Posted on 02/07/2013 8:07:42 AM PST by Fennie
United Nations agricultural experts are reporting confusion, after figures show that China imported 2.6 million tons of rice in 2012, substantially more than a four-fold increase over the 575,000 tons imported in 2011.
The confusion stems from the fact that there is no obvious reason for vastly increased imports, since there has been no rice shortage in China. The speculation is that Chinese importers are taking advantage of low international prices, but all that means is that China's own vast supplies of domestically grown rice are being stockpiled.
Why would China suddenly be stockpiling millions of tons of rice for no apparent reason?
Perhaps it's related to China's aggressive military buildup and war preparations in the Pacific and in central Asia.
(Excerpt) Read more at shtfplan.com ...
“On the other hand, I wonder if this does not make Vladimir Putin just a wee bit nervous.
The Chinese have never been famous at sea, but they historically do very well on land.”
Russia has nukes and there’s no doubt Vlad would use them. Theoretically, Japan does not and if they did they most likely would not use them. The US will not get involved despite our treaties. We’ve practically stood down the Navy too. We have given China a once in a century window of opportunity.
Somebody coming at Moscow from the Siberian side will have a long trip, and a long logistics train. Then again, the same can be said about the Russian army trying to fight a Chinese invasion of Siberia. But I doubt they are going to invade Russian territory any time soon, not with Putin in charge there.
More likely candidates: grabbing Taiwan, conflict with Japan, and, lastly, doing something with Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan has lots of oil and mineral wealth, a small population (16M or so), is ethnically divided, and it's unlikely that anybody outside the Muslim world will ride to their defense.
Meanwhile, our gov’t is stockpiling .40 cal ammunition to
be used domestically. Who’s up to no good?
Unless oil is also being stockpiled, this activity is probably related to China’s peculiar financial system, which is rife with crony lending and lacks avenues for savings in the form of reliable financial instruments in the hands of trustworthy intermediaries. And since the well-connected can obtain foreign exchange and loans to import and stockpile industrial metals and foodstuffs, these become a form of savings that can be converted into ready cash and other useful assets. We may tentatively conclude that a relative increase in this form of savings in part expresses a negative view as to the Chinese business environment.
They’ve hired this guy named Joseph who tells them that their warehouses had better be full because although they are having seven years of good fortune, these will be followed by seven years of hard times.
You’re greatly underestimating the Borat factor.
China is the second-largest destination for American food exports (behind Canada). I guess they must be setting fire to all that food: they obviously don't need it.
What is a "Free Trade Communist"? Do you understand what Free Trade means?
Free Trade is the antithesis of Communism. Free Trade is a conservative ideal - it is quite simply Freedom of Association applied to economics. It means that Government does not get to tell citizens whom they may trade with.
In Communist countries - e.g. the former USSR - the poor old Soviets were on starvation rations for 70 years because they refused Free Trade. They imposed Government controls on food prices rather than letting market forces work.
Oh look....there is something sparkly and moving over there! And there are people that are acting like court jesters over there....
How many people in this country are awake?
The largest US export to China is and has been for a while scrap metal. Kinda mirrors Pre WW2 japan.
Dangerous that we currently we allow for china to produce most of the world’s rare earth minerals while we don’t dare mine our own.
Under Clinton and Bush administrations we allowed the transfer of magnetic technology to guide precision missiles
is also disgusting.
By the way free trade ain’t conservative or free market when you apply the tens of thousands of pages of regulations that are incurred with these treaties.
The argument is hardly made out of the Orwellian title Free and Trade.
I know I’ll be called an idiot and naive and historically challenged. yadda yadda. go ahead.
Perceptions won’t change reality.
WWIII.
The global community organizer is giving his US military plan for WWIII. Conquer Isreal by putting power, money and arms in the hands of Muslim terrorists and invade and conquer the US.
Siberia all of the way to the Urals let's them move troops by foot if they have to and if they control Siberia all the way from the Urals China, they have plenty of resources and a defensable land mass worth the fight.
As to Vladimir using nukes.....maybe when the Chinese get within 50 miles of Moscow. I don't think he is as smart or tough as he likes to make out. Stalin would not have batted an eye.
Uh, Is that where one buys crap products, from a bellicose, communist enemy that produces said products with slave labor, with stolen technology and all the while selling out their own country to make a fast buck? That free trade? Yes, I know what that means.
