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if a Chinese Gorbachev emerges then a whole lot of defense and security problems can be greatly reduced very quickly. For example, if a Chinese Gorbachev emerges and China moves towards Democracy, then we don't have to worry nearly as much about a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

And if not ... ????

That's way too dangerous a game to play. To appease the Chinese in hopes that they'll come around to our way of thinking is like inviting Atilla the Hun in for Sunday brunch because he wouldn't dare soil the doilies. It's absurd, wishful thinking and it's going to get Americans killed.

Well it's not that wishful of thinking. When I was a teenager in the 70s, everybody thought Russia would be our biggest enemy for the next hundred years and Russia would be a communist dictatorship for a long, long time. Then look what happened when Gorbachev rose to power. Not that Russia is totally democratic now, but they're a lot more reasonable and easier to deal with now.

We are pushing China hard to buy more American products and crack down on piracy of our software, music and DVD's. We're pushing them to build or purchase manufacturing plants here in the US. But they're still a commie dictatorship so they're tough to deal with and their people are underpaid and are not free to buy all American products. If we restrict their imports through legislation, they will no doubt respond initially by cutting back purchases of American products and starting a trade war. If we then respond and escalate the trade war, this pushes China away from free enterprise and reduces contact with the west. I do think we need to take a tougher stance in trade negotiations with China and make them agree to a certain dollar amount of purchases of US products. I'm puzzled by why we haven't taken a harder line in trade talks with China. This is probably also because we need their help to shut down North Korea's nuclear weapons program. So China is using NK as leverage to stick it to us economically.

I have to agree that it's time to get NK's nuke program shut down and finished, then take a much tougher stance with China on trade. China is abusing their trade relationship with us and it's time for that to stop.