China taking a more muscular approach internationally
The Chinese government has responded angrily to a newly announced sale of American arms to Taiwan, imposing sanctions on U.S. companies involved and canceling some military exchange programs. As the New York Times reports:
The American decision to sell more weapons to Taiwan “constitutes a gross intervention into China’s internal affairs, seriously endangers China’s national security and harms China’s peaceful reunification efforts,” (Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei) said in the ministry’s statement.
The Obama administration notified Congress on Friday of its plans to proceed with five arms sales transactions with Taiwan worth a total of $6.4 billion. The arms deals include 60 Black Hawk helicopters, Patriot interceptor missiles, advanced Harpoon missiles that can be used against land or ship targets and two refurbished minesweepers.
And unfortunately, that bristling response fits into a larger pattern of behavior emerging in recent months, as the Washington Post reports:
China’s indignant reaction to the announcement of U.S. plans to sell weapons to Taiwan appears to be in keeping with a new triumphalist attitude from Beijing that is worrying governments and analysts across the globe.
From the Copenhagen climate change conference to Internet freedom to China’s border with India, China observers have noticed a tough tone emanating from its government, its representatives and influential analysts from its state-funded think tanks.
Calling in U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman on Saturday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei said the United States would be responsible for “serious repercussions” if it did not reverse the decision to sell Taiwan $6.4 billion worth of helicopters, Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles, minesweepers and communications gear. The reaction came even though China has known for months about the planned deal, U.S. officials said.
“There has been a change in China’s attitude,” said Kenneth G. Lieberthal, a former senior National Security Council official who is currently at the Brookings Institution. “The Chinese find with startling speed that people have come to view them as a major global player. And that has fed a sense of confidence.”
…. David Finkelstein, a former U.S. Army officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency who now runs the China program at the Center for Naval Analyses, said the new tone underscores a shift in China. “On the external front,” he said, “we will likely see a China that is more willing than in the past to proactively shape the external environment and international order rather than passively react to it.”
To some degree this is natural behavior from an emerging major power acting more confidently on the international stage. But it’s certainly compounded by the sense that as China rises, the United States has begun to recede in relative terms thanks to its continuing economic problems and the strain of long-term expensive commitments in Afghanistan and Iraq.
But China’s growing confidence is only part of the equation, because its people and its leadership are also insecure and defensive about what they perceive as a lack of respect internationally. That combination of pride and insecurity can be volatile, and I worry about China’s ability to calibrate its behavior in some future crisis.
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155 comments Add your comment
Jack
January 31st, 2010
7:34 pm
China probably watched the State of the Union speech & figured they could build any kind of ships they wanted to after watching the Three Stooges doing their grinning & clapping routine.
RW-(the original)
January 31st, 2010
7:35 pm
Nope, not even remotely interested, but um thanks.
Curious Observer
January 31st, 2010
7:37 pm
After reading some of these comments, I assume that some of you are ready just to hand our house keys to China and to hold up a white flag. And some would just as soon see China cross the strait and occupy Taiwan.
People don’t like us? What else is new? The Japanese were wanting our troops out of their territory when I was stationed there in the 1960s. They don’t mind receiving our protection; it’s our troops they don’t want. And since when have Communist China and the states of the former Soviet Union ever liked us? The current world situation isn’t a campaign to be crowned Miss Popularity. Some of you need to remember that you have the freedom to mouth off about the administration, Congress, and national policies only because we have a strong military that can enforce our will in this world.
Just start backing off, focusing exclusively on our internal problems, and allowing other countries to bully us and watch what happens. We tried that junk during the isolationist periods that preceded the two world wars, and we almost didn’t survive the last one.
