Friday May 25, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

China charms Europe, but Beijing has own agenda

Commentary Sep. 19, 2011 - 05:24AM JST ( 9 )

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9 Comments

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KonstaSep. 19, 2011 - 08:19AM JST

One of the conditions of China's purchase of Spanish bonds in January 2011, analysts say, was the sale to Sinopec of around $7 billion worth of Brazilian oil assets held by Spanish energy company Repsol. That deal gave birth to one of Latin America's largest energy companies.

So, "China charms Europe"! Ha-ha-ha. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! China behaves with Europe as it is all just a big Greece (which it is except Germany), and talks with it appropriately. Well, Europe is too busy creating Great Albanias and maintain democracies after US invasions all over the place. Who can blame Chinese?!
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lincolnmanSep. 19, 2011 - 12:45PM JST

What this article makes clear, is that the Communist rulers in Beijing have a very clear set of strategic goals (long term) for their country. You have to admire that – even if you disagree with the party’s attitudes towards human rights, the rule of law and freedom of speech. It’s a pity that more western countries don’t formulate their long term strategic objectives and then consistently move towards achieving them.

With a little research, it seems clear that this strategy encompasses:

Social: “Harmony” – sustaining the “social compact” with the Chinese people that the government will ensure continued economic growth and opportunity while the populace consents to limits on their political freedom and human rights, coupled with a strong and deepening emphasis on nationalism and China’s right to rise and have “respect” in the international community .

Political: Continuing the supremacy of the Communist party and the elimination of all political threats, both internally and externally. At the same time, continued “charm offensives”, where the leadership goes abroad much like in this article and uses China’s wealth to achieve the dual purposes of gaining access to markets/natural resources/technology and muting potential political criticism.

Economic: Dual, sometimes overlapping objectives of 1) sustaining the current level of growth, or even exceeding it, and 2) expanding the countries access to natural resources (to support the former).

Military: Become the preeminent military power in Asia and a near peer competitor to the US within the Pacific. China’s military expansion and increased capability will allow if to intimidate, and if that fails, defeat any nation that would challenge its territorial claims; be they Taiwan, the Spratleys, the Paracel islands, or any other areas China views as its “own”.
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ZenpunSep. 19, 2011 - 01:23PM JST

China has population of more than 1.2 billions. Their middle classes are mushrooming and urbanizing the rural people with modernized infrastructure. As a market, China is so huge, growing and promising. It has a foreign reserve of more than 3 trillions. Therefore it is expanding the economic expansion everywhere.

That achievement has not come overnight. They have restructured and reformed their economy since 1978. It was pain painstakingly touch. Their individual saving and banking regulation are prudent and solid. Militarily China does not match with western nations. They do not waste their resources on military adventures. They controlled their unsustainable population. They have sustained their economic growth for 3 decades. Therefore, debt ridden nations have to realized that their unsustainable lending and spending will not last forever. Besides that some official from Banks and policy makers are fraudulent and corrupted. It is a major root cause of the financial crisis.

At the end, money talk. Money can create the real power of influence.
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presto345Sep. 19, 2011 - 03:56PM JST

Their middle classes are mushrooming and urbanizing the rural people with modernized infrastructure.

I don't doubt it. At the same time the country is saddled with a huge population that is left behind. Right, he rural people. The gap between this segment and the 'middle classes' is growing too quickly and the discontent of these grumbling masses will create a huge problem for China in the next decade.
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TheQuestionSep. 20, 2011 - 10:08AM JST

This is going to be a tricky game to play. The U.S at least has the assurance of having large private holdings in the Chinese economy to counterbalance the vast amounts of U.S debt that China holds due to years of cool handed negotiations. Chinese and U.S businessmen and politicians see their respective countries as rivals and rarely as friends.

My only advice is to try and solve your debt problems on your own and only use Chinese investments as a last resort, they are not your friends and neither are they an unlimited funding trough and there is a price for the help they provide and it won't be fun to pay down the road. The Republi/crats didn't figure that out until it was too late.
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JapanGalSep. 20, 2011 - 03:50PM JST

What will he say to Khan?
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lostrune2Sep. 20, 2011 - 06:19PM JST

If China wants market economy status from EU, then China has to let its yuan be dictated by market economy.

Otherwise, EU should peg the euro to the yuan, and see how China likes it being reflected back at them.
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realmindSep. 23, 2011 - 09:01AM JST

China’s $3.2 trillion cash pile—the world’s biggest foreign exchange reserves

China should return the ODA from apan that is over 2 trillion USD..
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realmindSep. 23, 2011 - 09:02AM JST

ODA from Japan