Protesting the Olympic Torch

Today, President Hu began the Olympic torch on its way around the globe. Currently, China is being criticized for its treatment of Tibet. Tibetan monks have been imprisoned, and many detained because of protests. Western media has been removed from the region and censored by the Chinese government.

Now, with the torch making its way around the world, I am sure that people will protest along its route. But will the protests influence any policy in China. Will China actually allow Tibetan independence? However, the torch is a symbol of the Olympics, not Chinese oppression. China will not change their stance on Tibet, and a teenager holding a sign in Germany will not change China's mind. Thousands of people in New York will have no impact.

The countries participating in the Olympics are not going to boycott. As sad as it is to say, it would seem that nothing done outside of China is going to change what is done inside of China. Economic boycotts are going to influence more than a verbal protest. The people in China will not see the protests on TV, but stop buying goods, and the lack of money may hit home.

Global dependence on oil

With China demanding so much oil regardless of the price , the demand in the fuel market is unchanged by rising costs and prices. If the supply for oil is unequal to the demand the market can set whatever price they want and consumers will buy it regardless. The United States and other nations like China, Japan, and India need to forget about oil and stop the demand. Pollution is a global phenomenon and the use of oil is a large part of the problem. Alternative fuel sources are feasible and could be mass produced if only supported by the masses. It will take loads of government funding and policy changes, but this solution is an alternative to oil dependence. Also, most of the turmoil in the Middle East is caused by Oil... so, is oil the root to economic instability? The economy is adversily affected by the price of oil per barrel and the demand must be cut inorder to combat the problem of dependence for a global ecological turning point to take place. What will ultimately cause nations to all agree that fossil fuels and non-renewable resource are not the solution to energy problems?

Center for Asian Democracy

This past week the Center for Asian Democracy held a lecture on India. The topic seemed a little off topic being that our class has been discussing Taiwan, China and now Japan, however, I attended anyway. The speaker discussed an individual who was very dedicated to his sister. His sister died at an early age and he spent the rest of his life trying to dedicate and keep remembered the name and life of his sister. Again, I was still confused on why my senior seminar class would be invited to such a lecture and was wondering how I was supposed to write a critical analysis relating this lecture to class. However, after deep thought I figured out the connection. It may seem off the wall to some, but the individual discussed in this lecture (I cannot spell his name so I keep calling him individual) is related to its Asian counterparts of Japan, China and Taiwan in respect to loyalty. All of these countries believe in Divine loyalty for their country or their cause. The person discussed in the lecture on Thursday for the Center of Asian Democracy showed the utmost loyalty to his sister after his death, so much so as to abandon his own wife and children and live where the people adorned and respected him, the life of his sister and his beliefs. Upon further reflection, it reminded me of how the Asian culture does seem to have a lot more loyalty for causes they believe in or their family versus America who believes in worrying mostly about a person individually. Some may not agree, but that is what I got from the lecture.

India's Betrayal

China has been seeking India's approval of the PRC's Tibet policy in light of recent suppressions. Perhaps this gesture is intended as a slap in the face of the Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since 1959, as well as India's 150,000 Tibetan refugees. India, a traditional supporter of Tibet, responded by saying they did not support Tibetan independence. Is this a roundabout way of affirming China's policy? Despite its ambivalence, this stance explains India's recent refusal to allow large-scale Tibetan protests.

Plea to China to keep Olympics TV live

China has been asked not to delay transmission of the Olympics in Beijing. Concerns were raised after the Chinese censored the Tibet uprisings at a torch-lighting ceremony in Greece. Beijing pledged to transmit the Olympics live over two years ago.

