[Newsbot]

<strong>Filibuster Cartoon</strong>
<strong>Title: </strong> <a href="http://www.filibustercartoons.com/archive.php?id=20071011" target="_blank">Killer Toys</a> (click to view)
<strong>Date: </strong> October 11, 2007

When anti-American types speak giddily about China\'s imminent rise to superpowerdom, it\'s worth remembering how many of the world\'s stray regimes, from Burma to Zimbabwe, are propped up, armed, protected, and publicly defended by the Chinese Government. Chinese strength is also the great unspoken reason why nothing is ever \"done\" about North Korea, Sudan, etc. <br> <br>We’re already living in an era of China as a world power, and it is not a pleasant time.

[PTBO]

We must remember that the interest of captial is generally the cause of China (and America) proping up dictactorial regimes. Certianly easy to see in Sudan with the oil of course lets not pretend Canada is innocent. Tailsman Enegry until recent public outcry forced it to leave was the number one player in Sudan oil business and allegedly played an active rule in clearing Christian villages in the name of oil and profit.

Of course there is Chinese investment in Burma as there is Canadian. The NDP has called on Haper to withdraw Canada Pension Plan (something every worker contributes to) investments in Burma and attempt to get private companies to withdraw their investments. Unlikely because generally profit trumps human rights unless there is a huge outcry and I think the media frenzy about burma is dying down anyway.

As China increasingly grows into a capitalist superpower I think we will see a lot more of Chinese entanglement, particularly in Africa. On a more optimistic note whereas United States has a long history of being an imperial power and invading its neighbours (Canadax3 Mexico, Cuba, Greneda, Panama, Dominican Republic, Haiti) and not neighbours (the Filipines, Vietnam, the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq), China has not yet displayed this ambition (with obvious exception of Tibet being gobbled up in 1948 and debatebly the border clashes with the USSR, India, and Vietnam).

Although, given have inextrabaly linked capitalism and imperialism I wouldn't be too suprise by a China that starts invading other countries. But I tend to view the Chinese as pragmatic Republican 'realists' rather then batshit crazy Republican 'neocons' so there is hope yet.

[Rususeruru]

Awwe, c'mon who's your favorite invading/occupying/imperial force though?

[CanadianJeff]

Yea now I'm curious. What is everyone's favorite corrupt figure.

Mines deffinatly North Korea. Nothing says defiant then nuclear weapons. Happy Birthday Mr. Bush.....boom!

[EmperorLiam]

Finally, I've been waiting for JJ to make a really good political cartoon about this issue, freaking thank you.

I have many young Chinese asian friends, they love Westerners because of the freedom of our culture. Ones from Hong Kong tho are already 1/2 westernized before they even get here.

I think China is slowly evolving, its just at such a pace that were getting impatient. I think Taiwan should offer to rejoin China if they can create a corrupt free democracy, rather than the military parades they have just re-continued.

Ahem, to my main point:

Right now the first true "capitalist" generation of political elites is taking root. Their middle class is already growing rapidly, eventually they will demand more of their government. They will become a socialist democracy assuming a positive out look. But theres two ways that could turn out... most likely we will condemn them but still do business with them... and then the 'problem' with China will resolve itself in a few generations. Or, you entice them to adopt these values, through commerce and politics.

Thats the positive.... the negative outlook is that China will become a environmental disaster, with epic proportion of corruption and misery. That will gobble up all the surrounding countries it can, when they finally reach the line we wont let them cross, then they will tank our economy, and we will jolt ours back to life to find we live in a Big Brother police state all working for a massive military industrial complex waging a war with a nation technologically equal but with a far greater industrial sector.

My realistic predilection is that since China has technically been trying to emulate the Western powers achievements, while trying to go about it in all the wrong ways (Communism , "great leap forward", Tibet, etc) we can lean to the optimistic side. So they probably will quickly emulate us, but remain more authoritarian much like how Japan is (sure Japanese are polite and timid, but the Cops will beat you and forge a confession no sweat!).

So since we really can't militarily beat China, lets just quicken the assimilation of their culture, pretty easy since there will soon be more Chinese speaking English than Westerners.

If your still worried about their pollution, then we could advocate that Canada should SCRAP Kyoto, take all that money we are wasting on it, and tell China that we will inspect their factories for them, and offer to pay for any carbon scrubbers etc. Don't forget, although China is going to be burning coal like mad, they also are building some big ass dams (altho I'm no so optimistic that the silty rivers are good to build dams in, since the river bed would quickly fill with silt at the dams base.

Anyhow, assimilating China should be our goal, I personally have been working towards it in my life, very daunting task, very dangerous as you get more ambitious (I'm not there... yet). Thankfully commercialism shoves our culture down their throats, that soon enough it wins out.

