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Page added on June 19, 2013
China’s Military Buildup Worrisome
China’s “spectacularly active” naval posture and “massive” military buildup in Asia are part of a pattern of belligerent behavior toward Japan and other neighbors over maritime disputes, according to Japan’s ambassador to the U.S.
Speaking at a Bloomberg Government breakfast in Washington yesterday, Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Kenichiro Sasae described China’s increasingly frequent forays to lodge territorial claims in the resource-rich East and South China Seas as “harassing” and “provocative.”
Japan is urging the Chinese government to “restrain yourself,” said Sasae, who served as deputy foreign minister until last year.
The world’s second- and third-largest economies have protested the presence of each other’s vessels in waters around a disputed East China Sea island chain — known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China — in a region rich in oil, natural gas and fish.
The leaders of the two nations have refused to meet for more than a year because of the rival claims, stoking tensions across the region and fears of a possible military miscalculation as China’s military strength and posture grows.
Asked what his country might do to break the deadlock, Sasae said that while Japan is “cautiously trying” to find a way out of the standoff, “we are not going to accommodate” the Chinese position that the islands belong to them.
The Obama administration, which recognizes Japan’s administration of the islands — while not taking a position on their sovereignty — has urged the Asian neighbors to resolve their disputes peacefully, avoid provocations and adopt a maritime code of conduct.
China Assertive
China has become increasingly assertive in the South China Sea, encountering opposition from Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, among other nations, as it tries to lock up resources to meet its demands as the world’s largest energy consumer.
U.S. officials have said they are seeking to ensure freedom of navigation and defuse territorial conflicts in the South China Sea, through which half of the world’s commercial cargo moves.
Asked if there is something the U.S. might do to help mediate the conflict, Sasae said yesterday that the dispute is one that China and Japan need to resolve.
The Japanese envoy said China should stop sending its vessels into Japanese waters as a sign of good faith in improving relations. If China would “restrain” itself, “then that would be a signal for us to have a more constructive dialogue,” he said.
Seventh Fleet
In the past year, China has stepped up its incursions into Japanese waters and taken effective control of a land feature near the Philippines. For more than half a century, Japan and the Philippines have relied on the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet to deter aggression in Asia-Pacific region waters.
Japan, a U.S. treaty ally, boosted defense spending for the first time in 11 years to defend its territory. Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said on June 1 that Japan may create a National Security Council and wants to establish a regional body at the “earliest possible timing” to prevent crises over incidents at sea.
Sasae, referring to a debate within his country about increasing Japan’s defense spending, said that view is fueled by an “age of military buildup” in Asia. “We are not changing the policy overnight,” he said, calling discussions about Japan’s defense posture “a more gradual and benign process.”
Natural Resources
While Japan welcomes the economic rise of China and believes its giant neighbor’s boom should be a “win/win situation” for everyone, “there is a concern” about China’s exploitation of natural resources around the world, he said.
Sasae, a former chief envoy to international talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, referred to that country’s proposal on June 16 for high-level talks with the U.S. as part of a familiar pattern of North Korean hostility and brinksmanship — followed by efforts to revive diplomacy.
North Korea’s history of testing nuclear weapons and missiles and threatening attacks on its neighbors, including Japan, is part of a strategy of “getting attention” and wanting to be accepted as a world power, he said. Japan will never agree to the North becoming a nuclear nation, he said. “We don’t want to see another country like Pakistan” getting a nuclear weapon and declaring itself a nuclear power, he said.
Demonstrate Seriousness
Discussions among the U.S., Japan, South Korea, China, Russia and North Korea over the North’s nuclear program, known as the six-party talks, have been suspended since 2008. The only alternative to war over North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is to sit down eventually with North Korean envoys, he said.
Still, North Korea’s leaders must “demonstrate their seriousness,” not make empty promises, before the other nations will return to talks, Sasae said.
Today at the State Department, envoys to the six-party talks from Japan, the U.S. and South Korea will meet for the first time since December 2012. Asked about the talks, State Department officials said yesterday there would be no change in policy and that North Korea must be ready to verifiably end its nuclear program before discussions will resume.
17 Comments on "China’s Military Buildup Worrisome"
BillT on Wed, 19th Jun 2013 2:37 pm
US Military Budget = $682,000,000,000.00
(~35%+ of the total world expense.)
China Military Bud.= $166,000,000,000.00
( 5% of the total world budget)
And the amount NOT in the US Military Budget that is spent on the Military is another $400B+. + $1Tr.+/ 2013.
Now, who is building up their military?
It is not China’s military they should fear, it is their choke hold on the US dollar that is the WMD in today’s world.
Arthur on Wed, 19th Jun 2013 2:50 pm
The US has 10+ carriers.
