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Peter Parks / AFP - Getty Images
A collection of a new Chinese postage stamp depicting a Chinese dragon are seen at a stamp fair in Shanghai on Jan. 6. The new stamp has raised concerns that the post office has put a too hard an image on China as Beijing seeks to promote the nation's soft power.
BEIJING – Turns out the Year of the Dragon may be inauspicious for China-U.S. relations.
Beijing has just released a New Year’s commemorative stamp featuring a ferocious-looking dragon last week, stirring up talk that China was sending an intimidating message to the world. Meantime, the United States has proclaimed a new, more robust, military strategy in Asia.
Are the two countries headed for a dangerous confrontation? Is the U.S. beginning to pursue a Cold War-style containment policy toward China? What is China’s rightful place on the world stage?
As Beijing prepares for events celebrating the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s landmark trip to China in 1972 that opened up official diplomacy between the two countries, analysts say the superpowers are entering a new chapter in their uneasy relationship.
Questions about growing competition between the two super-powers are unnerving officials, as well as energizing opinion-makers, and bringing to the fore pessimistic theories about a possible great-power conflict.
‘Don't blame the mirror designer’
The “fiery debate” sparked by the release of the official Year of the Dragon stamp was emblematic of China’s self-image issues as it continues to grow as a world power.
The image shows the fang-baring face of the mythical ancestor of the Chinese, the most revered of the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac. Critics say the image sends a menacing message at a time of growing international unease over China’s rise.
“When I saw the design of the dragon stamp in a newspaper, I was almost scared to death,” said Zhang Yihe, a noted writer, said on her micro blog on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like service.
“It’s truly intimidating and powerful,” echoed another post. The “fierce stare and wide-open mouth” conveys an image that is “frightening and aggressive,” said another commentator.
The stamp’s graphic artist Chen Shaohua defended his work, however, writing in his blog that the image is reflective of China’s newly -found “national confidence” as a major world power.
While past dragon stamps showed the creature in more gracious, gentler poses in keeping with the early years of China’s opening up to the word, he said that this year’s image of a “powerful, intimidating, fierce and confident dragon” befits China’s “prestige and self-confidence.”
Yue Luping, another micro-blogger, likened the dragon stamp to a mirror. “We have destroyed the old mirror of ourselves as poor old dragon. After a hundred years, we see our image as powerful, menacing… Don’t blame the mirror designer. You may be scared of what you see in the new mirror, but don’t forget, what you see is our very own image,” he wrote.
“A hundred years ago,” wrote Yue Luping, a respected art critic and blogger, “revolution shattered the mirror of our collective consciousness as Chinese. After a hundred years, Chen Shaohua's Year of the Dragon stamp has let us view our image once again: powerful, menacing, and not even 'auspicious looking' anymore; we can't reproach the mirror designer, it's a new mirror, you may be scared by what you see in the mirror but don't forget, that is our own image today.”
Stringer/China / Reuters
Workers decorate a dragon-shaped sculpture in preparation for a dragon dance which will involve more than 200 people during the upcoming Chinese New Year in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province on Jan. 9.
America’s shifting strategy
However, more baffling for the Chinese as they grapple with their global standing is the new defense strategy that U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled recently. It features a leaner military, but one with a greater focus on the Asia-Pacific and China’s growing power.
“The United States is deploying forces around the Asia-Pacific in advance in order to contain China’s rise,” warned Maj. Gen. Luo Yuan, writing on the official newspaper of China’s People’s Liberation Army, in the strongest Chinese reaction so far to America’s new strategy.
“Who can believe that you are not aiming this at China, that this is not the return of a Cold War mentality?” he asked on the Chinese-language Liberation Daily.
“Obama said the country will ‘continue to get rid of outdated Cold War-era systems,’ it would do better to do away with its entire Cold War mentality,” declared the state-run China Daily. The newspaper added that both countries will lose if the U.S. regards the region “as a wrestling ring in which to contain emerging powers like China.”
China’s official response has been more subdued, with the foreign ministry merely defending China’s policy as “defensive” and calling U.S. accusations as “groundless and untrustworthy."
But in a recent briefing with a select group of Western and Chinese media that included NBC News, China’s chief diplomat in charge of U.S. relations shared his misgivings about the U.S. moves.
“Peace and prosperity are still what many countries want, not military alliances,” said Cui Tiankai, Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister.
“I find it hard to understand why the U.S., which has the strongest military in the world, feels insecure about other countries,” said Cui. “I suggest the U.S. should do more to make other countries feel less worried about the U.S., so that other countries will feel safe and the U.S. will feel safe as well,” he added.
AFP - Getty Images
A click-through history of modern relations between the United States and China.
Doctrine of “offensive realism”
But to Professor John J. Mearsheimer, America’s strategic shift and the intensifying security competition in Asia all seem inevitable.
Mearsheimer, a professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, is an international relations theorist who authored the pioneering book, “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics,” which propounds the theory of “offensive realism." The doctrine regards all great powers as perpetually on the offensive, constantly seeking security by maximizing power. He broadly anticipated America’s response to China’s growing challenge.
In an interview with NBC News, Mearsheimer shared his views on the growing power play in Asia.
“The Obama administration is definitely worried about China’s growing power as well as its aggressive rhetoric over the past two years, and that is why it is beginning to build a balancing coalition to contain China,” he said.
