reply to post by mattifikation
Exactly.
Chinawhite posted some pictures and hard data about China's PLAN in the weaponry forum, without any chest-thumping BS, "just the facts ma'am"
That's what the weaponry forum is here for, informative discussion about weaponry, duh
In response we got a bunch of political sniping totally inappropriate to the thread, some staggeringly childish nationalist bragging, etc...
I am very ashamed of the behavior of my American countrymen in this thread.
Are Americans the only people allowed to take pride in the things they build?
Kids, get some things through your head:
China and the US are not enemies.
We are not at war with China, and have no major ongoing disputes with China. China is not an economic "enemy" either, actually they've been
propping up our dollar for a while now.
They've also been cooperative on diplomatic issues, acting as a broker in our talks with the North Koreans for example.
The Taiwan issue is also exaggerated: China is unlikely to use force against Taiwan unless Taiwan declares independence - and the US (even the Bush
administration) is
also opposed to any kind of formal independence for Taiwan. We have endorsed the "One China Policy" - that Taiwan is part
of China and they will eventually be reunited -
since 1973.
On to the military aspect of things - China's current military modernization (the term "buildup" is incorrect since their force size is actually
shrinking steadily) is pretty clearly defensive in nature. As a growing economic and political power they are building a military that is
appropriately powerful.
However it's pretty clear their acquisitions have not emphasized global power projection, but regional power - IE the areas off their coast. As a
major maritime trading nation, a strong navy is a must.
When the US military discusses the Chinese military "threat", they are not saying that China is actually "threatening" the US. They are simply
doing their jobs, and analyzing the
potential threat posed by China
if we were to come into conflict. It is the military's
job
to make contingency plans like this, and they are doing it.
It doesn't mean China is waiting to Pearl Harbor us
Last: knowing some active-duty Navy folks, I can assure you they do not share the contempt for China's military shown here. They are aware that China
is a growing power with some very capable forces, and they take Chinese capabilities very seriously.
Then again, they're highly-trained professionals, not macho nationalist clowns posting content-challenged BS on a message board
Anyway, thanks again Chinawhite for trying to inform ATS'ers