ROLLERGIRL
January 31st, 2010
7:38 pm
for Prec Mettles:
we’ve got to sink the poontang, was the battle cry!
on her decks were guns as big as steers, and sailors 4 feet high
For six long days and wear-y nights obama stayed in vail
Hillary told the navy, put ever’ ship a-sail
This is my chance to set up , 2012 for me
We got-ta sink the poon-tang to the bot-tom of the sea.
this forum is more fun than someone you hate, getting a yeast infection…
TaxPayer
January 31st, 2010
7:42 pm
I hear that the The People’s Bank of China is willing to play by our rules, Georgia rules that is. If we default on our outstanding debt then we have thirty days to pay off the entire loan in full, principal and interest, or vacate the premises. Hey, it’s not as though they don’t have plenty of able bodied men over there looking for a place to live. They also come pre-educated so there will not be a need for our enormous annual expenditures on what some feel is nothing more than a day-care facility anyway. After all, where else do working parents have to deposit their little ones. It’s not as though the major employers offer facilities for the care of K-12. Except maybe the armed forces.
ROLLERGIRL
January 31st, 2010
7:43 pm
no I don’t double post on purpose, everytime i hit send the connection times out and when i refresh it comes up twice..IE8..its craptastic!
RW-(the original)
January 31st, 2010
7:46 pm
Would somebody please remind this fool that he holds what was up until a little over a year ago a pretty prominent position
Hillbilly Deluxe
January 31st, 2010
7:51 pm
I never have trusted cats.
http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/doctors-book-profiles-furry-angel-of-death-oscar-the-cat/19339074?ncid=webmaildl1
ROLLERGIRL
January 31st, 2010
7:56 pm
RW, I can only guess the kenyan thought she looked oriental. The man is a complete and utter fool.. A clown..Chocolate the clown.
It reminds me of that caddyshack line, ‘The man’s a menace!”
RW-(the original)
January 31st, 2010
8:00 pm
ROLLERGIRL,
In the comments over there somebody said Kenyans bow to everybody.
She also proclaimed November 15, 2008 CAIR Day in Tampa.
Normal
January 31st, 2010
8:02 pm
Happy 42nd anniversary for the 68 Tet…May all of the fallen rest in peace.
For me it began at dusk today, 68. We were hit inside the wire and outside at the same time. SEAlS saved our @ss outside , but we fought inside all night. I became a man that night. By dawn, 1 Feb, we had secured our perimeter, but throughout the day, suffered multiple attacks. We were fragmented and unable to join forces. We fought hand to hand, pistol to grenade and rifle to rifle. Throughout the second night, more of the same. By dawn, we were whipped. I had three rounds in my M-14. I knew then how the defenders of the Alamo must have felt…tired, tired to the soul and wanting only to get it over with.
We could see them milling just behind the tree line, looked like hundreds of them and we were 17 left standing. Suddenly they left. They knew what we didn’t. re-enforcements were on the way. We were saved.
That two nights and a day, the young, innocent Normal died. What was left is the Normal of today. I am here to tell you straight, war sucks,
and there is always a better way. War is the last resort of the incompetent, and always will be. Don’t let this continue to happen…bring our troops home. Save American lives.
Over the next two days, I throw myself a party. I lost 14 friends and comrades in that 36 hours. Every year, I celebrate their lives and deaths. Join me in my celebration. A toast, To Fallen Comrades…
Having said all that, forgive me for I am as drunk as a skunk…Good Night All. For freedom we fell..
Kamchak
January 31st, 2010
8:05 pm
Hillbilly Deluxe
Not too fond of that particular quadruped myself, but two Robert A. Heinlein quotes to consider:
Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
and
How you behave towards cats here below determines your status in Heaven.