“My realist theory tells me that China will try to dominate the Asia-Pacific region as it grows more powerful and that the United States and China’s neighbors will try to contain Chinese power. It is too soon to say for sure whether my theory will be proved correct, but recent developments suggest that my theory will have a lot to say about Asia’s future,” he added.
Reflecting on the upcoming 40-year anniversary of Nixon’s landmark visit to China in 1972 that changed U.S.-China, Mearsheimer pointed out that U.S-China relations are based on realpolitik.
“Relations between the United States and China are largely determined by the balance of power in Asia, not by principles or ideals,” he said. “Beijing and Washington were driven together 40 years ago because they faced a common threat – the Soviet Union. But the Soviet Union is now gone and the Asian balance of power has changed drastically.”
For Mearsheimer, China’s new 21st century role in the world, has changed the power dynamic.
“Today, China is the most powerful state in the region and if it continues its rapid growth over the next 30 years, it will be by far the most powerful country in Asia. I believe that it will try to dominate the region the way the United States dominates the Western Hemisphere. However, Washington will go to great lengths to prevent that outcome, which means that China and America are destined to become rivals if China continues its rise,” he observed.
“There is little that Chinese or American leaders can do to avoid strategic competition, which carries with it the real possibility of armed conflict between those two great powers,” he warned.
Agreement and disagreement
“I totally agree with Professor John Mearsheimer,” said Dr. Yan Xuetong, China’s top international security expert and dean of the Institute of Contemporary International Relations at Tsinghua University. “As the gap of comprehensive power between the U.S. and China narrows, the tension between the two will intensify and there will be more conflict rather than less,” he told NBC News.
“But I disagree that this competition will get out of control and escalate into war,” he said. “Both sides have nuclear weapons which will deter them from going to war. I have great confidence in nuclear weapons, which have the important political function of preventing war between China and the United States.”
Professor Yan considers the recent developments as validation of his argument against the danger of “superficial friendship” between America and China. “I think that the ‘superficial friendship’ will turn into ‘superficial enmity’ this year,” he predicted.
“We are not partners but we need to carefully manage the competition to prevent it from escalating into a major confrontation,” he said.
“If both sides fail to admit the competitive relationship and instead consider it as a partnership, then that, for me, will be very dangerous,” he warned.
Researcher Ting Zhao contributed to this report.
Leave a Comment:
Beware China's psychedelic dragon stamps! They look mean; thus, China will be mean!
I like that stamp .
To read any political statements , gestures , or anything else into it for that matter is foolish . Professor John is just pushing his latest paper or book nothing more. In his line of work it is publish or die .
bob1/28, I agree. I like the stamp. Very bright and colorful, and besides, I like dragons. (I have two dragon larvae in my house, and I treat them very nice so when they morph from cats to dragons, they will take care of me, and not eat me for a snack;-)
Yeah its a dragon, you want it to breath flowers at you or pixie dust?
In other news, there are people who are afraid of stamps!
Increasing military strength will do nothing to prevent the Chinese government from subsidizing Chinese manufactured goods that will ship to the US Market. Countries that manufacture and export will grow strong, countries that send jobs off shore and import will continue to weaken. China know this. Our politicians do not.
Until the US trade balance is Zero Washing needs to Kill Free Trade. It is not free, it costs the middle class their jobs. Time for Tariffs, time for the middle class to rise, time to concentrate on manufacturing to our own population.
Really, someone wrote a book (much less this article) to tell us that China and USA are going to be competitive and that as China grows, we will try to contain them? So since he is a Professor, how much of my tax dollars went for him to tell us the obvious? We get almost everything from China, how would not expect this to happen, they have a large portion of our dollars and debt. I think my kids could have figured this one out. Here is a containment plan, stop buying stuff from China.
So we can lick the scary dragon and stick him wherever we want?
Hey, they have a mythical animal representing a mythical power...I don't think the stamp will reflect anything on China that their recent actions haven't already.
Interesting how things pan out, only a few years ago the Western World was elbowing their way into China to “cash in on” the new opportunities there and now we are concerned that China is growing too strong and will soon dominate the world.
It is also interesting how “dismissive” we are of Russia (the Soviet Union) and their influence on the balance of power in Asia. Last time I checked, Russia is very much alive and is one of the, if not the, richest country in the world.
All we are missing now is the Russia – US military alliance to counter China’s “arrival” on the world stage. Welcome to the world of politics!!!
"Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer"
Well its time to make friends again and maybe open more tech trading for human rights in China. As super powers we all should ack it and start helping other nations more.
I am afraid if we do nothing China is going to pass the USA up like we were standing still, China has been helping other developing nations for a while now and been making more friends to sell to.
I believe it was extremely foolish of Obama to make any kind of statement regarding focusing military activity in Asia.
How is China suppose to interpret such a statement?
Sure, there are legitimate threats posed by China's increase in Naval hardware. And there are other threats like North Korea. But any build-up of American forces should be covert and quiet, devoid of intention!
It is very unwise to disrupt U.S.-China relations at this point in our economic situation.
Sounds like a sticky situation.
I can remember back when they made a stamp commemorating prostitution. It was a 25 cent stamp, but 40 cents if you licked it :)
With the soviets we had a nuclear arms race, with China we have a stamp race. Unbelievable.........
