Chinese pressures in the East and South Chinese seas have not diminished since newspaper articles last year hinting at war between Japan and China over the Senkaku islands. In fact although the tensions have escaped international attention China is still seeking to expand its territories and test the responses of its neighbors to territorial aggression. Recently China has expanded its reach into Philippine waters and President Aquino III has compared China’s expansion to Nazi expansion pre World War II.
China doesn’t seem to have any intention of slowing down its territorial aggression. In fact China is set to spend $148 billion in military expenditure this year, up $9 billion from 2013. While the expenditure will be significantly less than that of the U.S. it is still far and away the second most expenditure by an individual country.
This current situation is interesting, and to me appears somewhat like a game of chicken to see who will backdown first. I recall tensions rising last year over increased US military presence in Asian countries outside of China. Unrelated, I’m failing to see how riding segways leads to some sort of military advantage…
I, too, am confused by these pseudo-swat commando types perched precariously atop military grade segways, Mr. Miller. I thought segways were strictly used for amusing youtube videos of off-balanced tourists embarrassing themselves. This is beside the point, however. What I REALLY want to talk about is my apprehension over China’s aggressive behavior towards expansion. President Aquino’s comparison of China to Nazi Germany, warranted or not, naturally arouses concern. While it does seem somewhat hypocritical to blow the whistle on China’s military budget, I suppose we aren’t spending for the same purposes or with the same motives. Either way, I think this is something that deserves more attention from the media and will be curious to see further developments.
Chinese will never stop its “territorial aggression”. It shows its military power and preparation for the possible war. It is always China vs. Japan, Russia vs. Japan, and Korea vs. Japan. These three debates have never stopped. Giving up an island or territory means losing the “silent war (I hope you know what I mean)” It is also possible that the places that they are fighting for might have lots of natural resources so I do not think China will stop at all.
Isn’t rattling sabers often a reflection of domestic political insecurity? If popular (political) opinion matters more than in the past, this is a way to prop up your polls.
In addition, the military is a political force, but one that has not been able to exert as much power among top leaders as in the past. Adventuresome foreign policy is a way to raise the salience of senior military officials, who of course are also senior CCP members.