Monday, September 20, 2010

Japan and the US better take the fishing boat standoff with China seriously


This is no joke or normal diplomatic gamesmanship. Normally when we think of problems in Asia we think of North Korea and Taiwan. We forget about Japan's relationship but always China is in there somewhere.

China, Japan fishing boat standoff deepens amid delayed talks

With no end to the fishing boat dispute in sight, relations between Asia's two biggest economies are in danger of backsliding. Row sees China cancel Japan visit

Remember the "incident this past spring with the 10 Chinese warships including destroyers and submarines off Okinawa? This put a new light on things to me. Look at the big picture once again. Japan has got to be rethinking their constant effort to get the US Military to leave Okinawa. It will behoove Japan to have us there. This puts a whole new light on China's turn around on Iran, their monetary finagling, and their last minute turn around on whether or not to attend the nuclear summit. This latest row really has to have Japan rethinking.

Remember Just prior to this sudden mood and cooperation change with the US we were being threatened for arming Taiwan, for meeting with the Dalai lama in Washington, and threatened with slowing our economic recovery. I fell for the line of thought that the so called experts were floating that China realized that if we go down so do they.

Cooperation between China Russia and the US is critical! Obama was right to say our ties will shape the future of the 21st century. The US and China are eying each other and moving very cautiously as they try to strike a balance. A few years back I began to view our relationship with China as the most important in the world. Not because we drove each others economy but because if at the time with Bush's instigation to war with Russia China due to the fact of how our 2 economies are so intertwined that if something happened China would side with us not Russia. I never imagined that today problems between China and Japan would be the issue.

As we discussed there have been at least three cases of groups of Chinese military ships crossing through the area of Okinawa since November 2008, first 4 ships then 6 then 8 and now 10 including destroyers and submarines. The latest case appeared to be the first involving surfaced submarines. The group of 10 ships, including the submarines, was observed about 90 miles (140 kilometers) southwest of Okinawa in international waters.

Two missile destroyers and three frigate ships from the same group were spotted participating in a flight exercise of carrier-based helicopters April 7-9, the Defense Ministry's Joint Staff Office said in a statement The war ships were in international waters but close to Okinawa and Japan was not notified. That area as you may know has natural resources under the ocean and islands claimed by both Nations. It is important that we stay in Okinawa as China plays a more important role in Asia and around the world as she gains strength militarily and economically as we just discussed. Remember our discussion on the importance of China and the US staying together to move successfully through the 21st century

We must maintain as much of the old world balance and order as we can to maintain a balance as we try to move progressively and successfully through the 21st century! I know of China and Japan's past, I know of the still ongoing Island disputes, the disagreement over natural gas in another area of the East China Sea, I also remember that with China's economic clout rising she took the number 3 seat on the world bank and we talk constantly that China is taking the leading role in Asia and Asia relations.

Being in a superior position puts one in a unique position of power and that power must be handled gracefully, with humility, responsibly, and not abused. That is something I taught all my sons and America under Bush did a lousy job of handling. I am a little worried that China too is getting a little too heavy handed and abusive with her new position of power and beginning to take what she wants instead of being content with what she has which is what I constantly lecture has to be the case if we are to have a future. The time when man and the planet could handle war and colonialism is over, period or else!







James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com

2 comments:

Demeur said...

Digging through the Asian newspapers today I find that they don't think this is a big deal. Unlike us, cooler heads seem to prevail. The Chinese are waiting for a full investigation. There was the start of anti Japanese protests in China but they were quickly quelled.

jmsjoin said...

I have been checking their papers and the Chines are getting the credit for canceling meetings and ratcheting this up over the ships captain. I wish to God the world including us would stop playing games. There is too much at stale today and they just keep playing game. It really sucks!