To read more: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b59d7fae-11dc-9229-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

Majority Will Rule

Since the days of colonialism, the countries that held the most power also held the most wealth. Countries such as England, and Spain, were the diving force in the "evolution" of the worlds future, and whose mission was to accumulate more wealth, and in doing so, the western European people ended up in sporadic colonies around the world.
Today it is a different story. The whole nature of life, wealth and power, has completely changed. There is more of an emphasis on solving current wide spread problems that affect us all. (although the main negative sources of information would have you believe differently, i.e. anything on T.V.)
A countries power will reside in its abilities to solve and FIX the problems of tomorrow. And who is on top of solving their own problems of tomorrow? China. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) in Beijing, is a major think tank. It has over 4000 full time researchers, in over 260 fields of thought. The whole Continent of Europe just scraped 1000, and in the U.S. there is at most around 10,000. The CASS is just ONE academy among many, dedicated to solving problems. The great number of people, make this possible, by default majority always has ruled, and always will rule, in the future to come.

660 Held in Tibetan Uprising, China Says

Austin Vowels
660 Held in Tibetan Uprising, China Says
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/world/asia/27tibet.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

The Tibet issue is a problem for the Chinese domestically, but the US, with its huge umbrella in influence will also need to take a stand. What should it be? To promote negotiations! Several concerns need to be considered for the US to decide that this should be done: the Chinese opinion, the US antiwar opinion, and the US democracy opinion.
First it is necessary to know why China does not want to grant Tibet independence. Considering the social, political, and economic problems of Tibet, that it is poor, unstable, and in need of much social welfare that China is not providing, it seems as if it could be dropped by China. China, however, refuses to do something like this because first, they policy decision are partially morally-based, and currently China does provide some social welfare to the area through government (where they would not if granted independence), and second because if China grants Tibet Independence, it would make their more valuable territory, Taiwan, argument for independence stronger, which they are not willing to do (nor do they want to loose Taiwan). Thus, US intervention with either territory might cause military action from China.
The US is very antiwar, in its current state. Recent elections (midterm 2006) have showed this with congressional turnover toward antiwar, and the democratic parties growth since 2004. It is also seen the call for the end of military action in Iraq. The US cannot intervene directly with saying who should or should not be granted independence, because the US, currently, wants to avoid war at all costs.
The US also likes to promote peace and democracy, as seen currently in the decision to continue military action in Iraq. Thus, to continue to let Tibet be so unstable and in need of help would be considered inhumane by most US citizens. This means the US should promote independence, but not in a black and white way.
The US’s stance on this issue should be to promote negotiations between Tibet (and Taiwan for that matter) and China. The US could take the role of a mediator. However this will be no easy task for the US because of the Chinese communist system.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Speak to Tibetans

Pelosi, speaking to a crowd of thousands of cheering Tibetans in Dharmsala, the seat of the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile, said the following: "If freedom loving people throughout the world do not speak out against China's oppression in China and Tibet, we have lost all moral authority to speak on behalf of human rights anywhere in the world."

Pelosi added, "The situation in Tibet is a challenge to the conscience of the world." After meeting with the Dalai Lama, Pelosi described him as the "embodiment of non-violence." She is reluctant to believe Chinese allegations that the Dalai Lama encouraged the violent protest erupting in China. Nonetheless, Pelosi class for an independent, outside investigation to clear the Dalai Lama's name.

China Continues Its Stance On Tibet

China has been lashing out at those who have been criticizing their government’s involvement in the protests in Tibet. The Chinese government has targeted the western media in it's drive to suppress this insurrection. The government claims that the Western media is trying to smear the communist party. In turn, the Chinese media has broadcast a rebuttal that presents it own version of the anti-Chinese protests. The Chinese media has placed most of the blame on the Dalai Lama. The Chinese government believes that the group who follows the Dalai Lama is planning to make the Chinese government make concessions before the arrival of the Summer Olympics. The Dalai Lama has denied being involved in the riots and has stated his support of China’s hosting of the Olympics. It is clear that the Tibetan riots are a public relations mess for China—especially due to their timing--right before the Olympics.

Timing of Tibet Protest

In a recent New York Times article, Tibetan monks stage a large protest while Western journalist toured the Chinese autonomous state. From a strategic position, the monks staged this rally just at the right moment. Chinese officials took the journalist there in hopes of showing the violence against Tibetan people was only because of the violence brought against the people of the Han ethnicity. Once the protest broke out, Chinese national police forced the journalist away from the scene and forced them to turn off cameras. In an effort to expose the West to a favorable Chinese position in Tibet. However, because of the strategic timing by these monks, Western journalist were censored by the Chinese government.

