China Warns US To Keep Out Of Taiwan

Source: The Australian

A ROW between China and the US over port visits to Hong Kong has extended into a renewed move by Beijing to prevent foreign naval vessels sailing through the 180km-wide Taiwan Strait.

The first of a series of incidents causing friction between the countries came last month, when two US minesweepers, the Patriot and the Guardian, were caught in a tropical storm in the South China Sea.

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On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said China had "expressed grave concern to the US" about its ships traversing the Taiwan Strait, "and requested it to take prudent actions in this sensitive area".

Theories about this behaviour have focused on the US decision to sell Taiwan an anti-missile defence system, and President George W. Bush's meeting with the Dalai Lama, or on Chinese navy war games in the South China Sea.



Read more: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22875855-25837,00.html

Each year we will increase tariffs on Chinese imports by one percent until China accepts it. If the WTO doesn't like it, tough. We'll leave the WTO because we believe our trade policies shouldn't be dictated by Wall Street.

:sarcasm:

I have a feeling we would lose an economic war with China. Badly.

they have just as much to loose as we do.

For all their problems, they have a manufacturing economy. We have an economy based mostly on shuffling financial pieces of paper around. They could stop purchasing those pieces of paper, and fuck our shit up.

they do not. We are their primary customer. Our economy is the most powerful wealth generating engine in the history of the world. China owns our debt, if they sell it off or attempt to sell they lose big time.

they have not put all of their eggs in one basket. Our economy is really not all that diversified.

of mainland china. We have massive aerospace, manufacturing (yes we still do), construction and design, chemical, medical, etc sectors that generate a massive amount of money.

China does not have this, they currently have lots of cheap labor and lead paint.

So says my girlfriend's latest sociology textbook.

Ouch. That leaves a queasy feeling in my stomach....

Bath Iron Works, Microsoft, Exxon, Hospitals...I would be impressed by a link backing that from the bureau of labor statistics.

Not from the Bureau of Labor, but still...

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:V-QrtgUIcGwJ:trade.gov/td/sif/PDF/ROLSERV199.PDF+US+economy+service+and+retail&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=us&client=firefox-a

they're already turning their attention to India and Africa. The American consumer is quickly becoming obsolete.

All they have to do is dump dollars.

There's quite a bit of sea between mainland China and Taiwan.

At the same time, I do see where they're coming from - I doubt the US would be very happy if China decided to start holding naval maneuvers in the Gulf of Mexico.

it`s international waters not your bathtub...

Just Bulls in a china shop, what can you say?

They are completely ignorant of the most elementary form of diplomacy they just blunder around, stepping on toes all over the globe. I'm sure every country is aware of their ignorant stupidity.

They have TO BE TOLD very clearly what they can and cannot do. Because they're so god damn lacking in common sense, they'll get us all killed.

the only hope we have is that after this gang that couldn't shoot straight is gone, we have some pieces left to pick up and put back.

at least until after the 2008 Olympics. They saw what happened to the Russkis after Jimmy Carter ordered a US boycott of the 1980 Olympics because of Afghanistan. So China's sabre-rattling is just bullshit for another half year or so.

Me, I'll take free, democratic Taiwan over the butchers of Tienanmen Square any day, but by September 2008, there isn't much anyone can do about what the warlords in Beijing want.

Reminds me of whewn European explorers brought the Chinese gifts in exchange for trade and China thought of this as subjects making offerings to their king.-Only this time we really ARE their subjects.

Out side of the cities there are millions with no running water or electricity. China is a very interesting nation. A great trading partner and could be a great ally.

They are not a developed nation.

beijing is going to be swallowed by the desert, and shanghai- with it's 4000 skyscrapers is going to be submerged by rising ocean levels.

China is not stupid and won't cause problems just yet...

But they are patient and we are helping them build their arsenal.