From: Bill Douglass (douglassbill@hotmail.com)
Date: Wed Jun 27 2001 - 13:32:01 MDT
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<DIV></DIV></DIV>Mike Lorrey wrote:<MLORREY@DATAMANN.COM>
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<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>On NewsMax.com:
<DIV></DIV>>http://www.newsmax.com/showinsidecover.shtml?a=2001/6/25/152603
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<DIV></DIV>>Chinese Navy threatens the Phillipines
<DIV></DIV>>Monday, June 25, 2001 4:27 p.m. EDT
<DIV></DIV>>"China's blue water navy has been sighted at Scarborough Shoal, where
<DIV></DIV>>U.S. defense officials believe Beijing is seeking to establish a
<DIV></DIV>>permanent military base. Scarborough Shoal is located off the western
<DIV></DIV>>coast of the Philippines' main island of Luzon, an area contested by
<DIV></DIV>>both Beijing and Manila.
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<DIV></DIV>>"The deployment is the first time Chinese warships have been spotted in
<DIV></DIV>>the area, the Times reported. 'Their presence contradicted assurances
<DIV></DIV>>provided to the Philippines government in April by a senior Chinese
<DIV></DIV>>Foreign Ministry official, U.S. intelligence personnel said.'
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<DIV></DIV>>The encroachment of China's navy into Philippine territory is thought to
<DIV></DIV>>be part of a calculated strategy to establish military control over the
<DIV></DIV>>entire South China Sea, which has sea lanes crucial to international
<DIV></DIV>>commerce.
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<DIV></DIV>>The projection of power into the region by Beijing runs counter to
<DIV></DIV>>public assurances of U.S. officials, who have painted China's navy as
<DIV></DIV>>primitive and incapable of posing a serious threat to the stability of
<DIV></DIV>>the region."
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<DIV></DIV>>So, folks, those who thought I was crazy to consider China a threat
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<P>>ought to start planning how they want their crow prepared. </P>
<P>> </P>
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<DIV>I wouldn't say that China isn't a potential threat. A confrontation between the US and China is one of several possible scenarios which could play out in the future. My view, though, is that a confrontation would become *more* likely if the US were to aim at economic strangulation of China, as has been advocated by a couple of folks here. As I've mentioned before, when relations with the West are poor and the Chinese economy isn't doing well, is when the Communist hard-liners in Beijing tend to gain power, and liberals (in the true sense of the word) such as Zhu Rongzhi tend to lose it. In such circumstances, we'd see more unfortunate maneuvering and posturing like that described in the article. Thanks for posting it.</DIV>
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<DIV>Bill</DIV><br clear=all><hr>Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com<br></p></html>
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