Posted on 03/27/2006 4:07:40 AM PST by IrishMike
Overlooked during America's preoccupation with the Dubai ports deal is a much more imminent threat - China's methodical campaign to gain control of global ports that are strategically positioned to support military or economic actions against the United States - a move that has gone virtually unnoticed.
The powerful Chinese-owned Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. is now the world's biggest cargo terminal operator, according to London-based Drewry Shipping Consultants. It also is the world's largest port owner.
Hutchison Port Holdings has assumed control of scores of potential economic choke points, including 169 berths at 41 ports worldwide. These facilities control about 15 percent of global maritime container traffic.
Some of Hutchison's ports lie near key sea lines of communication, such as the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal and the eastern coast of the United States. Of the eight international regions with choke points labeled by the Department of Defense as "U.S. lifelines and transit regions," Hutchison has ports in six.
"Amidst the furor over a U.A.E. corporate takeover of major U.S. and Canadian seaports, scant notice has been given to the longstanding and continuing threat from the PRC/Triad [People's Republic of China and Chinese mobsters] 'business' presence at seaports around the world, including the U.S. and Canada," stated a top-level Canadian port security analyst.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
Gogoman......
Boogeyman....
Boogeymonster....
Buglemanster......
.....trollmonster
deja vu?
No, pganini is different from this one.
"Do you favor isolationism?"
As opposed to what? Should we give our enemies the weapons they will use to kill us?
Has China done anything to help the US? Have they helped in the war on terrorism? Do they have any troops in Afganistan? Are they giving us intelligence? What exactly have they done to counter the North Korean threat?
So exactly how is China a friend of the US or any western country?
You Wrote: "So exactly how is China a friend of the US or any western country?"
- Never said they were. I said China has always been isolationist. Isolationists aren't friends with anyone.
My view is that Christianity & Capitalism are the two greatest hopes to bring freedom and revolution to China and perhaps change their attitude towards the rest of the world. China will not be able to quash these two forces for ever. They’ve tried and are trying but the momentum against them keeps building. Sooner or later China will change from within; they can’t stop it forever or without killing millions of their own people.
BTTT!
We are supposed to be nice to China and honor its ambitions to be a superpower like the US. /sarc
You Wrote: "Which, if history is any teacher, they have been willing to do in the past, and may well resort to in the future. I believe before that happens, they will try and turn their people outward...like the Nazis of the late 1930's did."
- You've got a good point there. China has killed 10's of millions of its own people in the past however it has been all due to internal division of collapsing dynasties and communism and there is little propensity to lash outward. Not to say it couldn't happen, just if it did it would most likely be over its own borders and territory, like going to war to retake Taiwan.
This site does a decent job of summing up democide in China. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/CHINA.CHAP1.HTM
As a side note. My belief is that China is essentially hamstrung by internal rebellion, international politics, the information age and global economics. Anything lashing out it does will most likely be rhetoric as the current regime fails from within. Logic would suggest that it be better to keep strife internal then start a world war it cannot survive or win. Besides, either option would negate any progress China has made the last 50 years. My belief is that China is experiencing birth pains as a new China is slowing forming to replace the old order.
In any case it’s kind of a “hope for the best, prepare for the worst” mentality. Keep an eye on China and don’t overtly provoke them, counter any global geo-mili-political moves it makes and foster internal change and quiet revolution all while keeping sure not to alienate the Chinese people. The best case scenario and goal for the US and the world would be to walk with the Chinese as political enemies through revolution and emerge as friends on the way out. It might seem like a pipe dream but it’s the only alternative to a disastrous war.
They are still communists and totalitarian and what's worse, they have found an economic model (basically fascist in nature) to overcome the failed Stalinist and Maoist economic po0licies that had failed so miserably.
If they can get their people to focus on nationalism and outward (and they are trying to do this), then we will face a threat IMHO, an order of magnitude greater than Nazi Germany in its day. They are currently conducting a massive modernization and buildup of their military ion this regard. See:
In my estimation we need to treat the Red Chinese government the same way that Reagan did the Soviets in his day. There is still time to do that and bring about their economic downfall which would lead to the things you have mentioned. It may be too late to avoid some conflict and certainly economic strain of cutting China off...but that will be light compared to what may well be in store if we do not.
In order to air my concerns, I have written an entire series of novels that presents a fictional scenario of where things might lead if we do not curb their growth.
just goes to show how shallow, dumb and hypocritical our politicians on both sides are.
Did you read the whole article. I did. It's like they're obsessed with going after us, as opposed to giving their people more freedom and prosperity and further freeing up and privatizing their semi-statist economy. As far as I'm concerned, the Red Chinese leadership can rot in Hell.
Yeah. They're just another trading partner. Nothing to see here. /s
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