R. O. Swell
January 31st, 2010
8:10 pm
It was aliens that done it. I was there. The night that thing came down from above is a night I never will forget. It started out no different than any other night. The sun had gone down and the animals had come out. They was lined up at the bar howling at the local ladies that liked to frequent the joint — Joe’s joint. The big neon sign out front could be seen for miles in any direction, when it was workin’. “Eat at Joe’s” is what it flickered. Course very few locals actually ate at Joes ‘cause they all knew he couldn’t cook and if he did it wouldn’t be no more than a big pot of chili. He made some hot chili. Anyways, I was tendin’ to the messes left on the tables and waitin’ for closin’ time when I heard this loud rumblin’ that sounded like the Union-Pacific Railroad had done gone and tried to run one of their dadburned locomotives straight on the highway without tracks or somethin’ and then I saw a big blindin’ flash of light thru the diner’s big plate glass window. All of us there that night heard it and saw it. We was all out there in the parkin’ lot faster than a jack rabbit tryin’ to skedaddle from a pack of coyotes and we all saw it go down. It didn’t take us no time to stock the coolers and get them loaded on the trucks and then we was off. Heck, we didn’t even need to think about turnin’ on the headlights with that big glow comin’ from just the other side of the Devil’s Tower. Anyway, that’s how it all started. Modern technology and all. You know, the transistor and the laser and silly putty and that velcro stuff and Tang, of course. It’s the darndest thing though. You would think that such an advanced civilization as these aliens would have some sort of fancy power source and not need to go messin’ with our energizer bunnies, wouldn’t you.
@@
January 31st, 2010
8:11 pm
Why doesn’t Obama just forget about the bowing and take up the curtsy?
I’m so embarrassed for him.
RW-(the original)
January 31st, 2010
8:12 pm
Normal,
A toast to you and your fellow comrades, but I need to inject a little reality. Let it be known that America has given up the will to fight and you won’t be saving American lives for long.
@@
January 31st, 2010
8:17 pm
They could’ve just entitled the book “The Furry Angel”. I thought what she did was kinda sweet.
FrankLeeDarling
January 31st, 2010
8:17 pm
Bow ,curtsy,shake,who gives a flip as long as he isn’t giving someone the finger he can do what he wants he’s the president for crying out loud.At least he hasn’t puked on anyone yet.
RW-(the original)
January 31st, 2010
8:26 pm
Frankie,
If citizen Obama wants to spend his post-presidency bowing to every living thing he sees it’s fine with me, but it’s precisely because he’s our President that he needs to knock it off until then.
R. O. Swell
January 31st, 2010
8:33 pm
Jay,
Why don’t you do a “Present an original work” night or somethin’ and let folks tell their tall tales or true stories, like mine, for all to peer at. After all, the night at the movies just ain’t quite makin’ it and the Friday musical interlude is just still in need of a good complement. Not that movies ain’t worth talkin’ about but that just don’t seem to be generating the same level of interest as the songs. If that don’t work out, we could always let Dusty and her gang recite poetry or we could review classic books like that “A Window into Winter”, the sequel to Heinlein’s “The Door into Summer.” It’s a virtual unknown. Much like many of the movies out there are to most folks. Anyways, it was just a thought.
FrankLeeDarling
January 31st, 2010
8:45 pm
BS, RW your reaching
ROLLERGIRL
January 31st, 2010
8:48 pm
I heard Heinlein on TWIT podcasts last fall and had never heard of him before, but he seemed libertarian and sharp so I read “mote in gods eye” over christmas as I had two long flights to take..it was very good, and how i would expect first contact to occur…a complete cluster F
@@
January 31st, 2010
8:57 pm
FrankLee:
Have you taken notice of how many countries are flexing their muscle? Venturing out on their own, diplomatically speaking? Have you ever asked yourself why that is?
With Obama’s attempts to become Mr. Popular around the world, he’s cost us respect. There’s a fine line between fear and respect. Other countries are seeing a weak American leader and they’re making their moves.
We’re in trouble.
getalife
January 31st, 2010
9:11 pm
w sold the arm at the end of his second term and Obama did it his first year.
We will make peace with the taliban soon so the warmongers will be without war.
There is a power shift to the East while we rebuild from the w catastrophe.
