Monday, July 09, 2007

Bill Gertz China Applause

If you're looking for the post on Bill Gertz and China, go here:

http://thethoughtsontheworld.blogspot.com/2007/05/china-is-not-immediate-threat.html

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't know who wrote this response but clearly not one who has lived and worked in China as I have. Bill focuses on the military as that is his expertise. I know the people. China is a paranoid oligarchy and with good reason.... Promises unfulfilled and failures in many areas.

China does need the USA, as an emeny, someone on whom they can blame all their problems and a vital industrial complex from which they can steal technology. Like all closed societies however they are limited by their own lack of knowledge. In other words, they believe their own P.R. It reminds me of Hitler's failure. He said to tell a lie so huge and so often that finally it is believed - then he forgot it was a lie! And down he and his nation went.

The promise of socialist-communism is a collosal failure. Most people earn $100-150 a month; the bureaucrats earn 5 times that PLUS their bribes easily 100 times that. At the base of the nation is huge disaffection. Last year the price of food went up 20% and of course wages did not, as they never do.

No matter how much money they spend they still can't get good quality goods. They cannot make a stapler that lasts more than 4 monthds. Buildings are white-painted wrecks in process. Things don't fit - no one cares. Laws are passed which are largely ignored - by everyone. Society becomes fragmented.

Now about Taiwan. The Taiwanese are allowed free access to the world - they can hop on a plane and go to New York or Dallas or wherever. The Tainwanese are not going to give up civil rights like that to become a part of the police state. China knows this- let them rattle swords a bit - it is only noise.

I agree wth the writer on this point, probably no war, but if the Communists' backs are completey to the wall they may go that way, as a scared dog lashes out. Whether the public in general cares will be quite another matter.