Will the censorship in Tibet effect international participation in the upcoming Olympics? The United States is pressuring China to engage the Dali Lama in discussion of peace. President Hu is open to discussion as long as the Dali does not want to discuss Tibetan freedom. Will the Beijing Olympics be a national embarassment for China? I am waiting to see how this turns out, but one thing is for sure, Western media does not favor well to censorship. China's may have a pie in the face even before the torch hits Beijing.

Corporate Sponsorship of the Olympics

The Olympics, which normally provide corporations with a venue for low cost global positive advertising through sponsorships, are now under fire after the recent happenings in Tibet. Many individuals and human rights organizations feel that not enough is being done, and China could be pressured to look into the situation and reopen Tibet if Coca Cola and other major brands threatened to pull out of endorsement and support deals. More on the situation can be found here: http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/mar2008/gb20080327_454941.htm?chan=globalbiz_asia+index+page_top+stories

Beijing and Olympic Congestion

This article in The Economist was an interesting read about the plans to reduce the congestion and population in Beijing during the games. The mayor of Beijing announced that the government was going to compensate individuals from driving during the games, because of increase in congestion due to street closers and restrictions. All of this is being done in hopes that it will reduce pollution in the city as the games inch closer. This strategy is interesting in the fact that instead of just ordering people to stay home the administration is using a market approach to reducing pollution in the city.


LINK TO ARTICLE: http://www.economist.com/cities/briefing.cfm?city_id=BJS

Chinese Democracy

In the past China was far from democratic, but more recently trends are changing. The people of China want a word in government and they care about policy. Communism is far less popular than before. But isn't government an evolutionary thing? Over the course of history for China political strife has hotly been an issue. With many internal uprisings against government and political upheavals the Chinese have been molding their selves politically and governmentally. Will true democracy even work in China? If so how can it be achieved and what role can the U.S play in it.

China and the olympics.

Recently some world class athletes have refused to participate in the olympic games in Bejing; this is mainly due to health concerns. With China constantly stating that the games will be safe and healthy many athletes disagree. With pollution and poor air quality the Bejing olympic games are a huge controversy in regards to athletic participation. Even though China has vowed to have the problem fixed in time for the games, it is basically impossible. The Chinese are trying to combat hundreds of years of pollution in a couple years and the possibility is slim to none. With health safety compramising athletic participation how can Bejing overcome these problems?

China U.S trade

When confronting the issue of the MASSIVE trade deficit that the United States has put itself in with China one must examine cultural factors. Why does the U.S wish to keep adding to the deficit with no solution in sight? In short it all boils down to the need for cheap goods, the United States loves a deal and stuff coming from China is definitely cheaper. China is able to sell these goods so cheap because of the abundance of cheap labor that China has. There is no way the United States citizens would work a the rate and pay scale that some Chinese factory worker do. Nevertheless, the U.S is in big trouble with no solution to their growing trade deficit, So I pose the question, what should the U.S do to start combating the issue?

Olympics: Protests

China has decided to increase security for the torch relay of the Olympics. The torch is supposed to arrive in Beijing on March 31st, but will travel through 20 other countries before returning to the mainland. China also decided for the torch to be carried through Tibet and to the top of Mount Everest. Activists groups within Tibet are upset with this decision and believe that Beijing is trying to convey a false message about Asian relations. Protests began in Lhasa on March 10th, where it was reported that 80 Tibetans were killed. China says that the protests were caused by followers of the Dalai Lama. "The more determined the Dalai clique is to ruin the torch relay and the Olympic Games, the more hard and good work we need to do on the preparation and the implementation of all aspects," Yin Xunping, a Communist Party official, was quoted as saying by the Tibet Daily newspaper. Yin is party secretary of the Tibet Mountain Climbing Team, which is participating in the Mount Everest segment of the torch relay.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/03/24/olmpics.security.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch

Chinese police open fire on monks and nuns

Monks, nuns, and local Tibetans were fired on as they marched on a local government office demanding the return of the Dalai Lama. Two people appear to be dead and about a dozen wounded.
To read more visit:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3612661.ece

Blogs

How many people read this? Has it increased your education about this class? I generally copy and paste articles because I find classroom discussion to be more helpful. Having said that, China should free Tibet. The following article shows why:

Tibet

Found this:

Population Facts About China

The current population of China is over 1.3 billion; however, the National Population and Family Planning Commission is working to keep it below 1.37 billion in 2010. When the People's Republic was founded in 1949, the population was only 450 million. [1]

It is no coincidence that China produces and consumes more steel, cement and coal than any other in the world. Over 2,000 residential buildings of 15 or more stories are currently under construction. In fact, a number of residential blocks are being constructed to accommodate the population of 12 million residents and an estimated 3 million migrant workers in Beijing.[2]


[1] O’Donovan, Leo. (February 2006). “The Building Boom in Beijing.” National Catholic Reporter.
[2] Ibid.

Japan's Concrete Ceiling

A recent article in The Independent Magazine revealed some interesting statistics on Japanese sexism in the work place. The phrase 'glass ceiling' in the United States refers to the unfair and institutional difficulty for women to progress upward in the corporate hierarchy. The Independent Magazine contends such a ceiling is far worse in Japan, hence the replacement of 'glass' with 'concrete'.

Here are some of the revealing statistics:

1. Only 0.8% of Japanese CEOs are women.
2. Only 10 per cent of Japanese MPs are women, one of the lowest rates of participation in the developed world.
3. In the professional classes, women make up 9 per cent of lawyers and 8 per cent of the accountants.
4. 70 per cent of women do not return to a job after having a first baby.

The author credits Japan's long tradition of patriarchy and Confucianism as cultural underlings responsible for this disparity.

Taiwan and th U.N.: Even the People say NO.

During the recent elections in Taiwan, a referendum that would try to bring the island state into UN membership under the name "Taiwan" easily failed.

The referendum had garnered widespread disapproval from the international community. Countries such as China, the United States, and many Asian countries, all expressed concern that the referendum brought undue tension to the status-quo between China and Taiwan.

More telling, the popular domestic rejection of such a referendum demonstrates that the Taiwanese people are not yet ready for independence in lieu of economic progress and security.

Taiwan's New President

Good news for the United States and other supporters of the status-quo on the China-Taiwan independence issue: Taiwan has elected a President who favors closer ties to China.

The elections concluded on Saturday and awarded Ma Ying-jeou the winner. Ma actively and openly campaigned for a closer relationship between China and Taiwan. Furthermore, Ma's win was convincing, a near 17-point win with 75% voter turnout in Taiwan... a clear reflection of the Taiwanese people's wishes.

Ma's reasoning for closer relations was almost entirely economic, not political. He contends that a closer relationship with China is Taiwan's best option for recapturing the economic growth rates it enjoyed in the 90's.

Clearly, the most important issue to the majority of Taiwanese is not independence, it is their own financial position. Ma's win also reflects a strong rebound by the KMT Party after suffering losses in many important elections in the 21st century.

Olympics: Tiananmen Ban

According to a recent Associated Press article, the Chinese government has released statements indicating that they may ban broadcasts from Tiananmen during the Olympics. This announcement comes on the heels of increasing tension between the Chinese government and Tibetan pro-independence forces.

Major television networks, like NBC and ABC, have already expressed concern, as these communication juggernauts were counting on showing the iconic Chinese plaza throughout their coverage of the Olympics. This Tiananmen announcement is only part of several actions taken by the Chinese government to increase government security.

All told, this is not good for the Chinese government, who promised the International Olympic Community that the Games would help increase openness in China. So far, that looks like a lie.

Language on Tibet intesifies

Today, Chinese official in Beijing intesified their rhetoric against Tibet pro-independence forces. The Chinese goverment vowed to "crush" the uprisers. Such language is the harshest yet in reaction to the recent Tibetan riots. These statements come in the face of much international pressure for the Chinese government to use restraint, pressure that is seemingly being ignored. The death toll has risen to 19.