TnGelding
January 31st, 2010
9:16 pm
Nicolia Disfagonious
January 31st, 2010
5:19 pm
We’re sitting on $55 trillion in personal wealth. We can afford to do both. The problem here is a lot of the poor don’t even know they are. Most of the rest of the world contirbute as well.
R. O. Swell
January 31st, 2010
9:16 pm
If 700 billion dollars per year is not enough to earn one a little global respect, then how can we ever expect to be able to afford world domination. It’s torture, I say. Pure torture! What’s the world coming to.
Kamchak
January 31st, 2010
9:18 pm
I heard Heinlein on TWIT podcasts last fall and had never heard of him before, but he seemed libertarian and sharp so I read “mote in gods eye” over christmas as I had two long flights to take..it was very good, and how i would expect first contact to occur…a complete cluster F
Uh….The Mote in God’s Eye is by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle,
Geez.
TnGelding
January 31st, 2010
9:20 pm
@@
January 31st, 2010
8:11 pm
As we are for you. Take off the blinders. Apologies for being so disrespectful. I’ll crawl back into my cocoon.
ROLLERGIRL
January 31st, 2010
9:25 pm
Yes, it was Jerry Pournelle..he was talking about heinlein in the podcast..mixed up..but the book was good
TnGelding
January 31st, 2010
9:27 pm
Normal
January 31st, 2010
8:02 pm
Sleep well my friend. At least you learned a lesson. Too bad our leaders didn’t. Respect and understanding is all most want. All the trouble spots in the world can be resolved locally without our complicating matters.
Kamchak
January 31st, 2010
9:28 pm
ROLLERGIRL
Check your headgear. Somebody’s lying to you.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm!
January 31st, 2010
9:35 pm
AHMADINEJAD: ‘Iran will deliver telling blow to global powers on Feb. 11′…
So that means on February 10th we should bomb and strafe them unmercifully, just sayin….
Too bad we have a spineless wonder in the White House.
Obozo
January 31st, 2010
9:42 pm
Kewl, on February 11th Iran is gonna give me some blow.
Allah Akbar!
Yes we can!
mmm, mmmm, mmmmm!
Normal
January 31st, 2010
9:43 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1LjW75ZIc0&feature=related
I’m done, goodnight
@@
January 31st, 2010
9:43 pm
TnG:
You’re in trouble for me?
Didn’t take it as disrespectful ’cause I have no idea what you meant.
Sleep well, TnG. It IS what it IS!
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm!
January 31st, 2010
9:45 pm
Rasmussen’s tight likely-voter screen has been pretty consistently producing more pro-Republican responses than other polls, and recent generic vote results from other pollsters tend to validate his results. Thus CNN/Opinion Research shows all adults as 46%-45% Republican and registered voters as 48%-45% Republican. Democracy Corps, run by Democrats Stanley Greenberg and James Carville, shows likely voters at 41%-41% and “dropoff voters” at 43%-25% Democratic. NPR, conducted jointly by Public Opinion Strategies (R) and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner (D), shows Republicans ahead among likely voters 44%-39%.
Just sayin….
Tautology
January 31st, 2010
9:55 pm
“It IS what it IS!”
And it AIN’T what it AIN’T.
Hillbilly Deluxe
January 31st, 2010
10:10 pm
If it will, it will….if it won’t, it won’t
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJbmdtziN7Q&feature=related
TaxPayer
January 31st, 2010
10:18 pm
Ode to a Beetle
Scout
January 31st, 2010
10:42 pm
Getting back to the topic, just how big is this new Chinese “frotirra” ?
Password: lollipop
Who Goes There? “rorripop”
BAM !
TaxPayer
January 31st, 2010
10:43 pm
Back to important matters, how’s about some synchronized dancing. WHAM!
Kamchak
January 31st, 2010
10:50 pm
Wham?
Jackie
January 31st, 2010
10:52 pm
@Normal
SALUTE!!!!
