China's economy is growing daily and so are its military resources.China is a communist hardlineing country.The US is currently in trillions of dollars of debt,and lo and behold who is buying rights to thes debts.China. If they bankrupt the US by calling in these debts all at once,it would throw the US into chaos making our dollar worthless overnight,thus setting a great scenario for Invasion and Occupation.Remember though we are progressive minded in the US. China clings to an old ideology in which we are the ultimate enemy and to defeat us would bring their leadership more power at home and would likely put a swift end to much of the dissent they now experiance by reasserting chinese military capability and crushing the most powerful nation on earth.
127221
China is a threat but by far not the real threat. Its nation has survived for thousands of years. These people are not stupid; Eastern military thought is superior to that of the West, even if their military technology is not as advanced as the West's. The Chinese follows the wisdom of Sun Tzu's Art of War; the most important teaching it has is: "To win a thousand victories is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."\n\nIndeed the US is in debt, just like -every- other country in the world. China would not have to even invade and occupy the US; why would it want that responsibility? It already has 2 billion people to worry about. To become the global hegemone, they only need to sit back and watch the United States throw away its people and its money in its foolish exploits around the world (ie, Iraq?). We are weakening ourselves tremendously in all areas. We are alienating our "allies." We are expending our treasury. We are dulling our weapons of war.\n\nHowever, we must also look at a greater threat to every country in the world. Globalization is demolishing national identities and borders. Multinational Corporations, which have no loyalty to their home countries nor the host countries, are able to manipulate governments to do their bidding. The scariest part is that there is no morality and little accountability; the bottom line of capitalism is making profits at any cost. There is no built in morality within capitalism, rather it relies whatever morality a capitalist has beforehand. Other non-state actors also can threaten the United States of America, such as gangs, drug cartels, mafias, etc. MS-13 is the most dangerous gangs in the US, and it is destroying us from the inside.\n\nIf we faced China, it would be easier to know who the enemy is and how to fight them. But as we can see in the past few years, it is the more shadowy enemy that we cannot fight or defeat. Al Qaeda is a perfect example of this. It has been years, but we still have not been able to destroy this organization. States seem to be helpless when it comes to fighting non-state actors, but it is no surprise. Non-state actors have to deal with less bureaucracy, don't have many worries that state actors have. As a result, they are flexible, fast, invisible, all over the place, and deadly (thanks to technology like internet, explosives, WMDs, etc).\n\nBut it is not surprising. Before 1648, there was no modern state. There were only non-state actors. And now they will rise again, over the ashes of the states. It sounds apocolyptic, but we only need to see recent events to see that states have a very difficult time fighting them.
148971
The PRC is "dangerous", sure, but it's a lot less dangerous to the rest of the world than, say, the United States.\n\nSo far the PRC has shown little interest in empire-building, with the notable exceptions of Taiwan and Tibet. Chinese military forces stay in and around China. On the other hand, the US military has forces in 182 countries and has invaded two sovereign states (Afghanistan and Iraq) in the last 5 years. I'd feel a lot safer with China as an enemy than the United States.\n\nThat said, China's economic policy is def. dangerous to the rest of the world. The yuan is so undervalued, and the Chinese labor force is so large, that competition is virtually impossible. That's bad news for the rest of us.
537605
Are you saying that China is trying to secure resources?\n\nThat they are using foreign aid to advance their own cause?\n\nThat money/goods are used to influence?\n\nThat instead of armed invasion a less costly means of securing future resources is to 'help' local governments?\n\nThat the world is falling into patterns of expanding and contracting empires? Wow glad I was sitting for this question.
136853
You've tapped a very complicated subject my friend - I think all of macro economics is vague and all of the smartest economists don't agree on what is going on... So I don't think it is intentionally vague - any more than the rest of the economic field....  Also China owning US debt began when they became part of the WTO (I believe this may have happened on Bush's watch, but was started by Clinton - i.e. not a republican/democrat thing.) I don't know how easy it will be to find - but seems like to answer your specific question you would want to understand the ownership of US treasury securities.  If you are just curious and want to know about this stuff - China does hold a large portion of our debt and that is because we spend more money than we have and they save more money than they make.  We have trade deficit with China because we want to buy their goods, because they are cheap.  In the past they have been more than happy to lend us the money to do so.  But if we don't watch it, our creditors are going to start saying no.  The opinion of congress right now is that this is China's fault and that they are a currency manipulator who should let their currency appreciate.
