If you’ve ever wondered why there’s so much tension between the US and Chinese military, then maybe you need to do some digging and do some reading. Now there are all kinds of great reports from the RAND Corporation, the US government, and many of the free market economic think tanks. Those are all good places to get information. And I’d also like to recommend a pretty good book, one that I have, and it’s one that will enlighten you a bit;
“Red Dragon Rising: China’s military threat to the United States is coming” by Edward Timberlake and William C. Triplett II, Regnery Publishing Inc. a division of Eagle Press, Washington DC, USA; 1999, ISBN: 0-89526-258-4.
Many parts of this book are very graphic descriptions and images of actions taken by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army or PLA against, unfortunately, its own people, and many of these are human rights abuses that have been talked about in the United States for years. It seems that China is turning around, but they are still very interested in controlling their population, their media, and even the internet.
China likes to be in control of a lot of things, and its centrally planned way of doing things includes almost every aspect of its society and civilization. From its industrial clusters to its climate, China wants to be in control. Lately, they have been working very hard to win back the disputed territories and are aiming to finally reunite with Taiwan.
Although this book was written before the year 2000, it makes a number of bold statements, such as the fact that China has nuclear weapons aimed at the United States, that Chinese spies have stolen vital national security secrets, high-tech industrial know-how, and even sold weapons to our enemies. We would like to think ever since, after helping China on its way to becoming the third largest economy in the world, that they would not only be our favorite trading partners, but also our best friends.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case, and I think it’s important to read what was going on before the year 2000, as well as what’s happening now in the world as far as China is concerned. I would recommend that anyone who claims to be an expert on China, its military, its economy, or its future read this book first.
In fact, I would go as far as to say that China needs to work very hard to become America’s best friend, and not just in name, but in actual action as well. Otherwise, the future Cold War with China could end very differently than it did with the Russians. We have to be thinking here, and take this more seriously. Indeed, China is a great place to visit, amazing culture and history, and it is paramount that we remain friends. But at the same time, let’s not kid ourselves.