Japan protest over China ship's radar action

[Jason]

rEv was taking the piss.. I hope. Nobody is going to slap China. If only because they owe China so much money.

[Clinton Huxley]

Is there any laws pertaining to staking claim to the moon? The US stuck a flag on it.. do they own it now?

UN treaties. For now, you can't lay territorial claim to extraterrestrial bodies, as I understand it.

[JimC]

rEv was taking the piss.. I hope. Nobody is going to slap China. If only because they owe China so much money.

True.

Or, like Oz, one is selling them vast amounts of raw materials...

[pErvinalia]

rEv was taking the piss.. I hope. Nobody is going to slap China. If only because they owe China so much money.

Yeah, it's true. The Chinese really are shrewd and smart. On the "smart" front, today, I noticed that they are committing seriously to reducing coal usage. They expect to peak in usage next year and then decline. This will be accomplished by increasing use of renewables and nuclear, and, in an honest proclamation, a slowing of their wild economic growth in the steel and cement industries.

[Jason]

Interesting play. I wonder what their game is. They're poised to become the new economic power of the world and yet are making overtures of slowing down. Doesn't make sense at first glance.

[pErvinalia]

They see that the future is in renewables and next generation nuclear. As they aren't a democracy or a corporatocracy, they can just get on with directing their economy towards those new industries. The US and other western nations are so trapped by Big Coal, Big Oil and the rest of the fossil fuels industry, that we are moving too slow. In that regard, China will probably accelerate its ascendency to an economic super power before too long.

[JimC]

They see that the future is in renewables and next generation nuclear. As they aren't a democracy or a corporatocracy, they can just get on with directing their economy towards those new industries. The US and other western nations are so trapped by Big Coal, Big Oil and the rest of the fossil fuels industry, that we are moving too slow. In that regard, China will probably accelerate its ascendency to an economic super power before too long.

Fair point...

If they can survive the rise of popular protest...

[Jason]

Good point. I'm not entirely convinced of the soundness of that strategy. If that's theirs, they're playing the long game. Incongruent with my understanding of Chinese policy.

[cronus]

They see that the future is in renewables and next generation nuclear. As they aren't a democracy or a corporatocracy, they can just get on with directing their economy towards those new industries. The US and other western nations are so trapped by Big Coal, Big Oil and the rest of the fossil fuels industry, that we are moving too slow. In that regard, China will probably accelerate its ascendency to an economic super power before too long.

The UK is doing the same to a lesser extent and quietly but we are a monarchy and not a true democracy either.

[Jason]

They see that the future is in renewables and next generation nuclear. As they aren't a democracy or a corporatocracy, they can just get on with directing their economy towards those new industries. The US and other western nations are so trapped by Big Coal, Big Oil and the rest of the fossil fuels industry, that we are moving too slow. In that regard, China will probably accelerate its ascendency to an economic super power before too long.

Fair point...

If they can survive the rise of popular protest...

They would have to transition rather seamlessly wouldn't they? Their economic advance has far outpaced their social advance. They may be setting themselves up for a long, fast, fall.

[JimC]

They see that the future is in renewables and next generation nuclear. As they aren't a democracy or a corporatocracy, they can just get on with directing their economy towards those new industries. The US and other western nations are so trapped by Big Coal, Big Oil and the rest of the fossil fuels industry, that we are moving too slow. In that regard, China will probably accelerate its ascendency to an economic super power before too long.

Fair point...

If they can survive the rise of popular protest...

They would have to transition rather seamlessly wouldn't they? Their economic advance has far outpaced their social advance. They may be setting themselves up for a long, fast, fall.

Certainly a possibility.

[pErvinalia]

Yeah, I don't think anythging is certain with either China or the US. Throw in uncertainties about how severe AGW will be and it makes it even harder to predict. As Australia's Billy Birmingham once said... [Ritchie]"It's harder to pick than a broken nose"[/Ritchie]...

[Coito ergo sum]

The Chinese really are provocative cunts. One day someone is going to actually give them a slap.

Clearly, Engelists are not Maoists!

I wonder if the Kims in North Korea are pissed they don't have an "ist." They get called Stalinists. They're probably all like, "fuck, that man -- we're Kimists!"

[pErvinalia]

Kimmunists.