Our Appetite For Cheap Chinese Goods Will Spell Our Defeat
By Dave Gibson (02/20/07)
China is a sickly, sleeping giant. But when she awakens the world will tremble. -Napoleon Bonaparte, 1803
China now has the fastest growing economy in the world. America's $200 billion dollar annual trade deficit with China is the major factor fueling that economy. As our dependence on cheaply-made Chinese goods increases, so does the size of China's military. That nation's accelerating military build up is reminiscent of those of Germany and Japan prior to World War II.
The Chinese government claims that their defense budget has grown by 15 percent every year since 1990. However, the Rand Corp. issued a 2005 report claiming that China actually spends 40 to 70 percent more in military expenses than they report. The report stated that China spends about $69 billion annually. China is now only second to the U.S. in the percentage of GDP spent on the military.
In China's Liaoning Province, forced labor factories abound. The laborers are being held in Chinese prisons, many of them are actually political prisoners. Several Chinese factories are run by the military, which profits directly from Chinese-made goods sold in the U.S.
China has produced 23 new submarines in the last four years alone. Even more troubling to the tiny nation of Taiwan is the fact that the Chinese Navy is now building dozens of amphibious ships.
Last October, a Chinese Song-class submarine stalked the USS Kitty Hawk battle group. The submarine was not detected until it surfaced, well within torpedo range.
Richard Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center said of the incident: "Given the long range of new Chinese sub-launched anti-ship missiles and those purchased from Russia, this incident is very serious. It will likely happen again, only because Chinese submarine captains of 40 to 50 new modern submarines entering their navy will want to test their mettle against the 7th Fleet."
A little over a month ago, the Chinese military destroyed an old weather satellite with an extremely advanced surface to air missile. The satellite was smaller than the average-sized refrigerator and orbited 530 miles above the earth. The weather satellite traveled within the same orbit as do U.S. spy satellites.
Equally disturbing as China's apparent preparation for war is that nation's growing relationship with Iran. Last year, China entered into a deal with Iran to develop their Yadavaran oil fields. China's SINOPEC will produce 180,000 barrels a day and purchase 10 million tons of liquefied natural gas annually for the next 25 years.
The following business dealings currently take place between China and Iran:
-over 100 Chinese companies do business with Iran
-Chinese contracting firms are now building airports in six Iranian cities
-China already receives 14 percent of their oil imports from Iran
Given China's relationship with Iran and the growing amount of oil which China will import from that nation to fuel their economy, the longer the West puts off our inevitable show-down with Iran--the more dangerous that confrontation will become. A well-armed China will not sit idly by and watch as U.S. bombs fall on Iranian oil fields and pipelines.
As droves of American companies decide to relocate their factories to China, we are slowly surrendering to our inevitable enemy. As our manufacturing base disappears, so does our ability to mass produce the weapons of war.
At the beginning of World War II, factories across the country began to re-tool and switched from producing consumer goods to military weapons. Because of the war effort, no American automobiles were made from 1942-1945. Those factories were instead turning out jeeps, half-tracks, and tanks.
Once Congress declared war, assembly line workers who had been building washing machines, were suddenly producing artillery shells. Factories which were turning-out headlights for automobiles, were now fabricating turret canopies for B-17 bombers.
During World War II, the Ford Motor Co. produced B-24 Liberator bombers at their Ypsilanti, MI plant. They also built jeeps, tanks, half-tracked personnel carriers, and armored cars in their Richmond, CA plant. In contrast to that patriotic contribution, Ford announced last year that they are closing three U.S. plants and moving them to Mexico. To allow an exodus of American factories is not only devastating to our middle class, it represents a strategic nightmare.
When China's aggression becomes a frightening reality and the only thing produced in this country is pornography...How will we defend ourselves?
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