China 0, albeit building 2.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_aircraft_carrier_programme
And with an ocean in between, the US has nothing to fear from China.
Althougn occupation can be mutually excluded, the US has considerable potential for interrupting trade to and from China, first and foremost oil/gas, using it’s navy and airforce.
Next the US has an alliance with Europe as well as Japan, together an economy 5 times that of China.
China has an uneasy ad hoc alliance with Russia, that will only become operational if China and Russia would be attacked at the same time; not going to happen any time soon. After Syria, Iran is next first. If Syria falls in the first place.
A few hours ago Obama offered to substantially reduce the nuclear strike force. Finally some sense, as budget cuts are essential. Maybe the US is backing off after all? Let’s hope so.
northxnorth on Wed, 19th Jun 2013 3:18 pm
BillT:
And you have those official numbers about China’s military budget from whom? China? And I’m sure you believe they don’t hack just like we don’t hack. I will agree with you on the dollar so no point/point.
Arthur: There must be 50 ways to sink a carrier.
dave thompson on Wed, 19th Jun 2013 6:46 pm
All china has to do is start trading gold for oil. Or even goods for oil. I doubt the US would be so stupid as to start a war. OR???????
James on Wed, 19th Jun 2013 8:41 pm
If Putin’s attitude towards Obama was any indication of how the Russians feel and think about the U.S. Then add China to the mix. Both countries are getting fed up with the U.S. and Europe having their own capitalistic, elitist way and are building their military might to put an end to the one way power situation that allows the U.S. to control the Worlds economy to fit its needs and whims, and its bullying other countries that won’t submit to the U.S. and its cronies.
Arthur on Wed, 19th Jun 2013 10:58 pm
“Europe having their own capitalistic, elitist way and are building their military might”
Military might.lol? When did that happen? Europe wants to slash military budgets yet again. The US even is protesting against it.
http://www.euronews.com/newswires/1994162-defence-cuts-hollowing-out-european-armies-us-envoy/
DC on Thu, 20th Jun 2013 2:23 am
The US always protests when Europe wants to do the sensible thing and cut its war-spending. The US objects because NatO isnt known as the Pentagon East for no reason. The US likes to use Europe as proxies for its own invasions, wars. If the budgets keep decreasing, the US would actually have to carry the weight of ALL its wars, and would have a harder time hiding behind the shopworn ‘international coalition’ BS.
And of course, the US likes to keep up the fiction that the US ‘protects’ Europe, when it fact it garrisons it and uses it as a launch pad for its current round of ME mischief making. They think the EU should the thankful for to US for its warmongering and should also, participate and foot the bill too.
Besides the amerikans themselves, the EU faces no creditble military threat. Certainly not Russia. They want good and normal relations with their European neighbors, which the US and its ‘defensive’ missiles bases are there to sabatogue….
BillT on Thu, 20th Jun 2013 2:45 am
China has missiles that can take out a carrier at 1,000 miles from China’s shores. Those carriers would not last long in a real war near China. China also has missile capability and nukes.
But cyber and financial warfare is their methods today, just like the US.
As for protecting their shipping lanes, I think China is quite capable of chasing the US out if they decide to.
BillT on Thu, 20th Jun 2013 2:48 am
BTW: China does control the Western Pacific countries that the US needs for their imports of parts for missiles and most other goods that Americans buy. If they took out Korea, Taiwan and Japan, who is going to keep the US supplied with necessities? There are no factories left in the US that make necessities except toilet paper.
PrestonSturges on Thu, 20th Jun 2013 2:53 am
If China messes with any US allies, the Us can simply announce they will not pay back Chine, the Chinese economy collapses overnight, and the world applauds. Is the rest of the world going to dump the dollar out of sympathy with China? In favor of what, pine cones?
baptised on Thu, 20th Jun 2013 3:35 am
It does seem like Putin is differant??? They have had a “you can buildup better in peace times than war” attitude since their breakup.So now?
Arthur on Thu, 20th Jun 2013 9:12 am
Putin has repeatedly indicated he sees Russia as a part of European civilization. Present day Russia is zero threat to Europe and neither is the EU for Russia and Putin knows it. There is only one problem: Washington and it’s ruling Israel lobby, that aims for global supremacy and global institutions (obviously to be dominated by the Israel lobby). If the American Euro’s, Europe and Russia would losely define itself as a ‘white christian civilization’, based on Roman law, democracy and mild christian mores in international politics, there would be zero threat from China, the only serious remaining power. Whitey could sit around the table with the Chinese and hammer out a different kind of NWO: a multipolar world, based on local identity and autonomy, international law, abandonment of any sort of empire, military-industrial complex and radical nuclear arms cuts. We could have large demilitarized buffer zones in Mongolia and Kazakhstan. We coudl setup international bodies of technological cooperation on the fields of energy and other themes.
