Why in the hell are we so scared of China?

[KansasVoter]

It has to be that they hold so much of our debt and have made threats directly to our government.

Why else put up with their tainted products and them destroying their water and environment while putting this country out of work with cheap, no benefit labor.

What am I missing?

[LostInAnomie]

1. Not only that...

... but a lot of the people that hire the cheap labor over there are HUGE donors to politicians.

[DJ13]

2. The dumb part is that they cant threaten us much without destroying

the value of the US bonds they own.

I think we actually have the leverage here.

[dkf]

7. Too big to fail redux...

[krispos42]

10. They might well decide it's worth it

Power is relative, not absolute. With a sizable percentage of their population resigned to poverty, they might decided that they'll come out on top, even if the hill they're on shrinks after an economic collapse.

[Juche]

3. I don't know a lot about it, but China seems like they are run pretty competently

China built up huge cash reserves, then when the global economy collapsed they went on a buying spree and bought up tons of natural resources and made trade deals for natural resources when sellers were desperate.

They cornered the rare earth market.

They became the manufacturing hub of the world, manipulate their currency and own trillions in foreign debt.

They pretty much figured out how to pinpoint weaknesses in the global economy and obtain a strong hold on them. That is my non-professional opinion.

[KansasVoter]

4. And treat their people like crap!

[Subdivisions]

Well, they fit right in with the likes of the United States then, don't they? n/t

[DavidDvorkin]

5. I'm frightened because of their political system

I fear that their effect on the world, when/if they rise to dominance, will be far worse than ours.

[JanusAscending]

6. They own half of our freakin' country!!

that's why!

[Lucky Luciano]

8. Don't worry...China is super-fucking corrupt. It will bring them down. nt

[Subdivisions]

9. Please elaborate on their super-fucking corruptness and how it will bring them down. n/t

[Chisox08]

11. Yeah they are corrupt but it has worked out well for them

When you control all aspects of your citizens lives corruption doesn't matter. China is the Republicans wet dream

[xfundy]

12. Because if we ever go to war with China...

... we'll have to buy the bombs from them, since America's manufacturing infrastructure was wiped out completely in the past few years.

[pampango]

26. Don't worry. One of the things we still make (and export) plenty of is weapons. n/t

[TreasonousBastard]

13. Because they have three times our population, can't be attacked or invaded, and...

will soon be the world's largest economy.

They've already beaten the Japanese into submission.

[Jamastiene]

14. They make our stuff.

They could poison us all if we aren't nice to them. Uhm, well, something like that.

They've already poisoned our pets and some of our children with melamine and lead. They keep sending bird/swine/who knows what other types of super flu bugs over here. Not to mention their hellacious wisteria/kudzu/other invasive flora. Did I mention their fauna they send over here? It's even worse. Every time you turn around some fish that can walk on land or some snake that can eat humans is taking hold in all our forests and lakes and kicking all the native species out (or just eating them all).

If I didn't know better, I'd think they are training all these vicious fish and other hideous ungodly animals to come take us over and make it like the jungles of China...you know...to make it more homey and cozy and "like home" for them before they move in and take us over.

I'm beginning to get the feeling they really are attacking us...on purpose...

I don't know why we are afraid of them, other than the reasons mentioned above and there are so many more of them than us. Plus, they are tougher than we are.

Er, I surrender! Now, please tell me how to fight the wisteria and kudzu back before it kills me in my sleep one night? Please?

Uh, I'm certainly afraid of what they could do to us if they actually put their minds to it. To be totally honest, it might not hurt us to accept the fact that they will one day own us...completely instead of just halfway like they do now.

I'm going to go ahead and start sucking up now. I want answers on the kudzu and wisteria. I actually have both threatening to destroy my little hovel NOW. I cannot seem to win either.

I, for one, welcome our new Chinese overlords. Is there some sort of Chinese gardening club I can join, I hope?

:tinfoilhat:

[ShamelessHussy]

15. it's good for big business, and we have all the aircraft carriers

US aircraft carrier heads for Yellow Sea
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/national-news/2010/08/08/267864/US-aircraft.htm

not that that will be true in the future though...

Carrier obsessions
http://special.globaltimes.cn/2010-09/577802.html

[gateley]

16. As Biden said, they own the mortgage on our house. Bushco BORROWED from

them to fund the wars.

We own them billions, if not trillions.

I think Obama was pretty ballsy calling them out on their devaluing the Yen. They didn't like it.

EDIT - I think I used the wrong word.

[pampango]

27. As of May 2010, the top three - China had 21.9% of our debt, Japan 19.8%, the UK 8.8%, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt#Foreign_ownership



Looks like foreigners hold about 28% of our public debt. If China holds 21.9% of that, they hold about 6% of our debt. Enough to cause us problems if they choose to, but they don't own the mortgage on our house. ;)

[doc03]

17. Older folks may remember 30 years ago we had the exact

same worries about Japan they were taking all our jobs, we claimed their currency was undervalued and they were buying up the country. China may be just another bubble and they may implode like Japan in the end.

[exboyfil]

18. Actually the only reason why we are not worried

about the Japanese trade deficit is because China's is so much larger ($268B). Japan's is still pretty high $74B (all numbers 2008). Other high ones include Canada ($78B), Mexico ($64B), Germany ($43B), Venezuela ($39B), Saudi Arabia ($42B), Nigeria ($38B). All of EU ($96B).

[proteus_lives]

19. That's what I always think.

"They said the same things about the Japanese."

Plus, China's history is against it. They don't have a good track record of keeping it together.

[Prometheus Bound]

20. You aren't scared of China and you shouldn't be.

China's got problems a plenty.

[dimbear]

21. It's a waste of time to be afraid of China.

China is like death. Inevitable.

[RandomThoughts]

22. heh, The people that 'put up with that'

Are not afraid of them, they want to be like them. LOL, they want America to be like China, race to the bottom.

That is the profit motive way.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

23. What do you mean, "put up with"?

The assumption appears to be that if America were not scared of China it would succesfully dictate its environmental and economic policies.

China is an independent nation. Come to that, it's an independent nation with a billion people, nukes, a mountain of American debt and a dictatorial government which can wield far more power than the government of a comparable democracy.

[Hannah Bell]

24. The fact that half their exports are wholly foreign-owned?

the fact that it's our own offshored corps selling us this shit?

the fact that bailout money is being used to expand in china?

the fact that the us borrows as much money from japan as from china, & owes its own citizens about 4 times more than it owes china?

the fact that we don't need to borrow from china at all?

[Warren DeMontague]

25. Because they're going to eat us all!!!!

and then, an hour later, they're going to be hungry again.

[Vickers]

28. It has something to do with 18,000,000 foot soldiers.

(That's from an old National Lampoon joke...)