382910
I'm not sure what grade level we're going for here, because if it's for  middle school, you don't want to get too complicated.\n\nEssentially though:\n\nComparision: China started implementing a lot of reforms in the late 1970s to open their communist style of government (where the government owns all the industry) to having more market style. And this has helped their industry boom to now. United States is a market based economy.\n\nContrast: US's GDP is about 10 times that of China's, and the per capita in US is also about 10 times as high. Most of US economy is the service sector (people providing services that they charge money for) whereas most of China's economy is industry (making stuff).\n\nChina's economy is growing at about 10% a year, and the US is growing at about 3% a year.\n\nAlso, a big difference in US economy/society and China is that in the US, there are more safeguards for Intellectual Property...meaning if someone creates something, we give them patents so they can say it is their idea and make money on it. In China intellectual property isn't really as valuable, so that stifles a lot of their creativity or desire to create new things.\n\nAlso a big difference is the US currency, the dollar, is traded on the open market. Meaning other people can buy or sell the dollar, so the value of it can change depending on how powerful people think our economy is. On the other hand, China's government decides how much the Chinese currency, the yuan, should be worth.
207539
You said it, and mentioned the dangers and benefits for China.  They get the technology, and the jobs. Plus they don't allow much importing, unless some of the process is there.  The exception is raw materials.  They actually have the right idea.  Eventually US politicians are going to let everything leave the US, and we will loose in the long run.  One day, China will be the only super-power.  I just hope I'm gone before that happens.
215057
you're probably refering to the middle east.  I am not a subscriber to most theories on why american troops are there.  I don't think bush did it for the money; he did it as an economic attack on china.  China's growing economy and mass of people makes it  a huge threat to the american way of life, both economically and physically.  Their mass growth is highly dependant on oil, more so than our economy is.  Doubling, or tripling the cost of oil is a very effective assault on a massive country's growth while only lightly affecting america's economy.  That is, how many people do you know who have stopped driving?  An extremely low number of people have even reduced the amount they drive...  Prices of construction, shipping, and other things we take for granted have risen only very slightly.  Using oil is very basic in the technological chain, but to a county still essentially developing it's value is 10 times what it is to a fully developed country.  It has so much to do with politics and so little to do with oil...\n\nWhy we don't switch.  While it is a good point that the oild companies profit from not switching, it's so much more complicated than being a conspiracy of big oil companies against the country.  The cost of converting to an alternative fuel source would be large, incredibly large.  Keeping away from everything else that uses oil, big parts of idustry, and sticking only to transportation.  Every single car, truck, bus, bulldozer, some planes, in america would have to be replaced.  Ok, not too bad, could be done in 15-25 years.  But every person would have to accept the change and people in general don't like change.  Also, every single fueling station would have to change over, which is in the range of trillions of dollars in cost.  The technology must be established, accepted, and actually implemented.  On top of that, the entire country would have to agree as to which particular energy source we switch to; that's very difficult in it's own right.  This is a subject which can barely have the surface scratched on yahoo'o format.  It deserves, and has received, thousands of articles much longer than I care to write and much more technical than I can even pretend to understand without studying them in detail.  It's not a simple thing for a country which is entirely dependant on oil to just up and switch to something else.
31160
Part of it has to due with their huge population. A lot of jobs have been outsourced to China because they can make it cheaper because they don't have things like a minimum wage like America. Therefore they can always "find someone else" to fill a job.
1820
It has been talked about so if diplomatic talks dont work yes.  America would be involved diplomatically, but not by sending ground troops to the area.  Its all about the time line, currently the military is downsizing, but at the same time fighting two wars (IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN)  To take on a power like China (pop. 1.4 billion, military is 5 times the size of USA) we would need some major backing.  Not likely, in fact America is probably very afriad to go to war with such a power as China, they have Nukes.
157348
America's economy is a house of cards waiting to fall. if HALF the foreign investers cashed in their Treasury notes, the country would  go belly up. We are the largest debtor nation in the world, and lately foreigners have begun curtailing their buying of more Treasury notes as a result.\nI'll believe this current administration about their claims of a robust economy the day AFTER weapons of mass destruction are found in Iraq! (in Saddam's pocket, perhaps?)
229382
B/c it's apart of International Politics. You must understand that there is no such thing as debt. Money is a substance regulated by people who also spend.\n\nI don't lose sleep at night.\n\nHere's a suggestion, let's stop giving other countried money and collect the debt owed to us, oh, and take out China - fincially.
