The most important question that flows from this discussion is whether China can rise peacefully. It is clear from the Defence White Paper—which is tasked with assessing Australia’s strategic situation out to the year 2030—that policymakers here are worried about the changing balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region. Consider these comments from that document: “As other powers rise, and the primacy of the United States is increasingly tested, power relations will inevitably change. When this happens there will be the possibility of miscalculation. There is a small but still concerning possibility of growing confrontation between some of these powers.” At another point in the White Paper, we read that, “Risks resulting from escalating strategic competition could emerge quite unpredictably, and is a factor to be considered in our defence planning.” In short, the Australian government seems to sense that the shifting balance of power between China and the United States may not be good for peace in the neighborhood.
Nuke em before it’s too late!
First let’s ask for all of our manufacturing & CANDU reactors back…..Then let’s nuke em.
a quote from Mearsheimer…
“the obama administration is planning a war against Iran.”
oh please…make the bad man stop writing such tripe…
At least the Australians can have an honest discussion about future defence requirements. Compare this to Canada where we don’t need to replace F-18’s because, well we’re Canadians and everyone will love us forever.
@minuteman
until they defeat the americans and see our women and resources as booty!!! there is no doubt in mym ind that any country would attack canada if america was not as powerful as it is.
we should not be so nieve.
Paul in calgary.
It will come as quite a shock to many when the world’s number #2 and and #3 economies decide a US presence in the far east is no longer tolerable. That’s the way the dominoes fall, though. And Australia? Bloody Yanks deserve what they get, what?
Does Iran have a CANDU? I hope not!
@minuteman
Canada’s proven she still has the absolute rock bottom necessities for defence: warriors, and excellent overall leadership within the Forces.
The very nice string of terrorist corpses notched up during the Afghan deployment has proven that.
Unfortunately the political leadership over the years have not been of that same high level of ability and integrity, which has left Canada punching below her weight.
I think the article is a poor forecast of things to come. But it is clear that Australia is nervous of a big Communist Superpower in their neighbourhood getting more militarily powerful.
Maintaining strategic access to resources notwithstanding (not unlike what any growing Empire does, including the U.S.), China’s growing middle class is ignored by the article.
China’s internal evolution will not remain static. Eventually there will be the power of the vote given to its population. Also, their culture isn’t historically driven by expansionism. It was once the most isolated civilizations on Earth.
China’s more interested in business, not war.
Most,if not all White Western liberals are just to plain stupid to contemplate the concept of all those Asiatic hordes drooling over the thought of forcibly invading,conquering and possessing the continent of Australia.
“To put it bluntly: China cannot rise peacefully.”
I think the author’s stuck in a ‘sixties time warp. The Chinese are taking over the world economically, I don’t think they’ll bother getting involved in a military conflict. If they must,they can always send their little rogue state buddies,North Korea, to do the dirty work.
But, keep us peasants in a constant state of fear,it’s good for business,and keeps our little minds off the machinations of our governments,who we have to fear a lot more than we do the Chinese.
Obama’s going to start a war on Iran?! No bloody way,Iran would have to nuke New York City twice before the Great Negotiator would allow the U.S. to fight back.
I agree with martin and dmorris – China is focused on economic imperialism not war. It has no desire or need to militarily expand.
The Chinese are focused only on ‘getting rich’; they work 7 days a week, 24 hours. I mean that; building contruction is in three shifts and goes on for 24 hours. No-one even thinks of such a thing as a ‘vacation’; travels include business ventures.
Getting rich is also about status; the BMW, the Louis Vitton goods, the 52″ flat TV, all the elite symbols. Heh – so much for communism and equality of outcome. In China, the focus is about ‘showing the neighbours’ how rich you are.
Meanwhile the progressives in the West, those govt funded bureaucrats and academics – have fully embraced a two-tiered static and ‘no progress’ society. One where they are the elite rulers over the hoi polloi who are ‘fed and housed in a manner where each is equal to the other’. The elite, of course, as Gore and Kelly and others well know, live in exclusive mansions with income equally excluded from others.
This regime rejects entrepreneurship, risk, small business – the very thing that the Chinese are now focused on. As such, the Chinese economy will surge and the West’s will fall. You reach a critical threshold where the tax income from those few who pay taxes won’t cover the mass of those who don’t pay and who don’t create new business.
yea,
The Chinese were Soooo stupid, that they didn’t even realize that when they introduced the one child policy, millions of peasants aborted, killed or sold thier females.
You would think that after 5000 years of civilization they would have an understanding of thier culture, wouldn’t you.
Now they have millions and millions of horny young men with no job prospects, or wives to look forward to.
Foolish them, huh?
Oh crap 😮
This “Gathering Storm: China’s Challenge To US Power In Asia” is part and parcel of Kate’s 8:42 “Decline and Fall” thread.
All the lefty US haters in Canada no doubt will be rejoicing.
Watch Taiwan.
