...or else what?

Or else they will commit suicide by going to war with us? Or else they commit economic suicide by severing ties with us? What exactly do you think they are going to do Kaladr---er---Goldendog?

Do you know what the phrase "empty threat" means?

I dont see what the big deal is. The Chinese have had ballistic missile technology for a very long time now. This really doesnt change anything. They dont have any capability now that they did not already have before.

SDI is not about the ability to destroy a stationary satellite. Technically they didnt get there first...we've been there since the 50s or so.

THANK you. At least someone gets it.

It wont affect it at all, except maybe as an excuse to accellerate it. The Chinese have no new capabilities; we already knew they could attack orbital targets. It is a pre-requisite for ballistic missile technology, which they have had for a long time.

Probably. They should not be most favored nation in the first place. I would love it if this were the catalyst for removing them from that status. But I'm not holding my breath; I am in the minority on that issue.

China cannot do that without risking a war with us that they know they cannot win. It is the exact same reason they have not invaded Taiwan yet.

What is the pucker factor?

No one in teh US has ever expressed that belief as far as I know. On what do you base that assumption?

I certainly dont have a problem with France or Japan or Austrailia or Taiwan having weapons.

That is like saying "of course the child molester killed those children; he didnt want to be caught! If you were a child molester what woudl YOU do?? Huh??"

There is no moral equivilency. Yes, I expect oppressive governments to try to defend themselves. That doesnt mean I think they are justified in defending themselves.

It cant happen fast enough for me.

Not to me. I fully expected it. This is not news to me.

Neither do I. That is just more liberal conspiracy theory bullѕhіt.

In a war, what is our incentive to pay back that money that we owe China?

The sword cuts both ways. They need us.

Especially when it is your own satellite, heh heh

Which isnt a bad thing IMO. I would LIKE to see a proliferation of missile defense systems. Because there is always the risk of an accidental launch if nothing else. I am very nervous at the prospect of having 0% defense against anything.

If we were to (for example) accidentally launch a missile at them, there is a possibility of averting a full scale war if they can knock it down. We should be maintaining our military supreamacy with conventional weapons, not WMDs. If everyone can defend against WMDs, then we fall back to conventional weapons, which are less likely to end with armageddon.

It is a shame they are handicapped by an inferior form of government. Well, a shame for them anyway.

You do know that two Chinese Americans were key to the development of our stealth technology right? China has a billion or more Chinese than we do...why didnt they develop it first?

It is not the people that are inferior. It is the culture.

No, I dont like it. I *love* it.

The more capitalistic they become, the more like us they become...and the more open their markets become. None of that is a bad thing.

Has anyone notified Taiwan or Tibet that China is non-aggressive? heh heh

__________________
My Political Blog (Updated Oct 3rd) - Which Flame Warrior are you?

Neo-Capitalism that puts the precious dollar above national interest? No I don’t.

Neo-Capitalism that welcomes slave labor to get the ultimate bang for the buck? No I don’t.

A Capitalist society that motivates and encourages citizens to work harder, earn their own standard of living and not depend on government hand outs? Yes, yes I do.

I’m an Independent before I’m a Republican.

__________________
"A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away."

The Solution for Illegal Immigrants (Gray areas discussed throughout the thread)

It's not really Capitalism. It's Communism trying to keep the old regime while attempting to gain from a Superior system based on freedom. While they are warming to Capitalistic concepts, (because who doesn't like getting rich?) they're only considered Capitalists by idiots with no clue of economic concepts.

They've been non-aggressive for 3,000 years under various styles of government. The most recent one was Communism, and represents a miniscule part of China's rich history. (Remember: Communism didn't exist until 1917)

It's showing growth in other directions because, while Communism is great for controlling a vast land mass with Billions of people with an Iron fist, it isn't very conducive to evolving (for the better) very efficiently. (In other words, they were still pretty much 3rd world until recently.)

Even as f100 highlighted, they have had to import technology in order to make progress. This was Reagan's and Bush I's cooperative programs.

They've had to import Capitalist concepts in order to make economic progress. (Evidenced in gaining access to U.S. Markets under Bush's Administration and regaining Hong Kong as theirs when the UK's lease ended.)

They've had to virtually steal technology from the U.S. in order to make technological achievments. (Remember the spying controversies in the National Laboratories during the Clinton Administration?)

This is evidence of aggression if you ask me, but that's just my opinion. Further evidence is how they're building a high-tech navy rather quickly now. Are you aware of their naval and military growth? Do you consider this to be passive? If this isn't aggressive, what do you consider aggressive?

__________________
"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left."
Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV)

My turn!

I don't think it will. We are currently working on it in a half-assed kind of way and we'll keep doing that. Won't likely work as advertised anyway.

Certainly.

Until they actually shoot something down I don't think it will matter at all. Being able to do something and actually doing it are not the same.

I don't think China is planning any sort of invasion of America or anything. Plus, there is really nothing we can directly do about their military growth. Just like us, they are free to make any weapon they want.

__________________
I wasn't born with enough middle fingers.

We SHOULD accelerate it, but something tells me it will be met with less than tepid support from our Democrat "friends."

Agreed. I'm not terribly fond of their involvment in our markets. I think removing them from MFN status would serve to illustrate they might still need us more than they realize.

Well, if the balloon ever goes up (if we actually go to war) there's going to be billions of dollars of hardware turned into trash in a short amount of time. This is yet another reason to stop treating them as MFN trading partner.

Let's just call it a situation that causes an extreme tightening of the sphincter. Capiche?

__________________
"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left."
Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV)

Seanx presents provoking questions I believe that this satelite busting story is evidence that the Chinese have used their "integration" into the geo-political economics to fuel the military complex. It was reported some time ago that the Chinese Army owns "business" enterprises hense the profits gleaned from such enterprises fuels military enterprises. We also have to consider that China has gone from being an assembler of consumer goods to owning otright and by "joint venture" having the complete production capailities of certain products. This is the formation of an industrial base and along with this comes the technology that keeps that engine going.

People should study how Japan borrowed, stole, and copied technology starting in the late 19th century to see that the Chinese are doing the same thing yet faster and with more intensity. The Japanese purchased and/or had the British build them their iniotial few Naval fighting ships and 30 years later the Japanese produced their own aircraft carriers.

The Chinese are leveraging the pofits they make from the consumer goods we buy from them, along with the technology they "transfer" in, along with what they steal ( as Senax pointed out with the nuclear secrets) into a military threat.

__________________
"I will not take the low road to the highest office in the land" - Guess Who? You go it !

MFN was renamed "Normal Trade Relations" in 1998, so it technically doesn't exist as a term here in the states anymore. Only two countries (Cuba and North Korea) don't have it. Everyone else does. Besides, it only applies to tariffs anyway. You could still put in place restrictive non-tariff trade barriers or embargoes. So in reality it's not a big deal that China has it.

__________________
I wasn't born with enough middle fingers.

These characteristics have been the very fabric of Capitalism from its inception. Study the banking practices of the Rothschild's and J.P. Morgan. Then examine the status of labor during the Industrial Revolution.
I'm afraid it does more than that. It requires ever expanding markets so that it may survive competitions with fellow Capitalist countries.
Of what are you independent?

I wonder why China would be worried about it if it wont work anyway. Are they just stupid?

http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/as...eax/index.html

__________________
My Political Blog (Updated Oct 3rd) - Which Flame Warrior are you?

You'll have to ask them. I can't really speak for China.

__________________
I wasn't born with enough middle fingers.