Great map...therein one can see the extent to which the Chinese are going to dominate their neighbors, and why the US Navy’s involvement is so critical.
The chinese basically want to claim the entirety of the South China Sea right up to their neighbor’s beaches.
I have no use for the UN, but even their Economic Zones do not allow for anything close to this.
Right now the Chinese are embroiled in a standoff with the Philipines where the Philipines caught fishermen red handed within zone and stopped them. Now two Chinese Coast Guard vessels and a couple fo Philipine vessels are in a standoff on the disposition of those fishermen who the Philipines want to take into custody and charge with infringing on and taking fish from their zone.
Clearly should it escalate the Philipine Navy will be hopelessly outclassed by the Chinese, But the US Navy is a different matter and our interest is to ensure that we and our allies have free transit of those seas...which the Chinese claim would hinder in that critical part of the world.
THE RISING SEA DRAON IN ASIA
http://www.jeffhead.com/redseadragon/
I have kept track of the rise of the Chinese Navy for the last nine years. They are building new modern surface and submarine combatants at a break neck speed, while we are decommissioning almost as many as we build...and for several years decommissioned more than we built. In the last years of the Bush administration this was turned around...but Obama is now leaning back the other way.
And, A Navy Vet, while it is absolutely true that the Red Chinese have abandoned the Moaist and Stalinist economic models that ultimately led to the fall of the Soviet Union, what they are adotping is very much market driven, but not really a free-market model. I believe it is much more akin to what the Germans adopted prior to World War II. It is more fascist in nature and if they can get their people behind it for Nationalistic Prode and Defense purposes, it can be very dangerous. It took most of the world to put the Nazis down and there were only 60-70 million of them.
If the Chinese can succssefully build such a fascist economy on a population base of 1.2 bllion, it’s going to get very dangerous and dicey out there. That’s why we need to reign them in now, while we still can and while we still exert such power over their economy.
It is true that they are building a huge amount of our products, and that there is a massive impbalance, bt they are dependent on that matrket utterly. They would wuickly go bankrupt if there was any chance that we were moving towards idling their manufacturing in favor of our own. We can ease into that and slow them down to a point of reducing the threat markedly iof we have the will to do so.
Don't get me wrong, I don't support the current China regime with their many oppressive policies. However, their "free-market" model is more open than most know. I follow their economic trends because of being a global investor.
As for the Nazis, they didn't have Trident subs to deal with. Yours and the poster's above statement about history repeating itself is not valid in this nuclear age. With all the China government faults (plenty), they are not suicidal, unlike the Norks and various Islamist regimes.
I may be naive, but I think China's leadership wants to live and prosper. They've seen the writing on the wall since Hong Kong and are changing by the day. The old guard will be gone within the next 5-10 years. Yes, some politicos/military may fight it, but once people get a taste of liberty and prosperity, governments fall. They are getting that taste of freedom daily.
Think how many nations have followed our example since 1776.
Unfortunately, once the populace sees what government can do for them the old circle continues, as seen by the EU and the USA.
As stated on my above post, look at how many western companies are doing business with them. Their biggest problem on the NYSE is not adhering to certain financial rules that get them kicked of the exchange. They bring in western auditors and fix their problems and allowed back. The regime is also allowing their people to own land and start/own businesses daily. Quite a change from their past totalitarian mindset. I don't believe their economic policies are "fascist". Understand the argument, but it's a different age for economies. Even though they call themselves communists, they are heading towards a European socialist economic model.
"...That’s why we need to reign them in now, while we still can and while we still exert such power over their economy."
I don't believe they are the threat any more. Nations/leadership change - some for the better as in Viet Nam (much investment happening there); some for the worse as in Iran and North Korea and the "Arab Spring" muslim countries. Venezuela and Cuba are lost for the time being. That may change, also.
"It is true that they are building a huge amount of our products, and that there is a massive impbalance, bt they are dependent on that matrket utterly. They would wuickly go bankrupt if there was any chance that we were moving towards idling their manufacturing in favor of our own. We can ease into that and slow them down to a point of reducing the threat markedly iof we have the will to do so."
Agreed. I wish that our regulation/tax/immigration policies would revert to encourage American manufacturing. Guess I'm not a "Hopey and Changey" person. I want us to relive our glory days of being the strongest economic and military power, although we still are just barely.
Take care. If you want to talk privately, please FReepmail.