US pressure mounts on China over Tibet

[Elmer Gantry]

US pressure mounts on China over Tibet - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

So why do they come down so hard on the Chinese while protecting the Isrealis?

Is it because Tibetan monks look so cute in that garden statuette way?

Or is it because Buddhism is the "It" religion of the moment?

Discuss.

 

[B_Nick4444]

because of the constraints that comes with having large numbers of Jews in the country ...

exactly the reason we should stop the massive influx of asians and muslims into the country

 

[kvsb86]

They don't come down that hard on China. It would be impossible if what Barack Obama said the other day during his speech on the Iraq War was true, that the USA's $4 trillion debt has largely been paid for by Chinese loans. So you don't mess with the banker.

As for Israel, when it was recognised 1948 the whole world was very sympathetic to the idea of a Jewish homeland considering that six million had just been wiped out for no good reason. You can understand why many Jews wouldn't want to stay in Europe. Once the West had taken this policy of recognising and supporting Israel, they have to stick with it. But the US also supports a Palestinian state as well doesnt it?

 

[transformer_99]

Really, like what are we going to do, invade them ? Wal-Mart = China. Our economy is so dependent upon China and the Far East, so economic sanctions really don't mean a thing. Imagine the outcries when Wal-Mart shelves aren't fully stocked ? Is Bush going to call them the new "axis of evil" on his way out of the White House ?

 

[Principessa]

because of the constraints that comes with having large numbers of Jews in the country ... exactly the reason we should stop the immigration of Asians and Muslims into the country

:yikes: You can't possibly be serious! Stop allowing ALL Asians and Muslims into the country?? Are you a moron? Do you realize that people from India are also part of Asia. :duh:

 

[B_Nick4444]

:yikes: You can't possibly be serious! Stop allowing ALL Asians and Muslims into the country?? Are you a moron? Do you realize that people from India are also part of Asia. :duh:

Do you recall the news item where an Indian couple was charged with slavery in New York? (could anyone who was familiar with the caste system have been surprised?)

I have no problem with excluding Indians -- recall the news item a while back, where an Indian, who hated America, in spite of being granted residency here, was a willing participant in an espionage effort AGAINST us?

do you have any loved ones you would be willing to sacrifice on the altar of political correctness?

 

[Elmer Gantry]

Yeah, it's hard to take the Chinese seriously as a world power with an economy built on manufacturing plastic lawn chairs and iPod rip offs.

But why should we (the western powers) care even enough to be bothered getting up off our seats at the UN (or even just turning up) and saying something?

 

[B_Nick4444]

it's the massive military build-up possible with Wal-Mart dollars that has granted to China the deference it receives

one of the few comforts I took with the election of George Bush at his first time was the expectation that China would be granted a cold shoulder (following the grant of most-favored nation status under Clinton, as well as the approved sale, again, under Clinton, of Cray super-computers) ... the Republican cold shoulder never materialized, and China has strengthened, militarily and financially ... much to the misfortune of Tibet, and the future of the world

Yeah, it's hard to take the Chinese seriously as a world power with an economy built on manufacturing plastic lawn chairs and iPod rip offs.

But why should we (the western powers) care even enough to be bothered getting up off our seats at the UN (or even just turning up) and saying something?

 

[Elmer Gantry]

And another thing. Did they ever sort out the issue of Taiwan?

That one seems to have been swept under the rug.

 

[transformer_99]

it's the massive military build-up possible with Wal-Mart dollars that has granted to China the deference it receives

one of the few comforts I took with the election of George Bush at his first time was the expectation that China would be granted a cold shoulder (following the grant of most-favored nation status under Clinton, as well as the approved sale, again, under Clinton, of Cray super-computers) ... the Republican cold shoulder never materialized, and China has strengthened, militarily and financially ... much to the misfortune of Tibet, and the future of the world

China was/is way too much for Bush to chew on, he found that out in 2001 when the incident between the US spy plane and the Chinese fighter jet collided and the US plane had to land in China. That was a touchy few weeks, but turned out we got our plane back and crew. Shortly after, Neil Bush was getting a foothold in China to do business and cavort with whores.

