An aircraft carrier for China?

[AGENDA21]

As China builds a military to match its growing economic power, its neighbors and potential rivals including the United States have puzzled over a key question: When will the Chinese Navy launch an aircraft carrier?

For decades, senior Chinese military and political officials have argued that for the country to become a great power, the People's Liberation Army Navy needs to add these potent warships to its fleet.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/30/business/carrier.php

[applegrove]

1. Why would they want one?

[democracyindanger]

3. A floating airbase off the coast of Taiwan

is one reason.

[applegrove]

4. All of China is off the coast of Taiwan?

[applegrove]

10. And Tibet? Well those aircraftcarriers dont' move so well over Himalayaas.

Seriously. Chinese are just going to be dominating by throwing money around and stopping the UN from doing its job. They have no plans to attack Russia or anywhere else. Why would they want to buy the cow when they can get the milk for free (re: world trade).

So long as the World ignores them sitting on Tibet - so they can claim it as theirs - they don't care.

[democracyindanger]

12. 100 miles from the mainland to Taiwan versus

an aircraft carrier sitting one mile off the Taiwanese coast.

Think flight time.

Think fuel expenditure.

Do the math.

And if you've got a plausible explanation of how the Chinese occupation of Tibet somehow satiates their desire to retake Taiwan, let's hear it.

[applegrove]

17. I'm not saying they don't want Taiwan. They want Taiwan so much

they will not even allow anyone who trades with them to call Taiwan - Taiwan. Trading Partners of China have been forced to call Taiwan "the government on Taiwan". Quite the euphemism.

I didn't mean to imply that they would not attack Taiwan. What I mean is they do not want empire. That is the old fashioned way. Why when resources are running out would you want to be saddled with the shell of Iran? And its people.

Just in Time Countries is the way it is today. For China.

[applegrove]

19. I'm from Canada. I know what it is like to live next door to one of those

big suckers.

[democracyindanger]

23. Sorry about that.

We're trying. ;)

[applegrove]

27. You're not so bad. I just did the racism test that was posted earlier.

And apparently I love America more than Canada -
:rofl: I never knew? And all this time I thought I was at the DU to fight neocons "over there".

Actually - this latest round of ideas (neocon ones) is not as good as the first batch. I liked that democracy thing. We all did.

Bad luck for you guys eh? You'll get through it. Not everyone - they'll be thousands dead because of Bush policies... but - as a whole - you shall overcome.

[mikelewis]

25. We ain't so tough or so big...

and if they ever decide to attack you, I'm calling my Senator to stop it.

[applegrove]

26. I'll write a letter if you ever attack us. And keep a copy. On file.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

9. To cruise up and down...

... the US west coast.

[applegrove]

11. LOL. If the Chinese so much as cross the midline of the Pacific in

a dingy armed with an water pistol - they would be hunted down. Seriously - other than containors filled with cheap products, and spies - when have this China ever crossed the Pacific?

[BushOut06]

29. Did the Soviet Navy ever do that?

I know their subs routinely patrolled right off our coast, as we did theirs. But surface ships? I'm not too sure about that.

[Ready4Change]

14. To project power.

Air power only extends a few hundred miles away from an airbase. If you want to project your military power further, you must either create agreements in order to use someone elses airbase, or you need a mobile airbase that you can position at will. Whenever you think someplace is getting troublesome, one of the first obvious moves is to get a carrier positioned nearby.

The US uses it's carriers as a kind of "hint" about the US's concerns around the globe. Not happy with Venezuala? Move a carrier task force or two closer to that country.

If China had a carrier force of its own, that would act as a buffer between the Chinese mainland and other nations forces when it was out to sea. In order to "lean" on China, a foreign force would need to get past China's carrier first, which would be a highly provocative act all on its own.

Thus China, by creating a carrier, would extend it's zone of military control a few hundred miles away from it's own soil. US surveilance missions would become that much more difficult. Chinas influence over Taiwan would be more complete, etc...

From a world power point of view, a Chinese carrier is long overdue.

[democracyindanger]

15. Actually, your geopolitical explanation

is much better. :thumbsup:

[applegrove]

18. Isn't space the new frontier? I mean - oceans are old. And they already

have an army of containor ships going all over the world. That is what I am saying.

[Ready4Change]

20. You mean like this?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4333158.stm

They've sent their own astronauts into orbit. How many nations have done that? USA, USSR/Russia, and now China. (Other nations have had astronauts, but they rode into space on other nations rockets.)

[applegrove]

21. Yes. Dominance in the skies.

[pocket]

2. I hope so

the US need a counterbalance.

[applegrove]

5. Yep. And China is doing a great game of counter-balancing the UN

in Darfur.:sarcasm:

[rockymountaindem]

24. Of all the possible counterbalances out there

China is last on my list. Besides, I'd rather not have a counterbalance; just make good decisions here at home.

[philarq]

6. They actually already own 2

unfinished soviet carriers that may infact just be scrapped at some point without ever being completed. If they want to be a blue water navy, they need carriers. Evidence the last time there was a blue water engagement between navies, between the UK and Argentina, the Argentine navy finally just ported their carrier because they were unable to operate it effectively, and feared its loss.

[Fridays Child]

7. When? Probably right after American corporate fascists sell it to them.

[Botany]

8. Why bother they own our Navy already.

Thanx to fuck head the People's Republic of China owns
the deed & the keys to the good ol' U.S. of A.

I wonder how the inbred born again NASCAR watching dumb asses
would feel if they knew that?

Toby Keith in a Mao suit?

[SlipperySlope]

13. If China starts making aircraft carriers, can I buy one at Wal-Mart?

I've always wanted an aircraft carrier. Maybe this will make them affordable to the working man!

[SlipperySlope]

16. P.S. - I really, really, really want my own aircraft carrier!

[Ready4Change]

22. Well, I didn't want to embarrass you.

But why don't you have one already? ALL the cool kids have one.

[SlipperySlope]

28. Damn!

Moooooommmy! All the cool kids have one, why can't I!