China fears drive big US arms projects

[norml]

China fears drive big US arms projects

By Jim Wolf - Analysis
Reuters
Friday, April 14, 2006; 1:22 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. fears of a rising China are spurring billions of dollars worth of weapons projects, from nuclear-fueled attack submarines to fighter jets to destroyers.

Even as President George W. Bush prepares to welcome President Hu Jintao to the White House on Thursday with full military honors, Washington is factoring in potential conflicts over such sore spots as Taiwan, competition for scarce resources and any threat to its predominance in Asia.

"Of the major and emerging powers, China has the greatest potential to compete militarily with the United States and field disruptive military technologies that could over time offset traditional U.S. military advantages absent U.S. counter strategies," the U.S. Defense Department said in a long-term strategy review released in February.

The focus of the U.S. approach to China remains to prod it into playing a constructive regional role and to be a partner on security challenges from terrorism to curbing the spread of weapons, narcotics and piracy.

But in its long-range blueprint, the Pentagon laid out plans for "prudent hedges against the possibility that cooperative approaches by themselves may fail to preclude future conflict" with powers such as China.


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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/14/AR2006041400879.html

[HereSince1628]

1. Same thing Raygun did back in the 80's remember the 500 ship navy?

Isn't this a typical Republican boondoggle for the defense industry?

China is just a convenient excuse.

[LiberalPartisan]

2. The only way to avoid a future conflict with China

Is to encourage those Chinese educated in the West who have returned to China to assume positions of power, politically or financially, to migrate their system to a democratic system. Otherwise I fear a military conflict, probably over Taiwan, is unavoidable and one the US would unlikely emerge from victorious.

[wickerwoman]

14. Why is it only people educated in the West could possibly

appreciate liberty and democracy? I know that's not your intention, but that's an extremely culturally biased thing to say.

The leaders in Beijing see the writing on the wall. There's no way they can sustain the substantial middle class needed to continue to grow economically if they don't loosen up their restrictions on speech, voting, travel, banking and a host of other issues.

Hu Jintao is making preparations to introduce open local elections in the next five years. Despite occasionally crackdowns, the media is far more free to criticise government policy than it was even ten years ago. The number of Chinese studying abroad and travelling overseas has increased exponentially.

When China makes it's play for superpower status, the move will not be military- I guarantee you. It will be devastating and it will be economic. Beijing is laughing all the way to the bank as the U.S. ties itself up in enormous debt buying weapon systems that will be obsolete in a few years. Meanwhile, they are building infrastructure to support their rapid growth and investing heavily in energy.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

3. Back to the Cold War, same as the old Cold War.

[jwirr]

13. And that is exactly what the repugs, corporations and weapons

industry want. Perpetual war and they can continue the "build up" of our military at the expense of our people.

[Virginia Dare]

4. So what's the bottom line...

we're starting an arms race with China a country in which we are pouring millions of dollars worth of debt to, we're down to just a handful of countries that we can actually trust, we already have enough weapons to send every man woman and child on earth to kingdom come several times over. What is the end game here?

[LynnTheDem]

5. competition for scarce resources

OIL.

That's what Americans in Afghanistan & Iraq are dead & dying for.

[Pavulon]

9. Their is no oil in Afghan.

On Iraq I fear you are correct.

[LynnTheDem]

11. Pipe. Line.

Afghanistan.

[LynnTheDem]

12. Afghanistan's proven and probable oil and condensate reserves

were placed at 95 million barrels...

...Not only can Afghanistan play a role in hosting pipelines connecting Central Asia to international markets, but the country itself has significant oil and gas deposits. ...

http://www.atimes.com/global-econ/CJ06Dj01.html

Northern Afghanistan has proved, probable and possible natural gas reserves of about 5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf).
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/afghan.html

[MidwestTransplant]

6. The Irony of the whole thing is that China is subsidizing our

military build up.

[ShockediSay]

7. We don't need government contractors and their lobbyists

all w/ $ signs in their eyes. So too our Congress.

What we need is leadership, integrity and the consensus they can bring.

Right now we're a long ways from home.

[ConcernedCanuk]

8. China has pretty well minded their own business

.
.
.

Something no-one can say about the USA

The only fear that the USA has from China, is if they try to interfere with them the same way they have with another 100 nations.

But looking at the USA's history,

sure enough, the PNACers will feck it up by trying to interfere in China's business.

GW won't be satisfied until he unleashes nukes . . .

He's aggravating the whole globe, and strangely enough, all the other nations are holding back and putting up with this bully shit from the USA . .

but that won't last forever

Someone's gonna punch the USA in the nose, and soon I think

They are asking for it IMO

[burrowowl]

10. However,

all this stuff will be made in China!
You wouldn't believe the airplane parts, gunnery parts, etc. are made in China.

[killbotfactory]

15. We can literally nuke them off the map

Why would they try to fuck with us?