117813
Well, the invasion of Iraq may have occured because of that in part. However, the securing of oil reserves is also part of it.  The Peak of Oil production has limited the remaining oil in the world to approximately 1 trillion barrels, that means as more is pumped out there will be less for increasing demand. (Picture the top of a bell curve)  Holding onto oil allows for the continued supply.\n\n   As for the bourse coming online at the end of this week in Iran, it may lead to the dumping of US currencies by countries like China and Russia as well as the European Union.  These state actors won't dump all their currency, but since China holds over 800 million US dollars, they may divest a few hundred million in order to pick up Euros a more stable currency that has far less debt behind it. (Over 8 Trillion dollars if you've been following the news).  The result is a devaluation of the US currency and inflation to prop it up.  \n   Will the USA go into Iran?  I doubt it, it's 3 times the size of Iraq and the US does not have the military to put soldiers on the ground to hold what it might initially be able to take.  Also, since Iraq and Iran are, for religious reasons far closer than than have ever been, the prospect of fighting a mass uprising in Iraq while in Iran is too real to consider.  \n   There have been suggestions of nuclear weapons being used to neutralize threats.  I doubt the USA wants the political fall-out domestically and internationally to let the nuclear genie out of the bottle again.  \n  Will oil be sold in Euros?  Almost certainly, will it negatively affect the US economy, definitely.  Can it be moderated?  Possibly, by negotiating with Iran to sell in Euros in increments.  Will negotiations take place?  It doesn't seem likely given the current political tone.  Is it a mess?  One like that hasn't been seen since World War 2.
659106
the 21st century has already been described as the "Chinese century."  If you want your kids to be REALLY employable when they're older, get them to learn Chinese.  Not because the Chinese will take over the world militarily (perhaps), but because they will become an exporting powerhouse.  Cheap labor, high exports...makes for a good economy.\n\nAs for whether the Chinese would "massacre" as another user said is to be seen.  I wonder what the Mongols would have thought of that statement!\n\nRussia doesn't have the power to control the various criminal elements in their society, nor the economy to generate the finances to control the world.\n\nAmerica will remain a powerhouse both militarily and economically for the foreseeable future.  I had to sound like a cliche but as long as there are men and women willing to give their life for the liberty and freedom America stands for America will continue to exist as a powerhouse.
673483
Well ... the bush economy is based upon cutting taxes and borrowing vast sums of money from communist China to make up the difference.\n\nSo if we are to follow our leaders'  example .. the we should all be going into deep credit debt.
313238
Worst possible senerio would be the default of the Treasure and the collapse of the US and then the World Economies. What needs to happen is for the USA to stop spending increases and raise taxes. Tarriffs on imports would also help the American economy by making the price of imports higher relative to domestic products. The Unions are not helping situations either. I agree that the objective for all workers is to make as much money as you can, but to insist that you make so much money that you bankrupt the company is stupid. If the company does not make money , then neither do the employees in the long run. It is very dangerous for the United States to run a trade deficit, especially with a country like China.
104207
I agree with you. We and the entire world should free China. However, it is not that simple.\n\nFor starters China is one of the world's five big military powers.(The other four are the U.S.A., Russia, France,and the U.K..)It has nuclear weapons that can easily reach any part of Europe or North America. To go to war with Comunist China would mean that we whould have to go into a nuclear war that would destroy thChinese Even if we where able to keep the war conventional, and were not going to be able, the Chinesee have one of the worlds largest armies. Even if we drafted every one in America, we still could not match them on a one to one basis. \n\nThe other reason why we can't bring democracy to China is that it would not allow American companies to get away with the kind of stuff they are getting away with. I hate to say it, but when it comes to scrubles vs. money-we Americans always choose money!\n\nAre best hope is that outside influences motivates the Chineese people into taking action and overthrowing it's government.
440261
This couldn't have been done 100 yrs. ago, let alone today.  No one in the states today wears clothes made in the USA.  We are so tangled with the Global Economy, we couldn't function if we withdrew.  There  would be no cars, computers, TV, trade of any kind, etc.  if we did that.  We have to be involved.  The question is about who is making the deals we get in, and who do they serve?  Today, we have been sold down the river by the powerful and they don't care what happens to you or your country.  We  should be telling them to go screw themselves.