Originally posted by: MrChad
What do mean by "their game" versus "our game"? China's economy is growing at blistering speeds. They are already powerful on the global market because of their enormous consumer population. Add wealth to the equation and they will be a force to be reckoned with.
The U.S. is the economic and military powerhouse in the world and wants to keep it that way. While we may have good relations with China now, our ideologies still differ vastly, and we should be wary of any increase in their military arsenal.
Okay...in basic terms, this call to "tame this tiger" is one concerned with halting the growth of a nation with a different (or incompatible) ideology than our own, which you can generalize as democratic/capitalistic. But do we really have to do anything?
Scenario #1: China stays on a different ideological path than the free world. The necessity of their system requiring restrict outside communication turns completely destructive and China is relegated back into a 3rd or 4th place contestant in the real geo-political game of hegemony via ideas, culture and intellectual property. No need to lift a finger; if they tried, they'd get smacked down with a vengeance and they know it.
Scenario #2: China, spurred by the need for communication and private property rights and small business management, gradually liberalizes until they become a mirror image of Japan (but with a lot more real estate). Our ideologies match, and furthermore everyone with a brain realizes that destroying or bankrupting your biggest trading partners is bad for business. No need to lift a finger; they wouldn't even want to try.
Originally posted by: J0hnny
That is until China builds supercarriers and mobile missile launching platforms! Anyone ever read "Invasion"?
I think so. The president's daughter is drafted into the army and fights on the front line down on the California coast? Good book.