Wide-body, Narrow-body; Military Transport, Tanker, Fast Jet
Category 2: Regional Jet, Similar Corporate Jet
Category 3: Commercial Turbo-Prop, SO, FE
Category 4: GA flying and all the rest
This is not to say there is no merit in the lower categories; it's just that they do not really qualify one to fly in the right seat of a wide-body. I am sure there are many who disagree like those from the airline(s) that put cadet SOs in the right seat after 9 months. Those airlines are not necessarily safe operations though. Keep in mind that an FO should be able to take command of the aircraft and fly ALONE in any conditions should the CN become incapacitated.
To say that the lines between safety and economics in this industry have become blurred would be an understatement. Even at CX where the standards are quite high, we have seen compromises made in the last few years. Because the airplanes babysit us as much as we babysit them, we have allowed the technology to replace our premium standards. There are SOs, FOs, and even a few CNs on the property that would not have been allowed here 10 years ago. The company knows this, but then they act perplexed as to why they see high FDAP rates.
The international cadets will, without doubt, press the standards even lower. It is simply an ill-conceived plan that has no basis in the basic tenets of aviation. It has everything to do with satisfying the bean counters and their bosses. If you would like to see a history of what will happen simply observe the regional operators in the US and the litany of accidents they have endured at the hands of inexperienced pilots. Look familiar???