#3 For gits and shiggles, I'll post here what I posted today elsewhere about this topic:
More from the BBC:
US accuses China of weapons trade
A new report from the US Congress has accused China of passing nuclear technology to Iran in exchange for oil. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission also says China helped North Korea in building its missile arsenal.
"Chinese transfers have evolved from sales of complete missile systems to exports of largely dual-use nuclear, chemical, and missile components and technologies," the report said.
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Through outright military incursions or threats thereof (i.e., Tibet and Taiwan), plus their state sanctioned theft of intellectual property, product counterfeiting and intentionally distorted trade relations, China is becoming a substantial threat to global stability.
By proliferating dual use technology the politburo seeks to counterbalance American military might. North Korea's gruesome nightmare of mass starvation and their diverting international food aid for military purposes perfectly illustrates the upshot of such reckless Chinese political adventure.
It is important to remember that the Chinese government largely views their own population as disposable. They are responsible for the world's largest medically caused AIDS epidemic and have wrought havoc upon the global economy through intentional concealment of their SARS crisis as well. People need to understand that far-off Iran's growing nuclear threat to the entire Middle East's stability means less than nothing to a regime which gleefully tosses its own citizens into the meat grinder. The Iranian oil China receives to fuel its hyperactive economy is far more important than any risk of nuclear war in Arabia.
It should then come as no surprise that China blithely disregards the dangers of North Korea's nuclear blackmail, despite its substantial disruption of political and economic stability in the entire North Asian basin. For the first time since WWII, Japan is openly considering acquisition of nuclear weapons. Not too long ago this would have caused furious public and political debate. Thanks to China and North Korea, it has not resulted in more than a hiccough.
China is headed for a massive economic meltdown. They face US$200,000,000 worth of bad bank debt in loans given to their party and military elite for the mismanagement of corrupt and incompetently run industrial combines. It appears as though few people clearly understand the implications of this, least of all Europe.
Britain and France are currently considering sales of advanced weapons systems to China. They view the pretense of demanding human rights promises from China as a sufficient fig leaf to cover any moral qualms they might have over the repercussions of how China will employ such dangerous technology.
Should China obtain such powerful weapons that currently outstrip their own armaments' complexity the world would face the distinct possibility of military expansionism once their economy goes off the rails. The politburo has already attempted to make competing claims against Viet Nam and the Philippines over the Sprately Islands. While their ostensible oil reserves make an attractive excuse, the Spratelys also serve as a choke point for maritime traffic through the Straits of Malacca.
This Malaysian channel is one of the most heavily trafficked sea corridors in the entire world. All of Asia's oil from the Middle East must transit these waters. In possession of the Spratelys, China could interdict these transports and effectively hold hostage the economies of Taiwan, The Philippines, Japan and Korea. In a similar effort, China is building a sequence of dams on the Mekong River that may have disastrous effects on the food and water supplies of downstream populations in Cambodia and Laos.
Few people seem to recognize the cumulative impact of these subtle and ill-publicized intrigues that China is currently engaged in. Australia faces substantial impact should many of the Asian economies collapse due to Chinese meddling.
China is the real international terrorist. Islam is merely a rather violent and conspicuous religious convulsion. China is playing for all the marbles and far too few realize it. |