One can image other political movements in China will only intesify as the Summer Olympic Games approach.

Tainted Food Strains Relations Between China and Japan

In January of this year 10 Japanese citizens became severely ill after eating dumplings imported from China. It was later discovered that a batch of dumplings from China were contaminated with harmful pesticides. Japanese media has given much attention to this discovery and has created a wave of fear among the Japanese people. This is a major problem for Japan who imports sixty percent of its nation's food supplies. This incident made both countries suspicious of the other and has strained the relations between the two. President Hu Jintao has postponed his scheduled visit to Japan in April because of this poor state of relations. This scheduled visit would be an important event in relations between China and Japan because it would be the first time a Chinese leader has visited Japan in ten years. This comes at a bad time for China who is looking to improve its image world wide before it hosts the Summer Olympics this year.

Protests In Tibet

Currently, China is facing a time of unrest which is demonstrated by large protests in the Tibetan region. The protests started on the anniversary of the 1959 uprising against Chinese rule of the region. The protests have currently escalated to a dangerous point-- strong violence. For example, some Tibetans have begun attacking Chinese people and their shops located in the Tibetan region. In response to this violence, the Chinese government has had to pursue the path of suppression by using a vast number of policemen. The Chinese government has also tried to censor what the world is seeing and hearing about this escalating violence. This has included censoring the Dalai Lama, who has stated that the Chinese government should be investigated for its brutality in the handling of these protests. This situation is going to complicate China's goal of presenting a positive image to the rest of the world as it nears it's global debut of hosting the upcoming Olympics.

Running of the Torch

Austin Vowels
3/19/2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/20/world/asia/20china.html
China won’t alter Olympic Torch Path

This is an article on the Olympics being held in Beijing, and how violent protests in Tibet could potentially hard the Olympic torch barer. This brings up a good question for American Foreign Policy: what stance should we take?
On the one hand, it seems like it is everyone who participates in the Olympics duty to protect the honored tradition of the opening ceremony, but on the other, should the US and everyone else really be a co-participant in China’s immature decision to hold the Olympics in their current social and political state?
The Olympics is noted world round as an event that bring countries together in good spirit despite whatever else is going on in the world. The Chinese are especially playing off of this with their decision to host the games, by calling the torch running a “Journey of Harmony”. Are they trying to be a peaceful nation?
China can barely afford to take care of its own people. Less than 50% of the people in China have health insurance, and there is no social security for the elderly. The welfare state in China is very poor, with the government contributing very little. Now, they are holding the games, and spending much of their budget to do it. This seems irresponsible and frivolous. There is every right to protest by the people. It is very unlikely this decision would have been made had the majority of people been asked what they would rather spend their government funding on. Are the Chinese sacrificing their people’s well-being to try and make better foreign relations? If they are, should the US foreign policy allow/promote or forbid/demote this?
The Olympics are a double edged sword for China.

The Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama was denounced this week by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. This headline was utterly shocking to me, as the Dalai Lama is supposed to be about taking peaceful measures to ensure a better life for yourself and those around you. To hear that the Dalai Lama was denounced by a country's leader raises an eyebrow to what could drive a country to denounce such a popular peaceful, well regarded individual. Chinese Premier Wen believes that the Dalai Lama's followers purposely set up violent attacks in China. I am not sure if the Premier is saying this to save face or if it is a total lie, however, if it turns out that it is true that the Dalai Lama's followers provoked such a massacre in China, then he is to be looked at differently in my eyes, not as the once oh so powerful, peace by all means man.

Lasting Effects of the A-Bomb

http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/431338
Japan recently expanded the eligibility for medical benefits of those who may be suffering the lasting effects of the atomic bomb. The length of time and geography are being broadened, so that now more people who suffer from certain specific diseases are able for government benefits not before afforded. For me, this is really interesting. Although the bombs were dropped during an officially declared war, and may have been necessary, it is interesting to see that Japan is still dealing with the lasting effects of it while they continue to trade heavily with the United States.

