The fact is, they have many relatives on the mainland who are not a part of the 8-10% who are really profiting from the bonanza economy. Those that are, happen to be members of the old communist party. It still exists and has just found a new way to bring in the hard currency to develop the infrastructure that there maoist ideology could not produce. They are using the cheap, manual labor of one billion to fund the growth and retention of power of 100 million. And they are taking the proceeds and preparing for that future (both infrastructure wise and militarily) when they will ultimately challenge us.
And in my estimation they are doing it for the same reason they were trying to push the Maoist philosophy. They ultimately want hegonomy in Asia. They want to control those Asian markets and feed the European ones. Make no mistake, when they have placed themselves in a position to do that, and in doing so have tied up the majority of our manufacturing capability ... I believe they will move.
I don't believe it will be successful anymore than the Japanese attempt at the same goals 60 years ago was. But it could lead to the same results, and if so, it will be very costly and dangerous to roll it back.
Don't get me wrong ... there are plenty of Taiwanese manufacturors and businesses who are grasping the opportunity to set up shop in China ... but it will not lead to liberty, the pursuit of happiness and freedoms we take for granted here. There are plenty of citizens of the Republic of China who know this ... but they have a tough time trusting us after what we did under Carter.
Anyhow, those are my thoughts.
Is the PRC ready to do this now? No way ... it's still very premature. But stranger things have happened and if N. Korea can get the South without a fight ... and if Taiwan continues on the path they are on ... they might not need to start fighting until later anyhow ... if at all ... to accomplish that goal.
Fregards.
The reason they are pushing it is to slow us down, not to start the confrontation. They have been known is miscalculate and get itchy trigger fingers, thought, like Wong Wei.
Alright, I read and understood your account.
There are also many, many mainland Chinese right here on US soil that don't go along with the thesis of your two (and forthcoming third) books.
I don't think I'm being a pollyanna about this, either. What amazes me most is that some Americans look at our impoverished enemies from around the world and insist that if they had gumption, hard work, and a little elbow grease they'd start accumulating property, wealth, and education and start being lots more agreeable people. After all, people that have something to lose -- like a good life and a family -- don't want to see harm come to it, correct?
On the other hand, when some of our counterparts that aren't genuine 'enemies' do accumulate property, wealth, education, modern lifestyles, and families -- there are some guys out there who will insist that it's all a dirty commie trick and they're just biding their time ...until ... until the iron-fisted General Chu can assemble his nuclear arsenal to wipe out 'Merica!
It's exasperating: If America didn't have enemies, we'd invent them. When America finally does have enemies, we can't identify them. We have real honest to God enemies in the Islamic world, and you're looking at the guys who are making a money for the first time ever by stocking Wal-Mart. Oil we cannot do without, 'Made in China' we can. They know that.
Sure, I bet the most pessimistic premise sells well with the Fred's M-14 Rifle Stocks book club. I subscribe to Shotgun News too, Jeff. I read his paranoiac insanity all the time: "You aim at the APC's vision ports while my 15-year old daughter throws the molotov at the hatch, and we'll shoot those blue helmets when they come out on fire just like we practiced'.
Sorry, what General Chu is really doing is using his retirement money from the People's Liberation Army reserve to start up his chain of Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises, or trading minerals to the Dutch. The Chinese people don't want General Chu's chicken, they want Colonel Sanders' with the big American logo on it. They can afford it too; Unlike the Arabs, the Chinese leaders don't hoard their wealth which makes their populace enraged -- usually at "America and it's puppetmasters, the Jews".
Not that I'm against you or your literary pursuits, Jeff. You know I've messaged you in agreement on several occasions on various issues. I'm just not ready to call you a prophet.
I do apologize if you think I've gone too far, but I'm just not ready to subscribe to the most pessimistic view possible.