Posted on 09/18/2006 7:07:41 PM PDT by radar101
SAN DIEGO – More than 300 Chinese and Chinese-Americans cheered and waved the two nations' flags Monday morning on a pier at San Diego Naval Base, a noisy greeting for two Chinese navy ships making a rare visit to U.S. mainland port. Hundreds of Chinese sailors in white uniforms with blue neckerchiefs stood stiffly at the rails of the destroyer Qingdao and the auxiliary ship Hongzehu as they cruised into port.
It was only the second visit ever of People's Liberation Army vessels to San Diego, and the first since 1997.
Chinese-American dancers and drummers entertained before a pierside ceremony. Base commander Capt. D.R. Smith and Rear Adm. Wang Fushan, deputy commander of the Chinese North Sea Fleet, exchanged brief remarks.
“As soon as we arrived, we received a warm welcome,” Fushan said. “I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks for your hospitality.”
Fushan invited visitors and the media aboard the Qingdao for a tour and photographs. The Chinese sailors smiled and posed for photos.
Chinese and U.S. armed forces began a series of tentative contacts in the late 1990s, but they ended abruptly in early 2001 after a Chinese fighter jet collided with a Navy EP-3 surveillance aircraft off China's coast. The Chinese pilot died, and the U.S. crew was held prisoner for 11 days after the EP-3 was forced to land on Hainan Island.
But since last year, Pacific forces commander Adm. William Fallon has stressed closer ties with the Chinese military, a move welcomed by local Chinese-Americans.
“I think the U.S. and the Chinese should know each other,” said Frank Liu, president of the 2,000-member San Diego Chinese Association. “I'm hoping the United States and China can have a better relationship.”
Saw an author on CSpan Booknotes who went to grad school in China back around 1990. He has returned to run the AP bureau & re-established ties with 5 of his former Chinese classmates. His book is based on his discussions with them.
Anyway, he doesn't make any predictions, but his talk was based on 4 major 'bets' that the CCP has made. Put in those terms, it is by no means 'automatic' that China becomes the next superpower.
We're the round-eyed white devils. Their kids play "ring-around-the-round-eyes" at Califonia playgrounds. With the crap-life most Chinese immigrants leave behind, the sense of Chinese Nationalistic pride from these immigrants is always a shock.
Nations don't really have friends. We have an alignment of interests, some historical.
If anyone starts viewing international relations in terms of "friends", you're going to be underanalyzing what's really going on.
You can use the public perception of "friends" for political purposes, but the chess game is far more cutthroat.
Reminds me of that scene in Independence Day where a bunch of libs run to the top of a building (Vegas?) to welcome the aliens who have decided to visit Earth. After waving and cheering excitedly to the visitors, they were promptly incinerated.
The Chinese have done a tad less horrific crap in Asia in the past 66 years than Japan but that's about the best coat of paint I can put on the situation. ChiComms are drek!
Hopefully our President is being political when he refers to our many nation-friends around the world, and that he truly understands the chess game.
Well, who knows, a meteor may hit downtown Shanghai or Beijing.
But here's the reality. China should have been our contemporary 50 years ago. They have the resources, smarts, and certainly the population to surpass us.
They are using every possible tool, from espionage to opening up their economy to do so.
I'm not saying they'll pass us in innovation or other more important measures.
But in terms of GDP, if they don't pass us by 2050, they've been hit by a meteor.
And the Chinese have always proved very good at cutting throats.....and are very, very, very patient when doin git.
And the Chinese have always proved very good at cutting throats.....and are very, very, very patient when doing it.
Perhaps he meant "know" in a Biblical sense?
Or we could drop an economic meteor, and halt them in their tracks. Is their growth sustainable? We have far better land and resources, and the Chinese are destroying theirs. Rapid desertification is a major problem, in 50 years it may have wreaked their agriculture. Lack of clean water is another major problem. Smog and acid rain as well. Too fix those problems the will have to refine their culture of growth at all cost, hyper-greed, which will slow their economy. Also the population is a problem, along with the attempts at control, it has lead to a potential demographic disaster. They have to multiply there economy 5 times. How are they going to support that, with their resource already depleting? Plus India is growing rapidly, the US is still growing, and if we made reform we could keep pace in growth rate. Their are only so many resources on Earth. I just do not think they have the resources, to bring their economy to our level. However they are threat, so let us crush them now while we still can. One threat is if the resource and demographic crunch start to hit, they will go to war to rectify those.
just damn...
I was pretty sure that they were in Los Angeles. Will Smith was stationed at MCAS El Toro, which is in Orange County, Kaleefornia.
Oh, Lordie.........
Are these people freakin' nutz?
I wonder if, when we go up against the Chicoms, we're going to find out how many sleeper cells are here. When the sabotage and other 'civil disruptions' start, what are we going to refer to the unpleasantness as? We have the 'religion of peace' as a cover for the Jihadis...let's see...not all of a billion people are bad?
Nevertheless, I was in Dago yesterday for a meeting. What was there to greet our fellow ocean-going diplomats of peace? Not one, not two, but three! carriers. An unusual event as I've never seen more than two at any one time. This doesn't count the Midway, in case anyone is wondering.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.