Nothing will ever become of this trash talk, China is how the 1% make their money and since We all know the 1% control our government they are not going to shot their own foot off, seems to me the News agencies are fabricating their own news most of the time now days .............. And as for their stamp this is a very nice looking stamp ...... GEEEEE
Unfortunately we can not compete with China, and may only blame ourselves for the loss of financial and military strength.
Using our Free Trade Agreements against us, China claims to be weak. When in fact, they are strong and able as any of the strongest nations.
Read the Art of War, and you will see the Chinese powers-to-be are using it in its fullest meaning.
I say this all the time when referring to local politicians and city planners "what is the 10 year plan? what is the 25 year plan? what is the 50 year plan?" Unfortunately they are only interested in appeasing the people of this country to 1) obtain more wealth and land for themselves and their family, 2) become re-elected into the same if not a greater position with little regard to the intended purpose of the elected position.
China has a 25year plan, a 50 year plan, and a 100 year plan in almost every faculty of life. From drinking water to manufacturing.
Sorry to say it, but we are facing tough times and the rest of the world will not be there to wipe our tears.
I want that stamp design for a tattoo. Maybe I can scare a few people. Hey I have Chinese friends. Some of my best friends are Chinese. Even had a Chinese gf in the past. They have never done anything to scare me. Ain't no Chinese ever came in here and killed my ancestors
I thought the dragon represents the post office will eat you alive with the hike in postage.
As mentioned in another thread...recently made my 1st China purchase on ebay...
little tiny adapter for back of my computer. Cost...$1.28 ... what it cost the 200,000 plus strong feedback seller to ship it to me ???? $7.20 ... again.. tell me how that works ?
China is just protecting their access to Iran’s oil. The U.S. is the one hell bent on world domination. The Pentagon’s 2010 Base Structure Report lists 4,999 total sites in the US and its territories (google Department of Defense’s 2010 Base Structure Report). It is listed that we have well over 1,000 bases in over 68 countries. It is estimated that we have military structures and a military presence in 146 countries. Nobody really knows how many bases we have around the world even the Pentagon when you factor all the known and covert facilities we have around the world. The rest of the planets foreign base numbers combined dwarfs ours.
The point here is that any country would have to be brain dead to not know that we are Imperialists trying to take over the planet and all its resources. Our arrogance in Iran is playing right into China’s hands. We are forcing sanctions on Iran including an attempted oil embargo which China and Russia are benefitting from. China and Russia have refused to go along with the oil embargo. While those countries that comply with the embargo decrease sales to Iran, this leverages China and Russia’s negotiations with Iran. The American taxpayers pay for the security and patrolling of the Strait of Hormuz and China and Russia negotiate for cheaper oil with Iran. We assure China and Russia get the safe delivery of their cheaper gas thus providing them with more of a cost advantage in running their economy. Our military driven foreign policy is back firing on us. The world is getting bored and tired of our Imperialism and with the elite who perpetrate war.
I know this won’t sit well with the warmongers out there but we need to cooperate with instead of trying to dominate our neighbors.
@ Overpaid,
I've seen many things on Ebay that should be selling delivered for around $15.00. Most people sell for $12.00 and shipping of $3.00. Some sell for $1.00, and ship for $14.00. And people complain. Basically, it is a way to sucker you into buying from them at the same prices as everyone else. You should expect that. And you got taken.
China is a very old nation state, dating from the 17th to 11th century B.C. They developed many of the worlds arts and sciences. We have been very self destructive for many years, greed and corruption have wasted our potential. We have become weaker and co-dependent, and they have become stronger and more independent, so what do you expect? This is what Darwin was trying to tell us.
I'm glad the rest of us that read the media garbage has a real grasp on the real world. Lets be real about the stamp - its just that. If we put the eagle with claws, are we looking for world domination. Lets get real media and stop hyping. I can see a build up of military in Asia with the unrest in North Korea, but that too will be short lived.
As for me, I'm going to enjoy my Chinese leftovers for lunch now. Bon Appetit!!
I think we should come out with a stamp with Gandolf "the White!", with Frotto dancing around him!
cdahl
@ Overpaid,
cdahl ?? lets try this again....
I paid $1.28 ... item cost plus shipping(free) equals paid. That was my total cost..$1.28
Seller (in china) themselves, paid $7.20 airmail.
That a little plainer ? I know all bout what you implied. My idea of cost IS item cost plus shipping..THAT'S what I paid for the item. I know all bout the issues some have with what you mean't.
I just don't understand, how a seller in any country, can sell stuff like that, with shipping costing more then the total cost of the item, and stay in business. And this is a powerseller, with well over 200,000 fb. meaning they do this on a regular business, sell/send stuff, for WAY less than the buyer paid for it.
Again...how does that work ??? (lol)
Sorry if I didn't spell it out enough 1st time ;)
@ overpaid,
Sorry, misunderstood. No idea. No idea. I can tell you that with regard to raw materials, we share the same consultant with a number of Chinese factories. He is responsible for both setting up production and accurately ascertaining costs. The Chinese managers sell their products to US companies at cost, because the Chinese Government kicks back 15%. I don't know about all products, but I have found that consistent with products that are mostly made from raw materials such as metal and copper. As a US manufacturer, I would love to sell at cost and get a guaranteed 15% rebate from Uncle Sam.
I find it pathetic that Washington forces us to compete against China, putting pressure on our employees that is undeserved. And in practice, unfair.
