Hardly suprising commentary. And we want to give them the keys to DC, eh?
Jeff
China needs an enemy, expert says
United Press International - June 21, 2000 20:40
By ASHLEY BAKER
WASHINGTON, June 21 (UPI) - The Chinese Communist Party's aggressive military buildup, like that of Nazi Germany and the former Soviet Union, is fueled by their need to be seen as fighting outside enemies, a China expert told lawmakers Wednesday.
"China is carrying out a massive military buildup not because it faces threats or dangers - it does not - but rather because it remains a communist dictatorship and needs enemies," said Arthur Waldron, a professor of international relations at the University of Pennsylvania. "Absent some systematic change in China, we can expecta steady level of military tension with Beijing with the real possibility of a crisis."
Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, Waldron also cited the Chinese military's increasing importance in domestic affairs, stating that it was "in the leadership's best interest to give them what they wantwhich is the best and most advanced of everything."
The hearing on China's emerging military comes as allegations of Chinese espionage at top secret U.S. weapon's labs, the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade and possible arms sales to Taiwan have driven U.S.-China relations to a three-decade low.
Waldron characterized hints by some policymakers that the United States loosen ties with Japan so as to appease China "deeply worrying."
"The pattern is so similar to what occurred before World War II: the cutting of Japan's alliance with Britain, the substitution of a weak miltilateral system (and) an international tilt toward China," said Waldron.
Michael Pillsbury, an adjunct research associate at the National Defense University, told lawmakers that U.S. concerns over China are made worse by the intelligence community's relative ignorance.
"Our government and universities invest very little in understanding Chinese security issues, probably less than ten percent of what is spent on analyzing the former Soviet Union," said Pillsbury. "Perhaps worst of all, our China specialists disagree vehemently among themselves about what China's strategy may be."
Jeff
China needs an enemy, expert says
United Press International - June 21, 2000 20:40
By ASHLEY BAKER
WASHINGTON, June 21 (UPI) - The Chinese Communist Party's aggressive military buildup, like that of Nazi Germany and the former Soviet Union, is fueled by their need to be seen as fighting outside enemies, a China expert told lawmakers Wednesday.
"China is carrying out a massive military buildup not because it faces threats or dangers - it does not - but rather because it remains a communist dictatorship and needs enemies," said Arthur Waldron, a professor of international relations at the University of Pennsylvania. "Absent some systematic change in China, we can expecta steady level of military tension with Beijing with the real possibility of a crisis."
Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, Waldron also cited the Chinese military's increasing importance in domestic affairs, stating that it was "in the leadership's best interest to give them what they wantwhich is the best and most advanced of everything."
The hearing on China's emerging military comes as allegations of Chinese espionage at top secret U.S. weapon's labs, the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade and possible arms sales to Taiwan have driven U.S.-China relations to a three-decade low.
Waldron characterized hints by some policymakers that the United States loosen ties with Japan so as to appease China "deeply worrying."
"The pattern is so similar to what occurred before World War II: the cutting of Japan's alliance with Britain, the substitution of a weak miltilateral system (and) an international tilt toward China," said Waldron.
Michael Pillsbury, an adjunct research associate at the National Defense University, told lawmakers that U.S. concerns over China are made worse by the intelligence community's relative ignorance.
"Our government and universities invest very little in understanding Chinese security issues, probably less than ten percent of what is spent on analyzing the former Soviet Union," said Pillsbury. "Perhaps worst of all, our China specialists disagree vehemently among themselves about what China's strategy may be."