Posted on 09/16/2012 6:13:43 PM PDT by RummyChick
China and other Asian countries could end up at war over territorial disputes if governments keep up their 'provocative behaviour', US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta says.
Speaking to reporters before arriving in Tokyo on a trip to Asia, Panetta appealed for restraint amid mounting tensions over territorial rights in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
'I am concerned that when these countries engage in provocations of one kind or another over these various islands, that it raises the possibility that a misjudgment on one side or the other could result in violence, and could result in conflict,' Panetta said, when asked about a clash between Japan and China.
'And that conflict would then have the potential of expanding.'
The Pentagon chief's trip coincides with an escalating row between Asia's two largest economies over an archipelago in the East China Sea administered by Tokyo under the name Senkaku and claimed by China under the name Diaoyu.
(Excerpt) Read more at skynews.com.au ...
I can’t keep up with the unrest all over the world
Here is a funny thing from twitter
“THIS JAPAN-CHINA STAND OFF IS GETTING TOO SERIOUS O! MY MADE IN CHINA BLUETOOTH HAS REFUSED TO CONNECT WITH MY MADE IN JAPAN LAPTOP... “
I think the economy of China is heading for a sharp dive and the ruling elite are trying a diversion. “Nationalistic witch hunts”, presenting a unifying scapegoat, to distract their people from the on-rushing depression that is coming nearer has been done many times before in many different nations over time.
Does it work? Yes, but once unleashed it isn’t easy to control. Germany in the 1930s and 1940s is a great example of what I mean.
The Chicoms have a massive debt they are hiding. Some speculate it’s bigger than ours. Their population faces a demographic crisis thanks to the One Child Policy. The government continues to face opposition over its occupation of Tibet and stranglehold on the media.
The bottom line is, China knows it has a problem. In a totalitarian state with so many people, things can become problematic if public opinion turns against the government. The Norks don’t have any such problem because of a small population, roughly 80% of which are in the military anyway. What China are doing here, is stirring up nationalist sentiment against a perceived enemy over territory they think belongs to them. The Chinese already have a sordid history with Japan, so they’re a good nemesis.
This was the same tactic used by Argentinian dictator, Leopoldo Galtieri, in the 80s. Inflation was through the roof, and the government had engaged in a horrific crackdown on dissent that involved stealing children and throwing nuns out of helicopters. To turn attention away from his wildly unpopular regime, he stoked up Argentinian nationalism by invading the British owned Falkland Islands.
He failed of course. The British Navy was far superior, and when the war was lost, Galtieri was deposed. Unfortunately, even today, Argentina’s leaders still whine about the islands to anyone who will listen.
The protests are part of the Chinese government’s ploy to inflame public opinion against the Japanese, and from the look of the pictures above, it’s working. The question isn’t if they will attack. It’s when... and will we have a leader willing to stand up for our allies in Japan when they do.
I always thought it would make sense for Taiwan, or Japan for that matter, to inform China that they had aquired biological wepons that would kill tens of milions of their citizens if they attacked the islands....even if it were not true. It’s one way to make China think twice about attacking either nation. BTW I want to see Japan arm itself. It’s time they started to defend their homeland.
jeez, ya think?
I’ve visited China several times in my life,including twice in the last couple of years.My visits have been to one of the most prosperous regions of the country,that being within a hundred miles or so of Hong Kong.Even there the thing I was struck by is how primitive the people are...that they truly live like *animals*.
You mean building all those empty cities didn’t boost their economy?
/sarc
Japan also belongs to China??
20% discount
.........................
Yeppers. Exports have dropped a lot because of our economy and Europes. They were/are very export dependent.
” The question isn’t if they will attack. It’s when... and will we have a leader willing to stand up for our allies in Japan when they do. “
I live in Japan , hence my extreme interest . I’ve been half jokingly telling our daughter for years that she should start studying Chinese .
China and North Korea are the only countries stupid enough to think building empty cities stimulates an economy. I still laugh when I see that huge Nork hotel that has no interior. A hollow shell that cost millions.
Best of luck. Don’t let the Chicoms spook you. That’s what they want. A panicked nation is a weaker nation.
“Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemies’ resistance”
How is the rebuild going?
?
These are uninhabited islands (rocks actually).
I understand they recently started working on their jewel of Pyongyang again, it’s been sitting there forever.
is there oil around there?
China also recently took the Paracel and Spratly islands between Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. Most of us haven’t been fully informed about the One China policy or the history and culture behind it.
Could you provide some additional info? I did a quick search but couldn't find anything.
The Chinese don’t even need to start a war, just make a war credible. Citizens of the Asian democracies are not going to allow their governments to fight a war close to home. The Chinese can play the bully and get their way in the dispute over the islands claimed by the Japanese as well as those claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines. Once they are assured that their neighbors have no will to fight then they can easily take Taiwan.
2005 Anti-Secession Law, full text here:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-03/08/content_422875.htm
The law was intended for Taiwan but covers all “territorial islands” including the Spratlys and islands within the Phillipine territorial waters.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.