And Kornfed. Funny. As always. I also enjoyed Sirlafalot in 1.7
lol @ cdahl
We're all familiar with the subdizing of especially steel mills in many countries back in the 70's-80's. Might those countries also do the same with other businesses? STill...I know as a sometimes ebay seller, I'd last bout 2 days selling/sending stuff for $1.28 when it costs me nearly 5 times that just to mail the darn thing. Just weird is all.
Many China sellers, in say, oh, loupes (for looking at rings close up). Have them for like a buck fifty or 2 or so, even $5, yet it costs more than that to just send the thing. That's what I had bought. 45X loupe.
Take care;) and good luck, we all gonna need it.
When I was a kid I was sweet on a girl whose grandmother lived with her family. That lady looked a lot like this stamp Dragon. My girlfriend said her grandmother looked that way because she suffered with severe constipation. Wonder if someone sold a picture of her to the Chinese? Hmmmmm...........,nah, Chinese would never have bought it. Stolen it maybe,.........but never would have bought it.
“I find it hard to understand why the U.S., which has the strongest military in the world, feels insecure about other countries,” said Cui. “I suggest the U.S. should do more to make other countries feel less worried about the U.S., so that other countries will feel safe and the U.S. will feel safe as well,” he added."
America, the bully who now keeps losing the fights in the playground and is a sore loser.
What has happen to the US goverment. IT is RED CHINA. The US should not trade a dime with a communist country. the lives that were sacrificed in Vietnan, Korea in the name of fighting the spread of communism. Today our government cant seem to give the Red Commumism enought of the us industry.and now are talking about letting china invest a kind word for buying the infrastructure of the USA. What is going on the US goverment head. if someone can tell me what has change are we commumism sympathizer now
This is just pure hype and rubbish. I guess the media want to drum up business.
They get people to say anything for a dollar.
I saw a bad omen when i was on the cr+pper. It was brown and it looked like a brown GWB.
Must be a sign not to vote republican.
The truth about America and China is that many around the world call it Chi-merica. There is huge trade between the two. The trade is resulting in benefit for both. The key problems the chinese see in America is that we pay alot more for our upper managment. We pay them millions for failure and then we bail them out. That is one thing the chinese dicuss openly and it helps make there internal problems look smaller.
Seriously? Why is this even an "article".
-OMG the USA has a tree on their stamps...they all must be tree huggers!
That dragon doesn;t even look scary...maybe if Alduin from Skyrim was on it it would be a weee bit scarier
Have you ever licked a dragon's backside? Pretty scary I bet! You may want to pet him first.
Forget trees on the stamps man! This is war! The U.S needs to launch a full scale retaliation by immediately releasing stamps with Thunder Birds on them.
The new cold war begins today!
The Stealth stamps are already out. You just haven't seen them.
You mean China wants to have more control and say over their region. Why would they want that? Silly little China people, don't you know the US can't let that happen. We must have control of the entire world. This is a known fact, just ask us and we will tell you. Can't wait until we feel the need to increase our military around Australia. We would not want them to start controlling their region.
NEWS FLASH......America is financially broke, our political system is now in disarray, our country is divided. When Donald Trump is considered a power in the political arena and the favorite to possibly be the next Rep. President is a multi-multi millionaire (net worth $200 Million) you know clearly what America is about. Money, Power, and Total Control. In a marriage between two people we would say that this would be a very unhealthy relationship that is sure to fail. History shows us that all great nations fall by outreaching their means of power, yet America is hell bent on following this same pattern. History does not teach people with Money, Power, and Control simply because they think they will never have an equal. Again, using history is our guide, this is clearly not the case and I can only hope that this great fall of power does not happen in my or my children's life time.
Here in Texes, you said a mouthful in words and in a way that would never occur to me. However, you are on point. The tale of "The Goose and the Golden Egg" is unfolding before our very eyes. One would tend to think that the wealthiest and most powerful among us would be very intelligent men. One would be wrong. Their terrific greed and immoral lust for power blinds them to whatever intelligence once led them to where they are today.
There is a very faint and flickering light at the end of the tunnel. People like Warren Buffet, Boone Pickens as well as Bill and Linda Gates(and others) acknowledge with their actions and words that things are out of control. They have much more to lose than than the fat cats that are creating this chaos. Do they have enough persuasive influence to stop it? That is the critical question.
This is an age-old problem with governments and grand civilizations through-out recorded history. The mighty get mightier and gain more power. They reach a point where the minions(us) become no more important to them than the cattle grazing in the field, the horses that plow the fields or the chickens that furnish them with eggs. They begin to begrudge what it costs to feed, cloth and house us. They slowly start taking away the few comforts that encourage us to continue to work hard each day.
Wiser men with historical knowledge can tell you how this plays out time and time again. The people finally revolt to take back the rewards of their own labors. Much blood is shed just as it was in the first American Revolution. We must all pray that the powers that be never cross that line. They are standing on that very precipice as we speak. The OWS protests are but a small sample of the massive uprising soon to come if this dangerous trend is not immediately reversed.
DreamWorks is releasing "How to train your dragon" stamp.
@commonsense101 well put
@ Commonsense101
Well said and I couldn't agree more.
I think it is not that the super-powerful among us have not learned of the lessons of history, it is that many of them are too arrogant to believe that that same history applies to them.
I'm sure that the French monarchy didn't expect the Revolution, nor the Romanov's of Russia.