[JJ]

PTBO wrote:

On a more optimistic note whereas United States has a long history of being an imperial power and invading its neighbours (Canadax3 Mexico, Cuba, Greneda, Panama, Dominican Republic, Haiti) and not neighbours (the Filipines, Vietnam, the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq), China has not yet displayed this ambition (with obvious exception of Tibet being gobbled up in 1948 and debatebly the border clashes with the USSR, India, and Vietnam).

I understand your point, but come on. Such leftist cliches. In what context was "Canada" ever invaded by an "imperial" United States? We were a colony of the friggin British Empire, and British troops fought against Americans to preserve their own economic and military interests and prevent our people from being corrupted (ie; liberated) by democracy and republicanism. So let's not spin the fledgling American republic into some sort of Chomskyite imperial power.

I also like how only certain countries are mentioned when assembling shameful lists of nations the US has invaded. What about when the US invaded Germany, Japan, Italy, France, Holland, etc? Why are those not imperial wars too?

I'd also really have to question what sort of imperial interest the US had in invading useless places like Grenada and Vietnam. In the latter case especially, the US probably spent ten billion times more on Agent Orange alone than they'd ever make from any sort of financial exploitation of any of Vietnam's non-existent natural resources.

Both the US and the Soviet Union were ideological superpowers (or imperial powers if you wish), with foreign policies that often made them do irrational things in the pursuit of their ideological goals, be it the spread of communism or the fear of communism. What makes the Chinese so problematic is that they don't seem to have any larger ideological goal guiding their foreign policy, other than the bottom line.

[Murray_Smith]

I really wish they'd drop the "People's" out of their official name, at least.

JJ wrote:

What makes the Chinese so problematic is that they don't seem to have any larger ideological goal guiding their foreign policy, other than the bottom line.

That really creeped me out. This makes a country of 1.2 billion sound like one giant unregulated corporation.

I inferred from that that China would rather avoid war only if it is deemed unprofitable. Thus, if they thought they could successfully occupy a country without pissing off Russia or the U.S., and said country has enough resources to offset the cost of occupation, then China would not hesitate to do so.

[Rususeruru]

This will seem off topic but my grandmother had heart surgery and she had a bad reaction to the anesthetics. Once she was for the most part functional again she had a fear that the Chinese were going to invade the US. My response was to laugh it off and assure her that the it would be hard to perform a sneaky invasion of the western US coast without alerting the American war machine and getting our boys quite a bit of practice. That being said I don't know how much support from Western powers the US would get in such a scenario if for no other reason than most of the Western powers are on the wrong side of the world (physically) and it's probably a little too nationalistic and faithful to think we have the capability to defend ourselves based on logistics alone.

At any rate, I read an article on the BBC (I know not terribly reliable or unbiased but better than Fox News) talking about how Chinese children are raised. Having little reason to believe the report is entirely false I must say I'm startled at how they perceive democracy and governing. Granted no government is ever entirely or more likely remotely free from corruption, but to encourage it at such a young age is just bizarre. Since I have less than 10 posts it won't let me enter the URL but the article's title is Democracy in a Chinese classroom.

I must add that right now my favorite corrupt leader is probably Putin. He's bringing the Cold War back baby! I also love the fact that some US official said that Russia and China were spying on the US near or at the Cold War level meaning that the US IS spying on Russia and China at or above Cold War levels, but hey we spy on everything... can't seem to determine anything of our "intelligence" but we collect it.

[Alfred909]

The US realized that the Chinese Republic never fell. As far as the Cold War is concerned, it won't end until China gets a new name. Xin Hua.

A friend of mine and I are quite worried about China being so close to Afghanistan. Although China wouldn't invade, they might -as in I don't have proof either way- take care of people that we are looking for.

[Psudo]

I think Rususeruru meant this: Democracy in a Chinese classroom

[CanadianJeff]

Alfred let me avay your fears right now. China would never take the risk of sheltering Bin Laden at all.

They would lose trading with the US and Canada and likely most of Europe if they were found harbouring him or any other major terrorist head.

It's just not a profitable or smart thing to do. There's a lot of base to say that such a thing is highly imporbable.

[Pitchfork]

If I recall correctly China has had troubles with Muslim separatists or fundamentalists in its far western Xinjiang province. I'm sure China wouldn't balk at selling arms or material to various anti-American sorts in the mid East, but I agree with CanadianJeff that the Chinese aren't the sort to be in cahoots with the real hardcore Muslim fundie types.

As for the guy who mentioned China is close to Afghanistan:
I believe there have been reports of Chinese special forces or spy types being sighted in the mountains of Afghanistan. They're not really helping Taliban though; I believe they're mainly observing US troops, studying their tactics etc.

[Rususeruru]

Thank you Psudo, yes that is the article.