I doubt any major nuclear power will use nukes against another major nuclear power, unless it can be 100% confident that its first strike will wipe out its adversary's ability to retaliate with nukes. Any such war will end up being a bloody conventional war. Ultimately, the war won't go nuclear because each country's population is being held hostage.
I think that's a tad overstated. If they were using slave labor, China's economy would resemble North Korea's. As to stolen technology, that has been the growth path of the economies of East Asia, including relatively wealthy economies like Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. Heck, ripping off other people's inventions has been how underdogs caught up since the dawn of time. Re-inventing the wheel in pointless and wasteful. And this stuff about selling out their own people is just silly. How is an economy that started out 1979, before economic liberalization started, with 5% of Mexico's GDP per capita and has attained 50% of Mexico's GDP per capita in the past couple of years, be said to have been the result of "selling out"? In 1979, China had 80% of India's GDP per capita, compare to 4x India's number today. Ultimately, a lot of your conclusions are the result of bad data.
Historical data on GDP per capita:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_past_and_future_GDP_%28nominal%29_per_capita
“I doubt any major nuclear power will use nukes against another major nuclear power, unless it can be 100% confident that its first strike will wipe out its adversary’s ability to retaliate with nukes. Any such war will end up being a bloody conventional war. Ultimately, the war won’t go nuclear because each country’s population is being held hostage.”
The cold war plan was always to use tactical nukes against the aggressor forces. Also, throughout history the pre-war logical statements turned out to be false. Before World War 1 it was widely said that nobody could go to war as the nations were now too interconnected and a war would be too costly. Nobody would use gas as it was too horrible. Nobody would use machineguns as they were too terrible to contemplate. If Lee had had nukes would he not have used them to protect Virginia? I bet he would. War is, by definition, all about killing. A leader will do anything to win as that’s (theoretically) his job. I wrote “theoretically” as we have now moved into a politically correct era where killing your enemy is wrong and therefore surrender is the only option.
I think that's a tad overstated. If they were using slave labor, China's economy would resemble North Korea's. As to stolen technology, that has been the growth path of the economies of East Asia, including relatively wealthy economies like Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. Heck, ripping off other people's inventions has been how underdogs caught up since the dawn of time. Re-inventing the wheel in pointless and wasteful. And this stuff about selling out their own people is just silly. How is an economy that started out 1979, before economic liberalization started, with 5% of Mexico's GDP per capita and has attained 50% of Mexico's GDP per capita in the past couple of years, be said to have been the result of "selling out"? In 1979, China had 80% of India's GDP per capita, compare to 4x India's number today. Ultimately, a lot of your conclusions are the result of bad data.
What do you call it when people live in barracks at the factory and make next to nothing? Perhaps not technically slave labor but not far from it.
Interesting how you defend theft and espionage. Not true either. Companies like Sony and Mitsubishi are leaders in their fields with active and very effective R&D departments. Reinventing the wheel is not what I'm talking about. It's more like stealing other people's wheels.
You misunderstood about the selling out part. China is not the sellout. At least looking out for their own interests which is far more than I can say for our government and our "Free Traders" They are the ones who are selling out their own people for a quick profit.
Agreed. However, it could also be because they foresee the coming inflation storm.
1. Inflation begins modestly.
2. People realize their savings are being eroded.
3. People buy PMs and take possession. Countries begin to buy/sell commodities using PMs instead of dollars.
4. PM prices go ballistic as no holder wants to sell and the secret is out, “there is far more paper PM than physical”.
5. People, corporations, and countries buy anything that will hold value. Capital goods, food, RE, metals, vehicles. At this point the economy looks great! Unemployment down, GDP up, Happy Days Are Here Again!
6. SERIOUS inflation commences as all the fiat savings is spent and velocity goes ballistic.
7. The world economy crashes as governments and borrowers default. At this point, inflation in food and fuel has impoverished the masses.
8. Severe civil unrest as the entitled and those on fixed incomes become much more poor.
9. War? Revolution(s)? Dogs and cats living together? Real Old Testament Stuff?
Just like the book, “This Time Its Different”. Debt and debasement of currencies always end the same way.
My Jedi foresight fails me at that point, but it bodes ill.
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