China v The US. Do we (the world) need to be worried?

[pErvinalia]

Ah, good point.

Can't wait for Dave's totally OTT rant. This should be good..

[FBM]

It's not necessarily racial stereotyping. It could be cultural stereotyping. That latter can be reasonably acceptable.

Typical antipodean reaction.

I think he's pointing out Dave's (apparent) racial stereotyping. If you think Chinese people are patient, try standing in line with them.

Edit: Shit. I just did it, too, didn't I? We crackers just can't help...nvm.

It happens from time to time, but I try not to cultivate it in myself nor allow others to do so casually.

It's all I can do to monitor myself. I think I'm getting better, though.

[mistermack]

I looked up the history behind those Islands a while ago, but can't remember the exact details.
But I came away with the impression that the Islands DID rightfully belong to China, and were taken by military force.
Since Japan has shit on China dreadfully in the past, and never made any reparation, it's hardly surprising that China wants it's Islands back. Japan has no proper claim on them, other than they had the military to them by force.
It's not like there has been a Japanese population living there for years.
Basically, Japan said ''we're having those'' and China didn't have the military capability to do anything about it.

[piscator]

It appears the shoe's on the other foot now!

[DaveDodo007]

Check out how the Chinese dealt with the Mongrel invasion. They could have taken Hong Kong back (after all it was stolen from them) onwards from the 1960s, they just waited for the treaty to end. Ask a Chinese politician what he thinks of the French revolution? It is a cultural trait.

[JimC]

Check out how the Chinese dealt with the Mongrel invasion. They could have taken Hong Kong back (after all it was stolen from them) onwards from the 1960s, they just waited for the treaty to end. Ask a Chinese politician what he thinks of the French revolution? It is a cultural trait.

Shit, China was invaded by a horde of mongrels while I wasn't looking!

Probably buy 'em of with a bone, though...

[klr]

US B-52 bombers challenge disputed China air zone:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25110011

[pErvinalia]

US says pull your head in, China.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two unarmed U.S. B-52 bombers on a training mission flew over disputed islands in the East China Sea without informing Beijing, defying China's declaration of a new airspace defense zone and raising the stakes in a territorial standoff.

The flight did not prompt a response from China, the Pentagon said, and the White House urged Beijing on Tuesday to resolve its dispute with Japan over the islands diplomatically, without resorting to "threats or inflammatory language."

China published coordinates for an East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone over the weekend and warned it would take "defensive emergency measures" against aircraft that failed to identify themselves properly in the airspace.

The zone covers the skies over islands at the heart of a territorial dispute that China has with close U.S. ally Japan.

"The policy announced by the Chinese over the weekend is unnecessarily inflammatory," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in California, where President Barack Obama is traveling.

"These are the kinds of differences that should not be addressed with threats or inflammatory language, but rather can and should be resolved diplomatically," he said.

Two U.S. B-52 bombers carried out the flight, part of a long-planned exercise, on Monday night EST, a U.S. military official said.

The lumbering bombers appeared to send a message that the United States was not trying to hide its intentions and showed that China, so far at least, was unable or unwilling to defend the zone.

Beijing may have been caught off-guard and could change its approach down the road, said Dean Cheng, an analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank.

"The Chinese may not have expected such a strong American reaction so soon," Cheng said. "The fact that Washington responded and responded so strongly sends a very clear challenge back to Beijing saying: 'Look, in case you were wondering, we are serious when we say we are an ally of Japan. And do not mess with that.'"

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSB ... 6?irpc=932

[JimC]

The ghost of Gary Powers is looking on with interest...

[Jason]

Obvious fear behind obvious show of force is obviously obvious.

[JimC]

Obvious fear behind obvious show of force is obviously obvious.

It could be argued that deciding not to act would be an even more obvious display of fear...

[Jason]

True. They had to react, but something more subtle would have served the U.S.A. better.

Not that I care what serves the U.S.A. better.

[Warren Dew]

Korea's got their own version of it: Outcry as China maps new air defense zone.

Good map at that link, thanks. Seems to me Japan's "air defense zone" is far more unreasonable than China's or Korea's, there.

[FBM]

Korea's got their own version of it: Outcry as China maps new air defense zone.

Good map at that link, thanks. Seems to me Japan's "air defense zone" is far more unreasonable than China's or Korea's, there.

The news today says that Seoul is thinking about expanding its own zone to cover Ieodo (which you can see in that map). If so, that's going to be a bone of contention with both China and Japan.
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/htm ... 01626.html

[JimC]

3 way cage fight!