Posted on 04/24/2014 12:48:56 PM PDT by TangledUpInBlue
China's navy commissioned 17 new warships last year, the most of any nation. In a little more than a decade, it's expected to have three aircraft carriers, giving it more clout than ever in a region of contested seas and festering territorial disputes.
Those numbers testify to huge increases in defense spending that have endowed China with the largest military budget behind the United States and fueled an increasingly large and sophisticated defense industry. While Beijing still lags far behind the U.S. in both funding and technology, its spending boom is attracting new scrutiny at a time of severe cuts in U.S. defense budgets that have some questioning Washington's commitments to its Asian allies, including some who have lingering disputes with China.
Beijing's newfound military clout is one of many issues confronting President Barack Obama as he visits the region this week. Washington is faced with the daunting task of fulfilling its treaty obligations to allies such as Japan and the Philippines, while also maintaining cordial relation with key economic partner and rising regional power China.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
That's good that we're pulling back.. no. Wait. They mean pulling back on our defense not pulling back free traders providing Red China with billions in investments, technology, know how . . . .
What’s amusing is that journalists are focusing on Japan’s supposed militarization, when Japan’s defense spending remains stuck at 1% of GDP and, in absolute terms, is less than 1/3 of China’s number.
Revelation 9
15And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. 16The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone.…
Ping
Duh, of course the global free traders who strip mined our economy and shipped it to China never saw it coming (sarcasm).
And the US Congress does what? Nada.
China’s attempt to take the Senkaku Islands will be launched from THIS airbase:
Two large hardened aircraft shelters are perched atop the camouflaged area on the Northeast extreme of the base —notice the dark ovoid structures:
There are also a number of J-20’s and ground vehicles parked at the west end of the strip.
This base has lots of skirting for transport a/c during a surge.
Since the Yaehama Islands (which are uncontested Japanese territory nearby) include SEVEN airfields it is HIGHLY LIKELY that a PRC play for the Senkakus will also involve Chinese occupation of 1 or more of the 7 islands in the Yaehama island chain, about 35 miles from Taiwan.
Some experts also think China may also take Okinawa itself, though the chances of that are a little lower.
The interest we pay on the debt the Chinese own pays for their military, then some.
Go ahead Barry—give some third world s***hole another billion or two! Ukraine recently, right?
We know Pelosi and Reid both invested heavily in China. We need to find out who else has and get them out of office.
Well yes, we all understand that the money we spend on cheaper Chinese made goods pays to build up their military instead of ours and creates jobs over there instead of over here, but I saved $.25 on a pen set, so it evens out.</sarcasm>
The Chinese can't get to the Yaeyama Islands without Taiwan's cooperation. I have a feeling the Taiwanese will give the Japanese plenty of advance warning, given the islands' proximity to Taiwan. It's kind of amusing how the building of a radar station on Yonaguni prompted the press to go on a rant about Japan's "militarization", when defense spending is stuck at 1% of GDP and is less than 1/3 of China's number on an absolute basis.
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