Comments on: The Growing Chinese Threat

By: Zach

Zach — Wed, 23 Feb 2005 23:57:33 +0000

Im not worried about the Chinese now, but look 15 to 20 years ahead. By that time the Chinese will pose a greater threat to the U.S. and our allies in Asia than Islamic extremeism.

By: Daily Pundit

Daily Pundit — Fri, 18 Feb 2005 05:40:36 +0000

About Time
Robert Tagorda notes that the CIA, under new chief Porter Goss, is finally dispensing with the myth that China is our friend....

By: DC Loser

DC Loser — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 23:56:14 +0000

You sound very confident in that. Most people I talk to aren't. Don't ever underestimate what drives them, especially if nationalism gets out of hand and the people are more radical than the leaders.

By: McGehee

McGehee — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 21:03:02 +0000

If theyâre willing to risk war and their economy over Taiwan... They're not. All that saber-rattling over Taiwan is just part of their diplomatic repertoire, designed to keep hand-wringing Western diplomats sweating and trying to placate the PRC Politburo. If it happens somehow to lead to a conclusion beneficial to them within the lifetimes of anyone alive today, so much the better in their view. But they're not fooling themselves that any of it is moving them toward such a goal more than incrementally. As for war, they'll need that economy to finance the kind of war they're presently capable of. They'd rather use it to make themselves capable of the kind of war we can wage -- and that's a longer-term objective.

By: DC Loser

DC Loser — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 18:28:43 +0000

McGeehee,

That will depend on how important the issue is to them. If they're willing to risk war and their economy over Taiwan, you can bet that it will be worth it for them to do that.

By: McGehee

McGehee — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 15:56:26 +0000

What will happen if the Chinese decides to dump their holdings in US Treasury bonds...

They'll take a huge financial bath to make a short-term political statement.

That doesn't seem to be in character.

By: DC Loser

DC Loser — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 09:45:43 +0000

Or the corollary, how much are we willing to piss off the Chinese since they hold so much of our debt. What will happen if the Chinese decides to dump their holdings in US Treasury bonds or move their reserve currency out of the dollar?

By: ken

ken — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 03:49:22 +0000

With seventeen percent of every FIT dollar collected going to pay interest on the Reagan/Bush debt and with the Chinese government one of the largest buyers of US debt I wonder how much of the communist arms build up is paid for by American taxpayers.