Tuesday, August 02, 2005

More Chinese Problems

While America tries its hand at empire and Europe dies away, the power in the east seems increasingly restless. According to the Financial Times, the Chinese are in cahoots with our former enemies in Russia.

Nearly 10,000 troops are to take part in unprecedented joint military exercises by China and Russia this month aimed at strengthening ties between the armed forces of two powers that were once bitter foes.

Chinese state media said yesterday the “Peace Mission 2005” exercises would be held from August 18-25 in and around the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok and the Chinese coastal province of Shandong.

Peace Mission 2005 huh? Somehow, I'm just not buying that the most populated country in the world is marching with their northern neigbors in serene solidarity. Just a hunch, but this, coupled with news that Taiwan is on the Chinese chopping block worries me just a tad.

This one is also confusing. It's clear that China could use a little room for their growing population. Despite their "one-child-only" policy, there are more people year after year in a country that isn't all that large. The obvious solution for land seems eerily familiar to Hitler's vision for his own Aryan race in Mein Kampf. I'm not sure if any of the Chinese leaders have written a similar book explaining why a conquest of Russia would be beneficial, but the point remains. The land to the north of China is ripe for the picking.

So why the concilliation on behalf of the Chinese? They could take the land and--barring nuclear war or an American retaliataion--probably get away with it. In today's world, the Chinese army is going to beat the Russian army any day. Yet China is cozying up to a country that seems to have little to give it.

I do not see Russia simply handing its land over to the Chinese, and unless the Chinese are quite stupid, they won't attack Russia after becoming alligned with them. Back-stapping allies is gernerally discouraged.

The article offers this to explain: Russia is now China's leading source of high-technology weaponry, while the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has become an important source of foreign currency for the crumbling Russian military industrial complex. “The drills mainly aim to deepen Sino-Russian mutual trust, promote mutual friendship and enhance the co-operation and co-ordination of the two armed forces in the areas of defence and security,” China's official Xinhua news agency said.

It makes sense, but I have a feeling there's more that meets the eye. Something gives, and it's more than Taiwan. Now would be a good time to stop trading with China I think. China's turn to play superpower is quickly approaching. How can this not be bad news? And the word from our administration is... forthcoming I'm sure.

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