Posted on 03/06/2007 5:16:20 AM PST by MARKUSPRIME
The United States warned China Monday that its announced military spending boost was "inconsistent" with peaceful growth and hinted that Beijing was understating its defense expenditures.
"This kind of spending not only concerns us but raises concerns among China's neighbors. This is inconsistent with China's policy of peaceful development," said White House national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe.
"We hope they will demonstrate more transparency in the future," Johndroe told AFP by telephone.
He declined to elaborate, but US officials in the past have used such language to mean that they do not believe that China's declared military budget accurately represents their actual defense spending.
Johndroe's comments came after Beijing announced a nearly 20 percent increase in defense expenditures in 2007.
And Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Monday that China would continue to strengthen its armed forces, remarks applauded by military leaders who want to counter new threats and take back Taiwan.
"Building a solid national defense system and a powerful people's army is a strategic task in socialist modernization," Wen told the opening of the annual session of the National People's Congress, or legislature.
Wen made the pledge while addressing nearly 3,000 lawmakers a day after the Chinese government announced the biggest increase in its military budget in recent years.
Spending in 2007 will rise 17.8 percent from last year to 350.9 billion yuan (about 45 billion dollars), it said.
Reunification with Taiwan is one of China's long-term objectives, and analysts have said Beijing is beefing up its military partly to enable it to take the island back by force if necessary.
China and Taiwan have been separated since the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing considers the island a renegade province.
"Taiwan is our territory. Just look at history. Why can't we take Taiwan back?" said Tan Naida, a delegate from the National Defense University.
Since the beginning of the decade, Taiwan has been ruled by independence-leaning President Chen Shui-bian, exacerbating fears in Beijing that the island could break away for good.
You know what? I am not tauting Duncan Hunter but, I was just reading recently here on FR, that DH's concern about China is completely unfounded. He is the only candidate even mentioning China.
Ducan Hunter was on with Bill Bennett today
Lots of threads on China and Taiwan recently. (Just noting).
And guess who is funding the PRC Army? We are. Most of the goods sold over here marked "Made in China" are made by the PRC Army with the profits going directly towards funding their military. This has been going on for a few decades now. Makes one think.
It's a few threads down from this thread.
Absolutely true. Most folks won't see past their own nose when it comes to the globalized economy. I don't pretend to be smarter than anyone else, but it seems to me that we help develop many countries and economies that would love nothing more than to destroy America. Whether it's oil/distillates or foreign goods, I can't warm up to the fact that the goods I purchase today may be the reason my son goes to war to defend his country tomorrow. It's a sobering reality for me.
Sounds like they are doing well enough financially to not be ignored by any future 'Kyoto" treaty. :)
I'll take that bet. Chinese tend to take the longer view on things. They have no reason to rush into dominance. With their long, strong economic boom continuing apace (the last week's market corection notwithstanding), the world can see (and has been noted here) that they'll surpass us in a few decades. They'd rather win without firing a shot (read up on Sun Tzu), and the primary need to re-unite with Taiwan is now more about civic pride than about economics. (Taiwan was the envy of the mainland... but now they're merely China's wealthy cousin, and the gap is closing quickly - 10% annual growth for China, 5% for Taiwan).
Further, with only 23 million people, Taiwan is barely as large as two major mainland cities. While acquiring two more cities like Shanghai would be nice, it is no longer as critical to China's economy. But again, the "pride thing" is still on a billion minds over there. It's not a rabid form of nationalism, but the default idea is that anything that increases China's global standing is something to celebrate in the heart of every citizen. (*sigh* Remember when we had a nation like that?)
Unless Taiwan makes a move towards more widely-recognized independence (or is suspected of preparing to do so), China will have no desire or interest in picking that fight.