Each and every one of them, generation after generation unwittingly built increasingly taller walls, employed ever-more elaborate and increasingly large security forces. All attempting to build a taller dyke against a rising sea of discontent.
One day they, or their great grand children will be brought to the sword swiftly and brutally just like those of the same mentality before them.
...Let them eat cake
Thanks, we can only hope that the voice of reasoning prevails this time as it sometimes has in the past. I have previously been accused of promoting class warfare. By fully acknowledging the elephant in the room, I am doing all I can to prevent true class warfare. The last thing I want is for my kids to die in the streets of their own country to defend the American way of life.
I agree. But it's hard not to see this kind of stuff all around us. One needs only travel outside the city limits in most states to see how the other half live.
There are huge swathes of area in the US that for all intents and purposes might as well be poor, 3rd world provinces. With the corrupt local government, impoverished residents and lack of overall civic development and industry to boot!
Eventually all of this will come to a head. It will be interesting and terrifying to see how our government responds. Does it come to the aid of the people, or is our representative government at this point nothing more than sham lip-service that will side with the wealthy and powerful when push comes to shove.
I'm just wondering: if I were China, why would I keep lending money to someone who is using it to build an army against me? Especially if they were supposedly my biggest trading partner and also the biggest market for my products? Hmm...
If I were the United States and I was worried about China becoming a more powerful regional and global power, why would I keep allowing them to buy my natural resources that we use for building weapons systems and advanced technology. And why would I allow US companies to conitue moving production from the US to China. I would start imposing large taxes on any US company doing business in China (or any other country) until the cost became greater than doing the production of items here in America thus helping create jobs and getting the economy going while at the same time stifling the growth of China. Then if China wanted to become better partners, I would require any further discussions to include recognition of Taiwan as its own independant country, at least some attonomy for Tibet, and push for China to stop propping up North Korea and allow that country to either fall on its face or reunite with the South (as Germany did) and let that festering boil go away.
Im just sayin!
Nope you're right about what you are saying. if you watched the news the other day The president called for the end of tax breaks for American companies who invest or build their companies off shore. The law was passed by congress under the Bush Administration in 2001. So we have built them up as a rival using our money. STOP BUYING MADE IN CHINA PRODUCTS at walmart etc.
Everybody again thank corporate America for pouring money into China and making it very strong. Think of shipping many tons of scrap metal to Japan before WWII. Yes, big powerful China, so big, so powerful their first conquest was Tibet. A country with no army, no air force and way less population. China really took a risk there. No matter how big or how powerful China gets their penises will still be smaller than ours.
A lot of people like to romanticize Tibet as if it is a perfectly joyful and sacred land was suddenly destroyed by gun-waving men in uniform. The reality in history is Tibet had been a part of China for centuries, even centuries before Tibet had any affiliation with the dalai lama lineage. Following British and Russian conflicts in Tibet in the early 1900s, it declared itself to be an independent state for about 20 years (can't say that's entirely legitimate), after which it was reclaimed by China. So in the course of history, Tibet has long been a part of China, and it is not at all unusual that it is part of China today.
More importantly, please be informed that Tibet, in its "independent state," was a land of serfdom (yes, SLAVERY). Almost all land in Tibet belonged to the few wealthy, which consisted of some secular families and, more importantly, your sacred lamas. The overwhelming majority of people were servants, enslaved to serve the monasteries and the lamas that ruled them. Please eliminate the delusion that Tibet was some land of harmony or that the dalai lama is some peace-spreading good-doer; he just wants his slaves back.
Today, Tibetans have schools for their children, they have hospitals for the ill. Buddhism is one of the fundamental faiths among Chinese people. I would say, for Tibetans, this is a huge improvement.
Well this reminds me an old saying.
When they are small, they are cute even if they are ugly.
When they are big, the ugly is magnified.
China is getting more wealthy. I can see the Neocons hard it.
Because well more than 50% of their entire GDP is devoted to selling to the US.
They are financially tied to the US at the hip.
If they stop lending to the US, the US$ will drop in value which would both slow the US's purchasing of Chinese services/products, it would also bolster US exports and make the US a formidable economic competitor
Furthermore, if they stop lending to the US, the Yuan will rise in value (they use the US's low-yield debt to suppress their currency) and China will no longer be able to offer artificially cheap labor and products to the rest of the world. Their economy is not geared to be a consumer economy and they would sink into a deep depression as unemployment skyrockets from foreign industries leaving the country and China's net exports become a trade-deficit.
The US continues to borrow feverishly from anyone that will lend to it because the nation's politicians and big businesses have too much riding on keeping the exchange rates as they are and the US consumer market held captive as small domestic industry cannot achieve the same marginal profits as the mega-outsourcers.
China puts a dragon on a postage stamp and this is considered a threat to the United States? Why does this strike me as a bit of a stretch? If this is the best accusation that we can raise against China, we need to have our heads examined.
The last I checked, China has done nothing to threaten the United States, or the rest of the world, for that matter, except to out-compete us economically. Building an aircraft carrier is not a threat, either, but one could argue that using an aircraft carrier to attack foreign nations, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, is threatening behavior. But China has not done that. We have. So who is the real threat here?
Oh really? what about the under-evaluation of the yen? Where have you been the last few years?
HMMM last I checked they threatened both Taiwan and the United States 1) Taiwan for trying to be their own country and the United States for selling them weapons, 2) threatened the United States for allowing Tibet religious leaders to have a meeting with our president. Besides, the are working indirectly currently, can you say North Korea?