Tibet Videos on YouTube blocked by China

Given the recent events in Tibet, it will be interesting to see how the Chinese government reacts once the immediate knee-jerk reactions play out. The Chinese government predictably restricted the free flow of information about the riots by blocking access to YouTube and other outlets. With the Olympics coming up and China's desire to portray a positive image on the world stage, they will certainly try to either brush these events under the rug or at least try to re-frame the events in a more positive light. It would seem that the ongoing situation in Tibet could serve as an example of what may happen if a forced reunification with Taiwan ever happens. In that respect, I would think that the Chinese government would prefer the status-quo over another potential situation like what is happening Tibet, which only serves to solidify China's poor reputation on human rights.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080316/D8VEIL4O0.html

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080315/D8VE3B700.html

Riots, Again

If anyone happened to walk by a TV this last week, (that happens to have a certainly non-bias news station that is not just gathering ratings for their own profit), would have most likely heard about the recent Tibetan riots against the Chinese government. In the recent past the violence and riots were mainly contained to Tibet, but last Sunday, the violence spread to other provinces. The tensions are at an all time high, with Buddhist monks being the main advocates of the demonstrations. This is a big shock to me, Buddhist monks are taught and trained to be at peace and they whole heatedly believe in KARMA. Several officers were killed and lit on fire... now I'm pretty sure that lighting someone on fire isn't good karma, but in these monks minds the officers/ government "has it coming to them (karma)" For Buddhist monks to even open there mouth once in a day is a very sacred thing, but with them rioting one has to think that there's something else going on here. Its called the struggle for democracy...

Necessary Cooperation between China and the U.S.

Jin Cantong (2007), deputy of the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China, argues that bilateral cooperation between the China and the United States is important in order to stimulate growth. China and United States can work together to combat terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and “hotspots issues” like North Korea, Iran and Kashmir, and UN reform. Moreover, UN reform, maintaining regional and global financial stability, slowing down global climate change, and curbing drug trafficking can be accomplished with bilateral cooperation. Cantong points to the quest for oil as an example where bilateral cooperation would be effective. Relations between China and the United States should be constructive, and with regards to oil, the two countries should collaborate on developing a new energy source.[1]


[1] Cantong, J. (February 2007). “Pacific Partners.” Beijing Review, 50(8): 8-9.

Follow up to Increase Military Spending in China

Despite increasing spending on military, U.S.-China relations will remain stable. Because of strong economic incentives, Chinese foreign policy will remain “pragmatic and diplomatic.”[1] China’s survival rests on economic growth which is largely dependent on trade, foreign investments, and access to natural resources and foreign technology. Lake Wang, Senior Editor of the Harvard International Review, said, “It is unlikely that the Chinese government will stray form its path of cooperation and accommodation. If the Chinese relationships with the rest of the world diminish, then the Chinese economy could diverge from its current economic trajectory of growth and stability.”[2]

[1] Wang, L. (Fall 2007). “The Good Neighbor: Why China Cooperates.” Harvard International Review.
[2] Ibid.

In China: Human Rights Lawyer Goes Missing

Here's another recent case of a Chinese human rights lawyer, Teng Biao, in trouble. His wife thinks that he is being detained by the authorities because of his political activism. He has been urging the communist party to improve its human rights policies before the 2008 olympics. He and a friends of his, who is currently detained by authorities as well, posted a letter on the internet entitled, "The Real China and the Olympics." The letter was critical of the government stating that they were not keeping their promise of improving its human rights. It's a little bit ironic that this is happening because doesn't it just prove Mr. Teng's point?

Asian Men Can Buy Poor Asian Wives

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-02-27-brides_N.htm

According to this article, the number of marriages between foreign women and men from several Asian countries (including Japan), are greatly increasing. As Japanese women become more business-minded and less interested in "wifely duties", and the popularity of arranged marriage wains, men are venturing to poorer Asian countries and looking for love, using their personal wealth and the opportunities for economic advancement to influence these women. Some argue that these men are simply buying slaves, but the issue seems more complex than that.