In the end, the best possible result is mutually-agreed peaceful reunification. I'll give them a 50-50 chance of doing just that in a few decades, if the mainland adopts personal freedoms when the exhiliration from the new economic freedoms wears off... but the odds of THAT happening are moderately low, sadly. As always the elite are utterly unwilling to give up their station... but if they can find a way to appease a billion "underlings" without losing their place, they'll do it out of necessity when the economic boom levels off.
LOL, we are doing alot more then just funding it. We are sending the chicoms our factories, jobs and know how also. Isn't it great to have a globalist government instead of an American government.
I've got kids too, and I'm not the least bit concerned about China. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Our Military Industrial Complex is chomping at the bit to get a cold war started with China. Every American based company would stand to profit on a new cold war. The Government would then be able to raise taxes without much criticism, and unemployment would be even lower than it is now.
I see a global shell game and we are the ones moving the shells. Lets think about this. If China decides today to start a massive build-up increase production of war machines, dump their devalued currency into R/D for new and improved weapons -all to fight the US - how long would it take to match us? All the while we position, and steadily build up our forces, improve technology, and begin the political and economic sabotage of their country. Finally we do already have dozens of Submarines sitting somewhere out there ready to vaporize any serious threat.
The Chinese need to do things like host the Olympics, and make Plasma TV's. They do not need to engage any Western country just because they want respect. Because as I see it the kind of war everyone here and elsewhere is fomenting, is the kind of war that would make WWII look like a drawn out skirmish. There is a limit to even the most evil of minds to the mass of humanity that can be exterminated in a war.
Haven't been keeping up with the news lately, have you...
China has hit out at Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian after he made a strongly pro-independence speech on Sunday. Mr Chen said Taiwan should pursue independence, write a new constitution and change its official name from "Republic of China" to Taiwan.
China fury at Chen's Taiwan call
Taiwan needs to "go independent" and Taiwan was the best name for the country to use in seeking entry to the UN, President Chen Shui-bian said last night. "Taiwan will say yes to independence," he said. "Taiwan will be correctly named, Taiwan will have a new constitution, Taiwan will develop. There is no left-right political axis in Taiwan, just the question of independence or assimilation."
"The name `Taiwan' is the name of our mother," the president told a 25th anniversary dinner for Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) in Taipei. "[It's] the most beautiful, most powerful name; the best name for us to [use to] enter the United Nations."
Taiwan must `go independent,' Chen tells FAPA dinner
And just to up the ante:
Taiwan has test-fired missiles capable of hitting major economic centres of rival China, local news media reported Tuesday, amid a new tension across the Taiwan Strait. Military-funded Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology test-fired the local-made Hsiung Feng 2E, which has a range of up to 1,000 kilometres, last month, Taipei-based United Daily News reported.
Quoting an unnamed institute source, the paper said the missile is able to hit Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Shanghai - the economic centres of China in the south and central parts of the mainland.
Taiwan test-fires missile capable of attacking rival China
Internal Pentagon documents in the US has revealed that China has deployed more than 900 ballistic missiles against rival Taiwan that could obliterate the island's air force in the event of a war breaking out with mainland China.
Pentagon Report Says Over 900 Chinese Missiles Aimed At Taiwan
And sometimes they just get downright childish:
Mexico ordered a plane carrying Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian to leave its air space this week at the request of China, which regards Taiwan as a breakaway province, a Mexican newspaper said on Saturday.
Mexico orders Taiwan president's plane out - report
Add in the Chinese/Russian cooperation in military exercises where the scenario is that China attacks Taiwan, we defend Taiwan and Russia steps in with nukes...I would actually cut his estimate in half...say, around 2012.
"Naughty, naughty, naughty!" There, that showed 'em.
I don't believe that'll happen. The US does not recognize Taiwan's independence, which would be the potential flash point between the US and China.
The US is occupying Iraq and does not even recognize Kurdish Independence. The only place in Iraq where there has been zero US casualties. So, why should anyone champion Taiwan's cause. Let the global economic and political forces unite the two countries. Quit stirring the pot.
If you concerned about an oppressed people group, take up the Kurdish cause for an independent country.
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