Because you have zero understanding of Chinese culture. And quit whining about your country and do something to make it better.
Shandril,
Where do you think Al Qaida and the Taliban buy their weapons? Yes, they get some from Russian and other former Soviet Block, but they get most of it from China...China has made a pretty nice profit as a weapons supplier in the middle-east during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
Really Military Man?(I am a vet also) Who propped up the Taliban in their war against the Soviets? The US has also made nice profits from weapons sales. In Korea for instance, my dad (a Korean war veteran) still laughs about finding Remmington made land mines planted by the North Koreans.
You do know landmines can be deactivated and re-planted right?
It's all propaganda to make folks like North Korea think we're at odds with the Chinese.
I'm not timbrophobic so this stamp doesn't scare me.
Heavy, were you there to knowif this happened. Don't even try to insult my dad.
The Chinese are not our enemy. The enemy is within our own borders.
Its the repubs and othercrats who continue policies that destroy the middle class. Tax these B+stards at 93% like we did under FDR.
The 1% created this mess. Let them pay for it. We have this failure of de-regulation and its continued.
They put up these stupid arguments that are false. OWS went to the bankster familes at Wall street. Its the congress of the corporate families. Our own congress is our worse enemy.
They stop the economic recovery when its simple to get it back up and running.
@Marty
"The under evaluation of the Yen..."
You're so stupid that it makes my head hurt. Do you mean the Yuan? I suppose you do. The Yen is the currency of the Japanese.
You may want to sit down for a second but China and Japan are not the same! Shocking! I know!
Wajiw
Sorry and no I'm not trying to insult anyone. I've been through the training have you?
This is one more example of the naive approach to foreign policy by a man with no concept of how to run a lemonaid stand, let alone complex relations between nations. He embraces the Muslim nations that want to destroy us, but increases tensions with our allies and potential allies, such as England and China. I doubt that there is anyone in his administration that has studied the history or the values of China, values that relate to the people of China and are imbedded in the government as well.
Obama's on the job training will destroy all our international relationships if he is allowed to continue on his path.
Michael - Obama has done more to rescue our image on the world staging nicluding our international relationships than his precedessor. Please show me where Obama got us involved in a war over a lie? Seems to me, 4 years ago, the world viewed the United States as the single biggest threat to world peace. I don't think that is the case today.
If you are confident that Obama is not doing a great job on foreign policy, what do you suggest? Remember, its always easier to criticize than it is to actually come up with a plan....
Problem with your argument is that you can show nothing to support it. Where's your plan? If you lived in anyplace other than the US (and I travel and do spend appx 8 months a year out of the country) you would learn that the international relationships are MUCH weaker and more suspect now, than 4 years ago. You need to quit listening to your political brainwashing and actually get out with an open/honest mindset and listen to the world, not American politial parties' B.S.
Nixon made communist China a giant by opening the economic door to them, Bush made Iran a monster by destroying Iraq, their natural enemy and our ally. We built Japan and Germany after they attack us.
The USA kept Latin America from developing by invading their countries, killing their leaders and putting puppet dictators like Pinochet, Batista, Duvalier, . . to have those people exploited and poor. Latin America have all the natural resources we need. Instead of destroying them, the USA should had help them develop. They are our most natural allies.
Just look how we treat Cuba and Venezuela, compare to communist China that is a real danger to US.
And you bring nothing but vitriol to the table in support of your argument. All one has to do is spend some time reading international press to determine where we stand. In large part, we're looked upon as "still a threat, but moving in the right direction". Only the exploiters among us have an interest in keeping the world at our throats. Are you a weapons purveyor by chance? Seems you have an interest in keeping things heated up, or just want to toss a few stones at the President. Either way, yawn.
Nevada, you are delusional.
Bush did more to destroy the US AND it's image than any other sitting president, bar none. I am active military and have lived through 9 presidencies, Obama has accomplished something Bush never even attempted to do, kill the man responsible for 9/11. Bush got us involved in two protracted wars, one of which was based on false information and lies. Bush ignored the economy and rewarded the wealthy for exporting our jobs overseas, Yes, Clinton opened the door with NAFTA, but deregulation pushed us over the edge. The housing collapse was a joint issue, but wouldn't have happened if the banking deregulation hadn't happened in 2002. As long as Consumer Protection was in place to keep banks from a wholesale foreclosure spree, there was very little threat.
Oil and gas companies were allowed to charge increasing amounts from 2003-2007 causing the inflation that manifested itself in 2006. We have had nearly 25% inflation and cost of living increases across the board since the housing collapse 2007.
I agree Obama has not done enough to reign in the causes of inflation, but a large part of the responsibility falls on Congress.
I am a moderate conservative who voted for Reagan and McCain, but the conservatives need to replace regulations to keep Trade, oil and gas, health care, and home-ownership under control. That is NOT socialist, that is SOCIAL-RESPONSIBILITY!
You do know who John Huntsman is right? You do know who he worked for before running for the republican nomination right?
Military Man I agree with most of your statements but I have to disagree on you assessment of NAFTA. Yes it was signed by Clinton but the frame work started under Reagan in 1986. It was then signed by all three countries which at that time was Bush Sr. It then had to be ratified by both houses of congress and THEN was signed by Clinton. If Bush Sr. had won a second term NAFTA would have been signed into law by him. And like the article states China was opened up by Nixon. So you have the two main causes of job loss in America due to Republican policies. Why you may ask. So corporations can make more money on cheaper labor. And it always amazes me that the Republican talking point is how the Democrats are trying to destroy the country when their own policies are the number one thing that has shipped jobs overseas and to south of the border.
