Posted on 08/18/2005 1:27:47 AM PDT by twinself
Russian-Chinese first-ever joint military exercise, Peace Mission 2005, will take place in the north-east of China on August 18-25. All kinds of troops, including naval forces, will be involved in the exercise. Officially, the exercise is supposed to demonstrate joint anti-terrorist measures, although even Russian and Chinese leaders say that the entire event is meant to reveal the nearing tendencies between the two countries. The news about the joint efforts made Washington feel rather nervous, taking into consideration the fact that Russia and China called upon the USA to withdraw its army bases from Central Asia before.
Vladimir Putin signed the decree to redeploy Russian troops on the Shandong Peninsula last week. The Russian command of the exercise arrived in the city of Vladivostok, the Far East of Russia, on Wednesday. Up to ten thousand military men are going to participate in the joint exercises, Deputy Commander of Russian land forces, Vladimir Moltensky, told Russia TV channel. Russia sent a group of vessels of the Pacific Navy, 17 aircraft, pursuit and cargo planes to China as well. Russian commandoes and marines will land in Shandong prior to the start of the offense, which will be coordinated with the Chinese army. Strategic bomber planes will fire cruise missiles at targets on the sea surface at the end of the event.
The fact of the military exercise itself pales in comparison with the political background, against which the event is happening. According to the Chinese ambassador to Russia, Liu Guchang, Chinese authorities view the wargames as the visible confirmation of the bilateral relations with Russia. The chairman of the Russian Chief of General Staff, Yury Baluyevsky, stated that Russia and China were cooperating within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization: "There is a joint anti-terrorist center in the SCO, which estimates the general situation in the part of terrorist and separatist manifestations. I do not exclude that both Russian and Chinese armed forces can be attracted to solve these goals."
Russia and China signed a declaration at the SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, in the beginning of July. The two countries urged the USA to specify the terms to withdraw its army bases from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Kyrgyzstan shortly after that to announce that the USA was not going to withdraw any bases from the above-mentioned republics at all.
Washington could not help expressing concerns about Russia and China's joint military efforts. The Washington Post wrote, for example, that Russia and China intend to hold the first-ever joint military exercise to demonstrate their readiness to cooperate in the face of the USA's military presence in Central Asia. American reporters wrote that China was trying to make the event take place as close to Taiwan as possible, although Russia disagreed.
Defense Minister of Russia, Sergei Ivanov, said that he was quite bewildered about Washington's concerns regarding the exercise: "We have been conducting military exercises with the USA, other NATO leaders, India and Japan for years already. Why can't we do the same with China? I do not see any reasons or contraindications for it. We have friendly relations, we are strategic partners, and the adequate military cooperation confirms it. If it raises either interest or concerns with other states, it is their problem," the minister said. Ivanov added that Russia and China plan to conduct even larger military exercises in 2006.
The joint military endeavor does look like the Russian-Chinese action to oppose the unipolar world indeed. Russia is concerned about the USA's activity near its borders, while China is preoccupied with the question of Taiwan, which still remains independent strictly because of US troops. The US administration prefers to entirely disregard Russia's point of view: the current military initiative gives Russia an opportunity to make the USA pay attention to its requirements.
It is noteworthy that Russia and China have similar problems with extremists in Chechnya and in Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region. It therefore gives more reasons to intensify the military cooperation. Nevertheless, the Russian administration is quite concerned about the ongoing expansion of Chinese citizens in Russia's Far East and Siberia. Despite the anti-American statements released by separate Chinese leaders, the USA still remains commercial partner No.1 for China. The military exercise is most likely meant to play the role of a tactical step, from which Russia and China will probably benefit in the future.
Who do you think will win the war?...
I dont know recently how capable the Russian military to fight after the Soviet era..
...the only person im afraid of in China is Wong Fei Hung...sarcasm//
if China will challenge the U.S. for war, they might experienced an internal struggle considering the growing population of Christians in China who i think would be a loyal American ally.
Headline:
Russia with its Soviet-style army would never dare to face the USA openly. They would most probably support the Chinese with cheap weapons and raw materials (oil, crudes). And of course politically - by saying they are neutral on that conflict. Both Russia and China oppose unipolar post-commie world vision. In my opinion for the moment China - wants to show its importance and growing role in the region but I seriously doubt that Hong-Kong scenario is likely to be repeated in the nearest future. China would have to change internally first and attract Taiwan by means of economic bonds and limited autonomy at first, then swallow it all. Which will finally happen, of course.
...im quite relieved to hear this from you... but i cant still ignore Russia's military might, just like the U.S. there are some stuff that they dont show us...
I just hope that before anything like this will happen... all muslim fundamentalists and Mecca too were already destroyed... muslims will love to see infidels fighting each other... my goodness im getting too far..
Russia and China launch joint military exercise, make USA nervous
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GO FOR IT, Comrades!
/Taiwan?
Indeed. Who else might it be targeted to scare? Russians practice neutrality and and Chinese killing as many rebels as possible.
Chinese Christians need to be loyal citizens of China. Christians in China have received a lot of persecution from the Chinese government because the government seems to have the mistaken idea that Christianity does not involve submission to the God-ordained institution of government as taught in Romans 13:1-4:
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to [execute] wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Of course if a law of China conflicts with a law of God, the Chinese Christian would have to obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29) But that's the same rule that applies to American Christians or Christians anywhere. The HQ of the church is in heaven , not the USA, China or anywhere else.(Matthew 28:18, Acts 2:34-36)
Of course it would be better for all Chinese if the red regime would fade away and be replaced with liberal government that would promote a free China, strong, prosperous and peaceful, neither threatening the world nor allowing China to be subjected to chaos and exploitation from outsiders. But it's not the Christian's job to be a revolutionary, but rather a good and loyal citizen.
haha... but seriously, the Chinese justification for the occupation of Tibet is that one of the Mongol Empires that absorbed China included Tibet.
If the Mongol empires serve as the Chinese definition of what China's natural borders are, most of Asia, including Russia are all provinces in open rebellion.
On the other hand, China doesn't have any real claim to Taiwan, except that the dominant ethnic group there are Chinese. So what we have here are two logics for Chinese conquest. Historical borders of Empires of which China was a part of, and an inherent right to rule over all ethnic Chinese, regardless of historical borders.
Mongol empire war-time borders in 1241 strechted to Legnica (Western Poland). Ooooff, luckily I live about 60 kilometers West from there. ;)
Your grandkids might see the Chinese knocking at the front door, but not this life time. Every race has their own versions of Monroe Doctrine and Manifest Destiny, and the Chinese are no different.
Start learning Chinese...
I already did.
haha... and to think if the Chinese ever do go Imperial on Asia, it won't be a laughing matter.
Common strategic goal is to annoy the US without sticking their necks too far. Short term goals - economic ties. Long term goals - keeping the status quo for Russians, dominating the East Asia region for Chinese.
Russian weaponry isn't that reliable as we all saw with the sub incident.
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