Human Rights Develop Before The Olympics

A Chinese land rights activist, Yang Chunlin, went on trial recently for protesting the Beijing Olympics. Yang (a laid off factory worker) collaborated with farmers whose land was taken from them for development purposes by the government. He gathered signatures on a letter in an attempt to gain land rights for farmers. That letter was later posted to the Internet. Yang argued in court that the land that the farmers lost had been taken wrongly because it was seized without the Cabinet’s permission. The official charge against Yang is subversion of state power. No doubt Beijing is trying to halt any dissent before the world visits China for the Summer Games.

China's Increasing Military Spending

Austin Vowels
China Plans Steep Increase in Military Spending
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/world/asia/05china.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin
March 5, 2008

This article raises some important questions about American Foreign Policy, and the direction it will take in the future. As of now, the US is a super power, more than twice as powerful as any other nation. How long will this trend continue? The recent trends in countries like China, Japan, and Russia are changing the global climate, bit by bit.
This article of which this is a commentary on specifically shows one aspect of how the global climate is changing: military build up in China. While, as the article states, China is still spending less on military than most other countries, and that they are also increasing spending by significant margins (17%+) for two years in a role now, it should also be known that there is another aspect to consider in this issue, the value that China could be buying with this increase. Currently, many economists are advising that the Yen needs to be reevaluated (including presidential candidate advisors).[1] So could China be building even more of a Defense than we suspect? Bit by bit, China is becoming more powerful militarily, as they also have economically.
With Japan and Russia both building economically, the power grasp the US has is slipping. Japan has built economically for the past 50 years via US protection from the security agreement. The US is currently turning toward Russia for its natural gas supply. These are all ways showing how the US power is diminishing. Considering that most states only maintain dominate power of the world for about a century, this article and other current trends are hinting that the US may follow this trend and lose its super power status in the future.
[1] Council on Foreign Relations. The Candidates on US Policy toward China. February 2008. http://www.cfr.org/publication/14759/candidates_on_us_policy_toward_china.html

Japan officials worry about yen's rise

Finance and economy ministers in Japan are worried about the yen's sharp rise against the dollar fearing that it may slow the nation's export-dependent economy. The seven percent fall of the dollar erodes Japanese exporters' overseas earnings and makes exports more expensive. The strong yen is hurting the profits of Japanese corporations.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080304/japan_strong_yen.html?.v=1

Trade Disputes Between China and the U.S. Escalate

Earlier today the United States joined the European Union to file suit against China in the World Trade Organization. The suit protests China's use of a government agency to distribute foreign financial information. The U.S. Trade Envoy believes that this places U.S. and European distributors at a competitive disadvantage against Chinese suppliers. The suit filed specifically requests "dispute settlement consultations" from the World Trade Organization. The suit also protests the partial ban of foreign made films allowed in China. The U.S. claims that though American movies are legally banned, that American films are being pirated at enormous rates. They claim the ban is designed for economic reasons, not legal ones. The Bush administration claims that these restrictions are more severe than the ones from a dispute in 1997 in which the U.S. won an agreement on. To read more go to http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/business/worldbusiness/03cnd-trade.html?ref=worldbusiness

Japan Whaling

Japan has been actively involved in whaling, while the rest of the world has taken a stand and completely stopped. What is the purpose of Japan's whaling efforts and why have they not fallowed the rest of the modern world in halting these practices. Whaling is a huge moneymaker in Japanese culture because the animal can be used in so many things. Whales are being more and more rare, and new remedies have been developing to replace their old purposes. Hopefully the international culture will take a stand and confront Japan about the problem, but until then it is up the activist.
(Check out this website)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7274345.stm

Whalers in Japan

What do you guys think...
I found the following on CNN:

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Anti-whaling protesters hurled containers of butyric acid at a Japanese whaling ship in Antarctic waters, injuring four crew members, a Japanese official said Monday.