As soon as China senses America is weak enough and has a feckless enough POTUS, they’ll move on Taiwan.
There is no doubt China is the globalist’s model economy and governing model. I was stated as much in think tank essays as far back as the early 70s.
China’s corrupt political oligarchy provides a virtual play ground for monopolists/oligopolists and windfall profiteers. Globalists have exerted enough political influence in the west that for the past 3 decades pour politicians aided them in dismantling North American self suficient productivity and shipping it off shore making the west virtually reliant on foreign productivity and investment.
The final leg of that plan is happening in the US economic/currency meltdown and the failing EU super economy. Both economic implosions aided by debt financed decadent socialist governments.
China WILL become the dominant economic power in the 21st century, the west will gradually sink into 2nd world dependency economic lifestyle under more authoritarian governance, we will become a migrant work force – all without a shot being fired.
Read some CFR and CoR economic papers if you want to know what the superclass has planned for you.
They pretty much control the waging of war by controlling the metals required for high tech. Rare earth metals aren’t just used in green cars. They are in guidance systems and communication systems.
You see Obamba didn’t. bow low enough on his last visit. You need to get right down to bathhouse level if you want to get along with the Chinese government.
He should know that better than anyone, what?
Wrong man for the job, is an understatement, now he will need to do some new tricks for his masters. Maybe shoot them some hoops after he gets back from Martha’s Viniard this week (it’s been almost two weeks since his last vacation you know).
There is a Vulcan proverb: only Nixon can go to China.
Kidding aside, China is an octopus with zero regard for even its own people. It is slowly dying out from the atrocities it inflicts on its own people. But before it dies, it will leave a scar on Asia. South Korea and Japan, for example, will have to nuclearize because China’s lapdog, North Korea, cannot be trusted. It funds and feeds the Kim dynasty. And we allow it because children’s toys laced with God knows what are cheaper than Western toys.
Knight 99 makes a good point. What are you going to do with several million young men under thirty who have no girlfriend and no hope of getting one?
Historically, war is the answer.
Canada , Australia & New Zealand. No matter how we bleet about how peaceful we are. Means nothing to born Killers. Time for us all to go nuclear. The US is not trust worthy anymore. Indeed under Obama its hostile. Mexicans allowed , Canadians hassled.
We have to defend ourselves from those with bigger populations than us with eye’s full of blood. Who have an itch for war . A tradition of invasion. Our Nations all have so much of the Worlds resources with such small populations. We might as well have a target on our backs. Climate used to be a gate. Not anymore. Our own Government can’t or wont see that even Canuks are fed up with cue jumpers.
People are just fooling themselves if they figure because we have good relations with China it won’t eat us as it did Tibet?
In addition to my comments above (and others), it should be noted that China’s demographics will not allow expansionism. They are an aging population that will unavoidably have a contracting population (actually a very serious threat to its civilization).
Add in spreading malcontentedness of millions of migrant workers, huge resource eating internal projects, and a population that’s really not communist there’s not much left to spread the Han seed to other lands.
China is more interested in adopting Western culture and being “American” than even many Americans. Don’t believe me? Take a trip and see for yourself.
Phantom>
The crisis of no wives today in China is well documented in some good online atricles, if interested.
I find it a remarkable “oversite” of the Chinese powers thar be, to not have anticipated this. Considering Chinas human rights record, thier insatiable quest to buy up foriegn non renewable resources, and thier massive modern army buildup.
Everyone needs to pay attention.
The only protection Canada vast resources has is the US, and it’s future prospects are not looking to good at the moment. It’s seems an odd coincidence that China seems to hold allot of strings in the way the US economy will shape itself from here on in……..
If the world could be persuaded to follow Ayn Rand’s fundamental moral principle of a civilized society, namely that no person has the right to initiate the use of force on any other, then there wouldn’t be any frigging power to balance.
Things could be much worse, Knight 99. You could be a stray cat walking by a Hong Kong street market. But if you’re a smart cat you may still be in good shape.
Incidentally, given the way the Americans have run up debt lately they may want to hand the keys over to the Chinese. At least they know a little about efficiency.
If we choose not to drive our bus, inevitably someone will show up to do it for us. Then the final destination belongs to them and not us.
The problem isn’t the Chinese and their spectacular rise from the 3rd World. It’s us and our defeatist attitudes.
Martin – you’re not actually Warren Kinsella, are you?
Martin B>
“The problem isn’t the Chinese and their spectacular rise from the 3rd World. It’s us and our defeatist attitudes.”
You said it!
ebt, I’m curious why you’d say that? I’ve been a “regular” commenter on SDA for years (just haven’t posted many comments over the last year or so).
I don’t think Warren would talk about “defeatist attitudes” being a major problem with the West (it also sounds a lot like jealousy). Warren’s concerns have more to do with the neverending stagnancy of his beloved Liberals.
I’m a Harper guy. He’s not perfect but then again neither am I. We both try to make messy things work for the greater good.