[panamagringo]

Huh?

Suggest you do a little fact checking just like we ask the left to do when they post nonsense.

First, Japan holds the most US debt at 685 billion. Mainland China is second at 230 billion.

That's a far cry from "trillions'.

See:

http://www.treas.gov/tic/mfh.txt

As for the Canal, I live in Panama City and you not well informed about what you are talking about. The Chinese are a small part of what goes on here. There are no guys in Chinese uniforms with guns walking around the Canal. The US has a defense clause in the treaty, which entitles us to come back if the Canal is threatened by anyone. The Chinese are managing the ports and are actually doing a good job.

Panama has plenty of armed forces compared to the Chinese population here. They will defend it as well since it is a major source of revenue for the country.

China would collapse if they upset the trade they depend on for their own survival. Without a strong American trade account, they are very hard pressed to make ends meet if at all.

[Rockitz]

My mistake- got the "trillions" number from another errant FReeper and just passed it along. He "corrected" the billions number I had originally quoted.

The Chinese are accumulating lots of cash and printing lots of money right now- why has our treasury secretary warned them on this?

As far as the canal is concerned, it seems strange to me that they would seek out this management contract if there were not a strategic benefit to them. It certainly places them in a position to choke off that vital channel for a significant period of time.

Bottomline- If they could trade a temporary downturn in their economy to control Taiwan and it's massive cash producing engine, they would. Don't think they're not running the numbers.