But zionist run Washington does not want a White-Chinese bipolarity, it wants a kosher run world, based on central banking, multiculturalism, open borders, mass immigration, feminism, porn, race mixing, holocaust religion, sheeple.
In order to achieve that Washington needs war. A limited nuclear war or false flag act of nuclear terrorism needs to prove that world government is inevitable. It would be bolshevism succeeding via the Washington back door.
For people in the know in Europe, Russia and China there is nothing to do but waiting until the American candle is burned up completely and in the meantime avoid war. There are two issues competing with each other for bringing down the US first: a) third-worldization of the US; b) imperial/financial overstretch (both strongly interconnected).
a) could lead to ethnic strife in the US itself and set the country in flames, like Yugoslavia, Iraq and Syria. OWS & Britain-2011 was a small sign of things to come in Anglosphere.
b) financial breakdown, for instance after foreigners decide to dump the dollar. This could easily lead to triggering ethnic ‘unrest’ New Orleans-style in the US on a continental scale, after Washington will no longer be able to provide for the hordes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No39yEziGS0
That could be the moment US whitey will try to escape from Washington in a wave of secessions. Washington will not let it’s tax farm escape that easily and will fight back, using the third world hordes as proletariate for it’s bolshevik revolution 2.0.
– in 1919-1921 Russian whitey lost
– in 1936 Spanish whitey won
– in the coming years American whitey will win/lose?
Whatever the outcome, one thing is certain: of all four major blocks, US, EU, China, Russia (in that pecking order) the US will be next in undergoing a major internal transformation. The outcome will be either:
a) USSR style disintegration/balkanization or
b) a new USSR-like bolshevik totalitarian state.
I have no idea if it is going to b a) or b), but I am certain it is going to be one of them.
BillT on Thu, 20th Jun 2013 3:45 pm
Preston, the worlds is already walking away from the dollar. Get educated. International trade is now being facilitated in many currencies. China has the US by the throat and we know it.
Why do you think China, Russia, India, and many other countries are buying up all of the gold? They are getting ready for the end of the dollar and a likely gold backed replacement currency.
If China announced tomorrow that they were backing the Yaun with gold, the dollar would die overnight.
BillT on Thu, 20th Jun 2013 3:49 pm
Arthur, you keep pretending that the EU is immune when the US goes down. When it does, all of the banks in the EU will crash right along with it. Bernanke has been propping up Euro banks to the tune of several trillion dollars in the last few years. You banks are full of trash just like America’s. But then, the EU may go first, and the US follow.
Arthur on Thu, 20th Jun 2013 4:34 pm
Bill, you keep overestimating the importance of money. Societies do not implode just because financial systems implode. Money can be printed. And please, ‘propping up’ European banks with one trillion dollar does not cost the US or the Fed anything, just a few keystrokes on a computer. The European banks needed that money after they were swindled into buying useless American mortages, (“subprime loans”) owned by third world invaders living in the US. Good European money from institutions like pension funds, that is savings from European workers, was evaporated overnight, and replaced by money out of thin air from the Fed, requiring interest payments to Fed swindlers from now on. Has nothing to do with European economic weakness other than the usual gentile naivite vis a vis the youknowwhos.
Forget about stupid money and financial systems, the decisive factor why the US is going down first, is because the US will become a third world country, much faster then Europe. The jewish Orlov is right, the collapse of the US is going to be much more severe than in Russia, but Dmitri does not mention the real reason: in the USSR, the jews left the building en masse in 60s and 70s… and headed for the US, so the USSR could fall apart with no people with revolutionary zeal left to come up with anything other than the centuries old orthodox christianity plus autocratic state. But now all the revolutionary potential is under US roof, good luck with that. And the horror scenario is going to be racial communism. There is more proletarian material in the US than kosher Marx could dream of. If you read American material like LewRockwell or Infowars or others, then you perceive an undercurrent of panic and threat that is mot present in Europe. And there is a good reason for that, because the threat is real. But hey, who am I telling that! Someone who left the building himself.lol
Arthur on Thu, 20th Jun 2013 4:52 pm
http://tinyurl.com/my4dz5y
Required reading for Bill to become more informed about the true source of the financial desaster of 2008. Had nothing to do with Europe. It was the US that pulled Europe almost into the abyss. Nota bene from a jewish journalist.
Arthur on Thu, 20th Jun 2013 4:58 pm
The previous link dated half a year before the meltdown, this one two months after the meltdown. I worked for a large Dutch financial instituttion at the time, so I experienced the panic in Amsterdam first hand from messages in the corporate intranet. All externals like me were thrown out because of it on immediate notice.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/dilorenzo/dilorenzo154.html
The third world is going to kill the US and 2008 marked the beginning of the end.