How is Han numeral numbering supposed to work?

Here is a little exchange I had with someone on a different i18n list.

$B!z$8$e$&$$$C$A$c$s!z(B


--- Original Message ---
$B:9=P?M(B: Charlie Ruland <charlie@ruland-web.de>;
$B08@h(B: ?$B%H(B?$B!&%L(B?$B!"(B?$B!&!&!"(B?$B%+(B <11@onna.com>;
Cc: 
$BF|;~(B: 01/05/12 21:30
$B7oL>(B: RE: (OT) Internationalization: Han numerals

>> In Chinese, I think 100 is $Bh:?my%;(B ("one hundred"), whereas in 
>> Japanese 100 is just $Bmy%;(B ("hundred"). And in Japanese, zeros are 
>> not used when writing numbers a certain way: 205 is $Bh<8iR@h!Vj/!&(B(Han Chinese characters) in the same order to mean the same thing. Or to put it another way, they neglect the fact that the characters are used to write spoken language, not music or mathematical formulas. They should bear in mind that unlike Arabic and Roman numerals each $Bl>!Vj/!&(Bgets pronounced in Chinese, and I think in Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese as well.
>
>Btw Chinese isn't even genealogically related to Japanese, Korean or Vietnamese, but English is to Russian, Persian and Hindi.
>
>> This is why to me the HTML option "number the list in Han 
>> numerals" is humorous.
>
>This option is not internationalization, but stupid Anglocentrism/Eurocentrism (ie taking the Western cultural fact that numbers are written alike in different languages to be universal). Why do they let people who maybe are well-intentioned, but lack a truly international background and education set the HTML standard? Please consider that both Chinese and Japanese are clearly among the world's ten leading languages!
>
>I'm joining in your laugh,
>
>$Bm{%!l!!&mp!&(B>
>