[ponder life]

The simple fact that you draw a moral equivalence between the US and China is your first mistake.

Well, it all depends on what standard you are using. Are you talking about sending out doctors to third world countries by individuals and organizations? Yes, America is ahead of China on that. Sending Missionaries and opening schools and clinics? America is ahead there.

Does the average Chinese citizen have the right to bear arms? If you want to use that as a measure, go ahead.

But dealing with dictators to benefit their own country. America has done it. If it's a measure you use to criticize China, shouldn't that measure be used to criticize the US as well?

True, but what happens when the PRC stops asking and starts taking?

There are alot of other countries that China can take from now and they haven't. I doubt China will be agressive in the future since they are not today.

They have their eye on Siberia, the Hainan islands, not to mention Taiwan and a host of other locations.

They have their eyes on territories that once belonged to them. And they will negotiate them back in the coming years.

Right now in China, there is a gas crisis whereby the gov. is atempting to get refiners to sell at a loss, in addition to providing subsidies that artificially constrain the prices. This is unsustainable. What happens when they can no longer afford to pay 90-100 a barrel for oil? What if they just decided that some or all of these disputed territories are ripe for exploration, regardless fo what anyone thinks?

There is plenty of resources to go around. Shortages, for the most part, are man made. Prices of alot of other commodities have gone up, copper, lead, etc. China is continuing to meet market prices.

That is why they are rushing to field a blue water Navy - to protect their shipping lanes as well as fight and win a comprehensive war against anyone (read: the US)

Their naval build up is nothing unique. It's simply reflecting or mirroring their economy. The military, as a percentage of their economy, is no different that the other major powers.

as opposed to the venemous name calling that one would naturally find over at DU or Daily Kos.

I was merely RETURNING the sentiment I received...

[steel_resolve]

Your handful of standards by which you judge equivalence are far too narrow. The U.S has spent trillions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of American lives ensuring peace and prosperity around the world. When we were the first to have nuclear weapons, did we use them to subjugate the world? No. Do we, as the world's only superpower, seek to control the world for our own gain? No. All you need to do is ask yourself what would China do if they became the world's strongest power tomorrow?

They have their eyes on territories that once belonged to them. And they will negotiate them back in the coming years.

This is a ridiculous statement. So Spain should be given back to the Islamists because it once was Andalusa? Hey, why not go ask Tibet what they think of China "taking back" what they consider is theirs? And what happens when Japan says that the disputed islands are Japanese, now and forever? Will they "negotiate them back"? If that's what you think is going to happen, then you are one of two things: Hopelessly naieve or a member of the PRC.

Seriously, you have your mind made up that China is no threat to the US, strategic or otherwise. I could go on and question your motives for responding to such an old thread, or why you seem to be so pro-China, willing to sweep every Chinese indescretion under the rug. If you're so sure of yourself, post a new thread laying out your position for the community to see and ponder. Otherwise you're wasting your time with your faulty logic.