I know this has been discussed at length in other threads, but the article linked below sheds some additional light on their build-up. So, do you think we should get into it w/ China if they make a move on Taiwan. Having spent a few weeks in Taipei, I'm a bit perplexed why the Chinese want the island so badly, other than just standing on principle (sort of like our detente w/ Cuba over our mistake 40 years ago.) I digress...this is a disconcerting article and could complicate our foreign policy for years. http://www.washtimes.com/specialreport/20050626-122138-1088r.htm This is only a short excerpt from the in-depth article
China is building up its nuclear arsenal and air force, but it doesn't have a blue-water navy. A couple of nuclear attack subs in the Taiwan strait would play havoc with their Taiwan invasion plans. A couple of carrier task forces could wreck it. The US is no longer under any treaty obligation to defend Taiwan, although we officially disapprove of it and regularly patrol the Taiwan strait with the Seventh Fleet just to remind China who controls the seapower on this planet. China's economy could not survive an American naval blockade, but it would place our own economy in a fragile position, too. Taiwan has always been part of China and they are nationalistic about it. They won't give it up and they fully intend to reunite it with the mainland government. But even the Chinese must understand that thier best bet for getting Taiwan is to buy it from the Taiwanese. As China's economy prospers and their government becomes less and less hardline communist, Taiwan will be a candidate for a Hong Kong-like treaty where they will be given "special" economic rights in return for becoming part of China again. China's military posturing is to keep pressure on Taiwan and to make themselves look and feel more like a superpower. A war with the US would expose them as a phoney superpower and they really don't need that. I think the reason China still backs that little bastard running North Korea is that they expect to offer up North Korea in return for the US giving up military support of Taiwan, whenever the crisis comes. But such a war could happen, perhaps triggered by a North Korean attack. We must be prepared for it.
I don't condone war... but I swear to god, if the chinese attack us for no reason... go head and bring it...
China doesn't have the balls to blatantly attack the U.S., hell they were right there when we dropped the A Bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, they dont want the same treatment. They have been talking about invading Taiwan for years, but they aren't ballsy enough to do it.
Not yet. But in 20 years China will have passed Japan and the US to become the biggest economy on the planet. As they get richer, they will increase their military infrastructure, including building a deep-water navy and a lot more ICBMs. If we have weakened ourselves and scattered our forces occupying sand all around the world, they just may try us someday. Not attack the US, hell they need our dollars badly, who do you think is paying for China's economic express? But they will attack Taiwan, possibly, if they thought we were in no shape for a major war over a rebel CHinese province that is not a vital national interest of the US.
All the U.S. has to do is drop their "most favored nation" trade status and they will fall back down to earth.
Take a Macro Economics Course and think about China doing anything to hurt U.S. intrests. China's milatary build up does not matter to us.
Read and learn. From Chinese Trade With The United States and The World "China is a new trading powerhouse that has burst onto the U.S. trading scene in recent years. In 2003, the PRC surpassed Japan to become America’s third largest trading partner, while the United States was the PRC’s second largest trading partner and largest export market. As of January 2005, China’s trade with the United States is approaching Mexico’s ($20.4 billion compared to $21.3 million, respectively). The expanded European Union (25 nations) reportedly became China’s largest trading partner in 2004. Although China is a new player in international trade, it is taking major shares of markets once dominated either by other countries or domestic U.S. industries. China is the second largest source of U.S. imports of merchandise ($196 billionin 2004) after Canada ($255 billion). It surpassed Mexico in 2003 and Japan in 2002. China now accounts for over 13% of U.S. imports (2004), up from 12% in 2003, 8%in 1999, and 3% in 1990, although this proportion falls short of Japan’s 18% in the early 1990s. In 2003, the United States was China’s largest overseas market, followed by the EU with $108 billion in imports from China and Japan with $75 billion." From Rumsfeld Blows Whistle on China Military Threat "Rumsfeld said the Pentagon's annual assessment of China's military capabilities shows China is spending more than its leaders reveal publicly, expanding its missile capabilities and developing advanced military technology. China now has the world's third-largest military budget, he said, behind the United States and Russia. "Since no nation threatens China, one must wonder: Why this growing investment? Why these continuing large and expanding arms purchases?" Rumsfeld said at the conference organized by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, a private, London-based think tank.