The Relatively Charmed Life Of Neil Bush (washingtonpost.com)

 

[SpeedoGuy]

) ... the Republican cold shoulder never materialized, and China has strengthened, militarily and financially ... much to the misfortune of Tibet, and the future of the world

Nor will a Democratic cold shoulder every really materialize with China. Nor will it come from the EU. Sad truth is: The west seems too entangled with China as a trade partner to risk a serious confrontation with over a small, poor nation like Tibet.

 

[SpeedoGuy]

And another thing. Did they ever sort out the issue of Taiwan?

That one seems to have been swept under the rug.

For the moment.

But when China eventually decides its time for Taiwan to "come home" (like with Hong Kong) there ain't gonna be much the west can do about it, expecially if China is holding so much of our debt.

 

[dong20]

For the moment.

But when China eventually decides its time for Taiwan to "come home" (like with Hong Kong) there ain't gonna be much the west can do about it, expecially if China is holding so much of our debt.

And of course, Taiwan held its fourth presidential election today, electing a leader seeking closer ties with Beijing.

http://www.lpsg.org/81115-worldwide-elections-2008-2-roc.html

 

[Zayne]

It's really humiliating how we've indebted ourselves to the Chinese. Of course, that debt is in US dollar bonds, so if anything serious ever happens to the US economy, and the dollar tanks, the Chinese government is screwed too. That and Americans' addiction to buying make it very obvious that China wishes us well.

 

[frizzle]

The US won't do anything to China whilst they make money out of them.

 

[Flashy]

because of the constraints that comes with having large numbers of Jews in the country ...

large numbers of jews huh?

1.7% of the population roughly.

one of the smallest minority groups in this country.

As for those "constraints" you are so fond of, it is doubtful we here would be so interested in "constraints" if Mexico was lobbing rockets into Texas on a daily basis.

There'd be nothing left of NOrthern Mexico.

and just so you know, aside from being the only true democracy in the region, and the ONLY friend the U.S. has in that awful region, the Israelis take care of more of the dirty work that needs to be done in that region in terms of combating terrorism and doing all the neat little things we need done in terms of spying and intelligence throughout the arab world, then anyone. Who knows how much trouble the world would have been in if the Israeli's didn't take out the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak, and ultimately, so the U.S. won't have to dirty its hands in Iran, the ISraelis will once again take out a dangerous terrorist based Nuclear program, and the entire world will condemn them (while in private, thanking their lucky stars that the Israelis had the guts to do it)

I guess Saudi Arabia is a better friend, since they fund all those lovely madrassas and such....in the meantime, spare me the whole entre to the "Jews control the U.S. and by extension the world" conversation.

 

[B_Nick4444]

there is no question that the Jewish population in the US imposes certain constraints, that's well established in the literature ... aspects of what you say about Israel are correct, and no argument there ..

but, compare the even smaller proportion of immigrants from India who have settled in the US, and their lobbying organization, already having an impact on US policies relative to India ...

the point here is that we should avoid creating the situations that exist in several European countries, most notably France, whose foreign policy positions toward Arab nations and region are constrained and delimited by the consideration that has to be made to their constituencies of Arab immigrants ...

topics for a different thread, perhaps ... no xenophobia is intended here, and I perhaps should not have mentioned it, but after a few shots of Wild Turkey 101 proof ...

 

[B_phe1249]

And another thing. Did they ever sort out the issue of Taiwan?

That one seems to have been swept under the rug.

Hmmm .. according to them there is nothing to sort. Taiwan, it belongs to them.

 

[Jason]

A related question is that of how Britain should react in response to China's actions in Tibet.

At this moment there probably isn't the public will to do anything. But the images on the news are having an effect, and public sentiment could quickly change. It would then be up to our political leaders to find a sensible way forward.

As far as I can see Britain still in theory considers Tibet as a nation under occupation. We certainly condemn the many human rights abuses in China. We have a recent involvement in the area through Hong Kong - and Britain was not at all happy about returning Hong Kong to China just after the Tianaman Square massacre, though the legal position was of course that we had just a lease on most of the territory of Hong Kong. The cheap Chinese imports into Britain are a mixed blessing.

It is not quite there yet, but any escalation in violence in Tibet and I think British public opinion would support an Olympic boycot and some form of trade barriers (perhaps requirement for western working conditions for Chinese workers in China making goods exported to Britain). Whether these would ultimately be of help to Tibet I don't know - but I think there may soon be popular support.

 

[MovingForward]

Because the US is always in everyone else's business.