Activists from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society hurl objects on to the Japanese ship Nisshin Maru.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society acknowledged the Sunday incident, saying it had lobbed more than two dozen bottles of rotten butter at the Nisshin Maru, "sending a stench throughout the whale killing ship that will remain for days."
Butyric acid is found in rotten butter.
The Sea Shepherd boat had to move a half-mile away from the whaling ship because "it stinks too bad to remain any closer," activist Todd Emko of New York said in a statement from the group. Watch protesters toss objects at the ship »
The conservation group said it also threw packets of a slippery chemical on to the deck of the ship, making it difficult to cut up whales.
The unnamed substance becomes more slippery when mixed with water so it will be difficult to wash off the deck, a Sea Shepherd statement said.
Don't Miss
Grim photos released in battle over whaling
Japan resumes Antarctic whale hunt
Anti-whaling activists handed over
"I guess we can call this nonviolent chemical warfare," said Capt. Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd boat, the Steve Irwin. "We only use organic, nontoxic materials designed to harass and obstruct ... whaling operations."
Itsunori Onodera, Japan's senior vice minister for foreign affairs, described the incident at an international seminar for African and Asian delegates to the International Whaling Commission.
He said the Sea Shepherd group threw bags of acid, rather than bottles of rancid butter.
Onodera told the audience that the crew complained of injuries afterward, but he didn't elaborate.
Sea Shepherd's U.S. office said it did not know of any injuries.
Sea Shepherd interferes with Japanese hunts in an attempt to reduce the number of whales taken. In January, two activists from the group were seized when they boarded another Japanese whaling ship.
Japan is lobbying a dozen members of the International Whaling Commission in Tokyo to support its much-criticized Antarctic whaling program. The effort comes before all 78 members of the panel this week in London, England. The commission is meeting to discuss reaching an agreement on whale conservation rules.
Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Fisheries Agency are making their case to officials from Angola, Eritrea, the Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Palau, Micronesia, Cambodia, Laos and Vanuatu.
Japan has said it is conducting the hunt as research, calling the practice environmentally and scientifically sound. Watch why Tokyo is furious over the stink between whalers, protesters »
The country's annual hunt kills up to 1,000 whales a year; the Fisheries Agency insists it wants "sustainable whaling."
However, many in the international community -- particularly Australia -- say such hunts amount to needless slaughter. Critics have said calling these hunts research is a pretext for retrieving whale meat to be sold in markets and restaurants

Social Welfare in China

From the talk I heard a couple of weeks ago, to this recent publication: http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=19828&prog=zch , it can be clearly stated, China is in desparate need for better social welfare. So, the question is "What can be done?" A brief search of the internet, and the most I can find is a few articles and suggestions from around 2001 and 2002. Is there any plan to bring better social welfare to China now? Is the Chinese government planning on implementing the plan if it exists? Let's hope so.

City-sized monument planned for China

China plans to erect a city-sized monument to celebrate traditional Chinese culture which will be centered on the birthplace of philosopher Confucius. There has been rebirth in the interest of traditional Chinese culture. The Confucian revival is being encouraged by the Chinese Communist Government amid growing public dissatisfaction over China's economic and social growing pains.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080302/If_afp/chinasocietycultureconfuciuscity_080302184708

For Respect, Look Eye to Eye.

There has and always will be tension between rivals on any level. In this case, China vs. U.S. For the last decade military spending in China has risen, almost doubled. The U.S. has called for more transparency in the spending and so far China has cooperated. For the better part of the last century, what the world knew of China was limited, and people tend to fear things they do not know. Limited knowledge of military spending causes distrust and unrest in the west (since we have such great control over our own military spending) and tensions rise. Since China is "cooperating" the U.S. doesn't stress that much over the arms build up, after all we're not Taiwan or Japan so it doesn't matter... In fact it does matter. All it takes is a spark and the and China has a brand new vacation island. The west had a rude awakening in 2001-current, we found that we're allowed to act and to use force if and only if first blood was drawn by "our" enemies. What needs to happen to ease this situation is more U.S. presence in the Taiwan straight. Just last week the U.S. employed this tactic with Syria, three U.S. Navy ships are "hanging out" off the Syrian coast looking straight into the eye's of all who dare to look back.