President Obama may be lacking just as many other Presidents failed to appreciate their awesome responsibility as world leader. The office has long been much greater than any man. That's why many of them age much faster than the average citizen.
I have yet to hear President Obama proclaim victory as we entered a preemptive for the first time. I have yet to hear President Obama proclaim to the world that, " You are either with us or against us" when he fails to gain support of most of the free world in a personal vendetta. I have yet to hear President Obama proclaim, "Bring it on" as he rests comfortably in the White-house and orders our brave troops to sacrifice their very lives to, "Bring it on". Famous last words of a bully and a coward.
@ Commonsense101
Agreed!
The only US President I think that would have had the right to say "bring it on" when he was challenged was Teddy Roosevelt
That crazy bastard would lead the charge.
W. couldn't even regularly attend his cushy position in the Air Farce National Guard that his daddy arranged to keep him out of Vietnam.
That is NOT socialist, that is SOCIAL-RESPONSIBILITY!
So beautifully said. In all of human history we always get some that can explain. Thats the genius. :)
I didn't read through the entire article here. I won't need to.
I face the reality this way:
1) China is sovereign and rising. The U.S. can't stop any sovereign country from rising
2) The U.S. can't stop any sovereign nation from flexing its muscle provided that the nation in question is not doing any evil
** I know it is ironic.
When is it the U.S. business to intervene?
1) When our interests are threatened -- that's about it. For example, when China threaten to invade and take back Taiwan, we intercept and defend the island militarily in an all out war.
Whatever the future holds, God bless America.
By all means, I don't know why someone here thinking about Taiwan is another country, the truth is --- Taiwan is the part of China, Taiwan never being a country. it is ruled by a different party of Chinese! that's it!. period. 1949 when communist party kick Guomin-party to island Taiwan, they could just keep swap off it but they decided give this party a breath, so guomin-party stay in Taiwan and but they are the Chinese who got support from America by then due to the wife of Chairman of Guomin-party. she was educated in America, she got that pretty lady charm to white house. She cried for help, so Americans send to Taiwan to help. that's it. Taiwan always is a part of china no matter you like it or not. so , open your eyes , read some history. then speak. thank you.
Incorrect. We are USA world police. Yehhawwwww.
Only we know best. How can anyone but a repub understand things. We need job creators and trickle peeing down economics. We need 4 types of rest rooms . Just can't figure out the signage for all 4.
Wait wait wait.... a stamp????
I formally apologize to China for this stupid article.
@ canudigit
Agree.
Many countries are in the business of doing political PR that they think are in their interest one way or the other.
Dragon has been the symbol of the rising China for thousands of years and everyone knows that. What's wrong with printing a dragon on stamps?
Americans put eagles on out stamps and shipping materials all the time.
Here is the USA's Chinese New-Year stamp: http://beyondtheperf.com/stamp-releases/celebrating-lunar-new-year-year-dragon
No that's what that's about I like the stamp myself!! But i think China wants to be number one and is going after America as the top dog. Barack is doing something about it.
Don't
Dont
"Don't"
"Let it slip away."
I am not surprised that both are flexing muscle, Chinese people dont mess with any one nor unless you mess with them, I say leave them alone! we are not ready for them yet! we need them as much as we need Budwieser
China has a right to be concerned about the U.S. and our military and vice-versa. With regards to Taiwan there will be no war between any party. Taiwan's economic reality is that it will end up needing China more than the U.S. and the folks there are more Chinese than Western. Taiwan will go the way of Hong Kong and it will end up being a "ho hum" event.
Cutoff ALL Chinese imports and watch as their economy crumbles.
If you cut off Chinese imports, our economy will crumble as well.
@Truth4u
Why on earth would you want to cut off trade with China?
Take a course in international trade and you will know we need to keep at least some trade with any and all of our current trading partners elsewhere around the world.
No offense )
It's crumbling anyway, so why does it matter. Since we are now considered a "consumer" nation, it would force us to either bring the manufacturing base that is now in China back to the U.S. or build new factories here to produce products for our consumption and eventual export. I doubt that we would be able to export to China, because they would most probably impose a huge tariffs in order to create barriers, but I'm sure we would be able to sell American products abroad to many other countries. Hell, even Americans even want to buy American. We just manufacture so little that there is very little for the consumer to even purchase.
Cutting off trade without taking other actions to shore up home industry first, wouldn't crumble our economy, it would outright destroy it.
Every dollar from Western Europe, the U.S. and Canada we move from China to another low cost manufacturer weakens China. China does not have a very robust internal economy and without western dollars flowing into their factories they would collapse back to the 1960's.
"MARTHA.........get the guns.........China just released a stamp......with a DRAGON on it"
Can't seem to find my sabre rattle....Ah, there it is! Rattle, rattle, rattle, take that you dragon lovin' Chinese!
Nice stamp. All the other stuff - who cares?
With all the things going wrong in this world I find it surprising that anyone would be frightened by a stamp picturing a creature that never existed!
Sticks & stones may break my bones, but STAMPS will never hurt me!
You've obviously never had one stuck to your...you know.