For those that believe the USA does not have the will and wherewithal to protect the country and our vital interests are sadly mistaken.
Just because those that have signed their own death certificate does not mean that we will surrender. Speaking for myself, I do believe if those that are trying to militarily take over this country has no need to make plans to be here for an extended stay.
TaxPayer
January 31st, 2010
10:54 pm
Actually, it’s more like Wham Bam…No. Wait… It’s… Will I. Am. The Blackeyed Peas put on quite the 20,000 strong show for Oprah.
Kamchak
January 31st, 2010
11:01 pm
How about 10,000 Maniacs?
TaxPayer
January 31st, 2010
11:04 pm
Well, as ConfusedUs might say, morning comes early and I wouldn’t want to be late. Good night.
TnGelding
February 1st, 2010
12:27 am
@@
January 31st, 2010
9:43 pm
Thanks for your understanding. You know I don’t have a clue. But it seems to be mankind should have advanced past the warring stage by now, and many of us have. It’s time to put down the arms and embrace all of humanity.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm!
February 1st, 2010
5:21 am
To put people back to work, Obama proposes to spend about $100 billion immediately on a jobs bill that would include tax cuts for small businesses, social-safety-net programs, and aid to state and local governments. -Urinal
Extending unemployment benefits, essentially paying people to stay home, and bailing out bloated local government, some recipe for “jobs.”
Sounds like a fatten up the bureaucracy plan to me.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm!
February 1st, 2010
5:23 am
The fallout from Sarah Palin’s hasty retreat as Alaska governor is being cleaned up by the man she appointed attorney general in her waning days in office. Attorney General Dan Sullivan has proposed broad changes to Alaska’s ethics rules that Palin complained helped drive her out. One Sullivan recommendation that might sound familiar: Setting ethical standards for spouses and kids to travel with the governor or lieutenant governor at taxpayer expense.-Urinal
Maybe next time she could just buy a $100,000 worth of booze, like Nasty Pelosi did, on the taxpayer’s dime.
The wormy libs don’t whine about those kinda things, just sayin…
FinnMcCool
February 1st, 2010
7:37 am
Still defending the Quitter in Chief?
That’s quite telling.
Outhouse GoKart
February 1st, 2010
7:38 am
“…United States has begun to recede in relative terms thanks to its continuing economic problems, the strain of long-term expensive commitments in Afghanistan and Iraq and having such spineless jellyfish of a leader like Barack Obama.”
Better!
Outhouse GoKart
February 1st, 2010
7:42 am
“Obama Jobs Program Could Cost $100 Billion”
Oh goody…more free stuff from the Spender n chief.
Rightwing Troll
February 1st, 2010
8:14 am
I say bomb em… bomb the shizznit outta them…
Rightwing Troll
February 1st, 2010
8:15 am
We need to bomb China AND Tiawan… shock and awe the crapola outta them…
Rightwing Troll
February 1st, 2010
8:22 am
On an unrelated note, how bout that teeee baggger convention? I see sister Palin cares so much about “real Americans” and the “emerging ttttt baggggg movement” she’s decided to only charge them $100,000.00 for the keynote address…
Two words for the whole “movement”… Ross Perot.
While I’m not crazy bout the whole two party movement, splitting one of them only consolidates power for the other. What we need is a center-right independent party, one that isn’t Republicans who don’t believe in laws (libertarian), or Double Republicans who believe laws should only benefit those who hew to their line of thinking and be used to further their religious agendas (TTTT Baggerrs) …
yeswecan
February 1st, 2010
1:37 pm
Here is the laundry list president Obama had delivered to China:
To become a responsible stake holder, you need to
Buy our debts;
Reevaluate your currency;
Support whatever sanction we propose;
…
As rewards, we will arm taiwan anyway but not now,
we will meet dalai lama anyway but not now.
OR
we will arm taiwan now;
we will meet dalai now.