2011-12-30 (China Military News cited from aol.com and by Loren Thompson) -- The problem with military planners is that all they know is military stuff. The Pentagon may harbor some of the best strategists who ever gazed at a globe, but they seldom have much grasp of economics or demographics or cultural trends. So when a new threat arises, their natural inclination is to figure out how military force can be applied to deter or defeat it.
Thus it is with the growing challenge posed by a rising China in what used to be called the "Far East." The arc of countries stretching from Singapore to the Korean Peninsula has become the industrial heartland of the new global economy, and it is essential to U.S. national security that those nations not become dominated by China as Beijing's influence grows.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said as much in his first major speech on security policy in October. In Panetta's word's, "The rise of China will continue to shape the international system, and we will have to stay competitive and reassure our allies in the region." Panetta went on, "That means continuing to project our power and maintaining forward-deployed forces in the Asia-Pacific region."
The Chinese military buildup that has regional leaders so concerned would not have been feasible in the absence of economic growth rates averaging 10 percent annually over the past decade.
U.S. leaders cannot change the geography favoring creeping Chinese hegemony in the region. But there are many things they could do to reverse the economic trends fueling China's rise, and to date Washington has done little. The simple truth is that America's economy has been in steady decline since the new millennium commenced, while China's economy has rapidly expanded. When the asymmetry in economic performance is combined with the geographical asymmetry, China's dominance becomes inevitable over the long run, given its vast population.
The U.S. intelligence community warned President Obama this might happen even before he took office. A multi-agency global trends assessment that was briefed to the president-elect stated, "In terms of size, speed, and directional flow, the global shift in relative wealth and economic power now under way -- roughly from West to East -- is without precedent in modern history." Nothing has happened since Mr. Obama was inaugurated to alter that outlook. In fact, David Ignatius of the Washington Post reported on December 11 that the latest version of the intelligence community's long-term forecast is more pessimistic than the assessment briefed to Obama three years ago.
If you spend most of your time following military affairs, then you may not realize just how far China's economy has come over the last 11 years. In 2001, China's economy was only one-third as big as America's, even though it had four times as many people. Today, the International Monetary Fund is predicting that it will surpass the purchasing power of the U.S. economy in 2016. In 2001, U.S. exports to the rest of the world were three times greater than those of China; today, China's exports are 50 percent greater than those of America.
December 30th, 2011 at 1:27 pm
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December 30th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
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December 31st, 2011 at 5:00 pm
I'm surprised you two can even access this site,how did you get around the great cyber wall of China? Must suck to be only able to look at 100 sites in the world....I have millions!
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January 1st, 2012 at 2:35 am
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January 1st, 2012 at 8:54 am
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January 1st, 2012 at 2:05 pm
So does your Goverment Tienfei! I like the chineese people but do not like the communist dictatorship.
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January 1st, 2012 at 7:46 pm
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January 2nd, 2012 at 1:46 am
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January 2nd, 2012 at 1:20 pm
You make no sense Sam!
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January 2nd, 2012 at 2:39 pm
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January 3rd, 2012 at 12:33 pm
Trying to get your point across with a translator is not working,once again,you make no sense!
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January 3rd, 2012 at 2:48 pm
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January 5th, 2012 at 8:33 am
You mad?!
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January 6th, 2012 at 11:26 pm
Pyro: haha hilarious, love your comment above "I'm surprised you two can even access this site,how did you get around the great cyber wall of China? Must suck to be only able to look at 100 sites in the world....I have millions!" Great comment!!
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January 7th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
Thanks Smash
Look at all those dislikes,gotta love it!
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January 7th, 2012 at 6:28 pm
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January 8th, 2012 at 4:31 pm
I have WAY more likes then you EVER will!
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January 8th, 2012 at 5:15 pm
Like it matters. I could come here all day and thumb up my own messages. I hear the forum admin gives out cookies whenever you can bump up your post with five thumbs.
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January 8th, 2012 at 8:15 pm
You Chicoms are like Lemmings all agreeing with one another, stating yes i agree, yes i agree, yes China will nuke the US, yes China will smash the US, yes i agree with you fellow Chicom, China is morally superior to the US - like a freaking comedy act!!
How boring this site would be without Pyro and myself speaking the truth. Freaking Lemmings the majority of you.
A Chinese province is debating the introduction of a law to force people to help others in obvious distress. What the!!, China has to enact a law that forces people to help another in distress. Seems surreal. Only in morally bankrupt China could there be discussion on policy like this.
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January 8th, 2012 at 8:41 pm
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January 8th, 2012 at 9:08 pm
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January 8th, 2012 at 9:23 pm
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January 8th, 2012 at 9:26 pm
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January 10th, 2012 at 1:31 am
SamS: hahaha im sure your a comedian or wannabe, wrong on all accounts about EVERYTHING to do with me, rofl. Keep trying you racist, your comments show what type of person you really are. Thanks for the reply buddy!!
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January 10th, 2012 at 9:03 pm
what's wrong smash? feeling the need to change topic again after this moral thing not working out??
While China is lifting millions out of poverty, focusing big issues such as becoming the world's biggest renewable energy using country, building dams, power plants, space exploration. Your morally high congress politicians are debating gay marriage, abortion, military spending, gun control. All moral issues!! rofl. Wait a minute, I thought Smash's "utopia" created by Obama is an all mighty high moral society!!
U.S has the most unaffordable health care, and most expensive variety of insurances in the world. And again, according to Smash, who need insurance, when you have moral right?
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January 10th, 2012 at 9:29 pm
SamS, haha trolling again. You would have to be the biggest troll on this site. Cant be bothered responding too to your crap buddy. BTW as previously stated im not American and AGAIN wrong on all accounts. Keep up the trolling and get back under your bridge HAHAHA
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January 12th, 2012 at 9:33 pm
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