I like the numerous mentions in the article that state that China is a superpower. Its almost as if the writer wanted to make it vary clear that we are dealing with a superpower. Problem is... That has been outmoded for a vary long time, even where the U.S. is concerned.
The more you look at the world, the more you can see that the real superpower on this planet now is the individual. I think that is one reason that we should not be overly concerned with china, over the coming 100 years they will have far more pressing problems at home that will keep them in line.
The last time there where superpowers where in the 80's, a time before the internet and a time before everyone every where had the ability to actually talk to others from around the world.
The total ignorance of the individuals about their counterparts in other countries allowed for far more distrust and dishonesty about the "enemy" something that governments took advantage of in the past. I think this time we all know when we are being hyped for an agenda and we all know that most people in every country in the world just want to live a good life.
The term superpower comes from a time when we did not know what was on the other side of the curtain. Now we know, and we can all see that we all have more in common then not.
Hmm.. The populous of most countries are mainly sheeple. They do what they are told, they believe what they hear. Just look around you at all of the ignorance on display 24/7/365. In your world, people think. In the real world, only a few do. Don't think that you can Tweet your way out of a war, won't happen. Chinese people for instance, have little interaction with the internet that the rest of the world sees. I think superpowers still exist. We are a military superpower (the ability to project military force globally), China is an economic superpower (the ability to assimilate global wealth on a massive scale at a rapid pace).
I get that people are fearful of china and those who are bring intelligent reasons why ( for the most part ) but lets not go over the top here. The U.S. needs to be cautious of china but we cant afford to unnecessarily demonize them. The chinese are not stupid, they are not arrogant and the general population in cities have good access to information.
Whats funny is that people seem to think that there is no way around china's great firewall and in fact there is and plenty of chines people have access to the same news sites you do. In fact, more chinese people are attending school in the U.S. If you think all of this contact with the west can be just washed away by the chinese government,think again.
Why is this relevant to China being a threat? Easy. When your people have access to the west, when they go to school in the west and when they have seen how people in the west live, its far harder for the government to lie to them and tell them only what the government wants them to know.
You cant rally a nation against an enemy that people know to be manufactured.
Show just a bit more faith in humans in general. Im all for keeping an eye on them, but I cant be for making them the next big demon we want to fight.
To everybody saying that China isn't a threat:
How many articles have you read about China's cyber attacks on the U.S.? They literally attack our most valuable servers on a daily basis, and then deny it.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/chinese-hack-us-chamber-commerce-authorities/story?id=15207642
They have attacked over 700 of our largest businesses in the same manner:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-22/china-based-hacking-of-760-companies-shows-cyber-cold-war.html
China also wants to give nuclear support to Iran in the same manner that it supports North Korea, and they would gladly do so simply to try and equalize the balance of power. In other words, they know the U.S. wouldn't attack a country that has a nuclear arsenal, so they intend to give them away to the highest bidder.
Do you really believe that free countries like Taiwan would be alive today if not for a strong U.S. presence? How about Tibet? Ya, they love their new big brother Mao and his army.
So while you're sitting around munching on BABIES and reading internet articles, remember that maybe, just maybe, the U.S. military has some justice on its side.
All puns aside,
It looks as though they may be constructing a military buffer zone.
Just an observation.
Well, let me pull a Bill Clinton here and ask you: Defined threat. China might be a threat, but isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? Ask all the duly elected government we have helped to or overthrown regimes we didn't like or those we loved but later decided to throw under the bus altogether. Latin America has been , is and forever will be their playing arena, ergo, as with beauty, threat is in the eyes of the beholder.
China has been more times the invadee than the invader, we au contraire, have been the invaders, the stealers and I'm not talking football here, committed genocide in the name of, not only Christianity, but democracy also. And to awaken you of that hypocritical stupor, let me tell you that China spends 7.3% of their GDP on military matters, while we spend more than Asia put together. Just because you don't want to acknowledge the 800 Lbs gorilla in the room, doesn't mean the world also does.
Truly amusing , the correlation of the printing of a stamp and the prospect being enemies with the US. Why wasn't it taken as a stance against say Iran? an upcoming entity in the industrial world.
Well if it is a challenge statement I would note that dragons and their power is purely mythical , And we are for real .
What is scary is Mittsy telling the world he's going to make our military stronger and the rest of the Gung-Ho right wing terrorists will either re-invade Iraq or pull out of working with the rest of the world, bunch of crazies Vote Obama and get our lawmakers?to work to fix our country.
lol that just goes to show how inmature are government really is
Yappety Yap Yap...
Nixon made communist China a giant by opening the economic door to them, Bush made Iran a monster by destroying Iraq, their natural enemy and our ally. We built Japan and Germany after they attack us.
The USA kept Latin America from developing by invading their countries, killing their leaders and putting puppet dictators like Pinochet, Batista, Duvalier, . . to have those people exploited and poor. Latin America have all the natural resources we need. Instead of destroying them, the USA should had help them develop. They are our most natural allies.
Just look how we treat Cuba and Venezuela, compare to communist China and Pakistan, they are a real danger to US.
Thomas,
Iraq was never a US ally, they were the lesser of the two threats in the region, but showed their true colors in the late '80s by attacking one of our communications ships the Iran/Iraq conflict in the Gulf.
Saddam was a loose cannon even then.
My dragon is bigger than your dragon ....what a bunch of garbage that passes for news these days