Originally Posted by Cabal

The People's Republic of China is the world's second largest Carbon Emission producer and has the second largest oil consumption rate right below the United States. By looking at China's current search for energy throughout the world, it is clear that China's own resources cannot sustain itself any longer.
By using your mentality, you think it is necessary for China to invade and occupy other nations to fuel its growing economy???

"it is necessary for China to invade and occupy other nations to fuel its growing economy" - I neither agree nor deny.

I never think it is proper to describe a country as right or wrong - right or wrong is relative not absolute (and if really say a county is right or wrong - it is relative).

So we have arrived the core of the discussion - according to Darwinism, the stronger survives.

Originally Posted by Cabal

The People's Republic of China is the world's second largest Carbon Emission producer and has the second largest oil consumption rate right below the United States. By looking at China's current search for energy throughout the world, it is clear that China's own resources cannot sustain itself any longer.
By using your mentality, you think it is necessary for China to invade and occupy other nations to fuel its growing economy???

If you really want to figure out if China is going to invade into other county, you just need to observe the behavior of China. China is gaining better relationships every single day with neighbors and countries all over the world.

The first option - maintain good relationships with all countries - is the way of China of solving problem of energy.

Yes I agree that Chinese Leaders are establishing stronger ties with other nations but unfortunately you are giving me mixed messages.

If you really want to figure out if China is going to invade into other county, you just need to observe the behavior of China. China is gaining better relationships every single day with neighbors and countries all over the world.

The first option - maintain good relationships with all countries - is the way of China of solving problem of energy.

I quite agree that China can solve its energy shortage problem diplomatically and peacefully as Beijing once stressed greatly on not long ago. But so can Japan if they were to re-establish good relations with its Pacific Neighbors as well. But unfortunately that is not what Japan doing right now.

I'm going to take a single stab at addressing the question posed at the top of this thread:

Why is Japan spending a lot of money on armament?

1 - The imbecile Kim in North Korea holding his finger on a supposed "nuclear button" with Japan clearly in the cross-hairs.

2 - The expectation from the U.S. (at least unofficially) that after 50 years of "protection" in the Far East, Japan is expected to be able to handle her own defense.

3 - What exactly IS the current population of China, anyway?

Answer in summary: Japan is spending a lot of money on armament because Japan senses very real threats to her independence in the Far East. The same reason any other SANE country spends money on armaments.

Japan is basicly spending more on weapons because people around them are.

...or to answer your question with a question;


why is china spending so much on armaments?

Dear Member,

Two reasons: China's refusal to help do anything about North Korea's nuclear program and Chinas behavior towards Vietnam and the Philippines on sea territorial rights.

Also remember you are looking at Japan's budget and not what it is buy. It is like many look at the US weapons export and only look at the amount in dollars. That gives most the impression that the US is the largest arms exporter in the world. In money that is true but not in number of weapons. For example a lot of the cost of US weapons exports is tied up in a few very expensive weapons systems like the E-3 AWAC, Aegis, etc. Most of the arms exports in tanks, weapons for armies, etc are other nations because US weapons are to expensive. Japan's defense budget a huge share of it is not in building up a long range ability for its air force or increasing the size of its army, but in anti-ballistic missile defense and its navy. If Japan was ever to start building up its army and adding large numbers of long range strike aircraft (ie as China is now doing with the SU-27) China and others would have reason to worry. And the Chinese government in private is totally aware of this. But it is politically helpful to make the citizens of China think Japan is building up a huge offensive ability.

Finally, China has been -- ie for internal political reasons -- very shortsighted on not helping stop North Korea's nuclear program. Understand: If North Korea explodes a nuclear weapon it is only a few years before Japan goes nuclear. They have the ability to do that in a very short time. Just as Taiwan does also.

Jack E. Hammond

BTW> When is China going to pay the US for the design information on the J-10 strike fighter. Yes, I know the information came from Israelis canceled Lavi program, but the US funded 90% of that program. Fair is fair. javascript:emoticon('')
Very Happy

Originally Posted by jiehunzheng

If you really want to figure out if China is going to invade into other county, you just need to observe the behavior of China. China is gaining better relationships every single day with neighbors and countries all over the world.

The first option - maintain good relationships with all countries - is the way of China of solving problem of energy.

technicly Japan cannot go nuclear until around the year 2050. Also japan is one of the worlds most active nations in opposing Nuclear weapons, I think you know why or at least I hope you do.

Originally Posted by Darcia

technicly Japan cannot go nuclear until around the year 2050. Also japan is one of the worlds most active nations in opposing Nuclear weapons, I think you know why or at least I hope you do.

Can you explain on that a little? What do you mean by technically? Due to treaties with i.e. the US? I would say given enough pressure from the outside, Japan could do it in a year.

The main constraint on how fast Japan can go nuclear is based on how long it will take them to get the Uranium refining facilities built and running. In other words, not long at all. If Japan saw the need they could go nuclear in two or three years.

As for why Japan is militarazing; well sorry to say it but Japan is neighbor to two of the most militant countries in the world. China and North Korea.

China is not a peaceful matriarch of the east. China has invaded India, Vietnam, almost got in a war with the USSR, brutally invaded and occupied Tibet, and proven its government fairly unstable. The first peaceful transfer of power in China since the Emperors only occured within the past couple of years.

In fact, Japan has been far less beligerent in the last half century then China and Japan's populace is far more pacifistic.

Japan has to rearm because when you're a country with no military, people treat you like a country with no military. Japan realizes that it cannot continue to rely entirely on the United States for protection with two very aggresive neighbors.

Lastly, Japan has apologized no fewer then a dozen times to China for conduct during the Second World War.

Edit: Added an 'er' to 'few'.