Can China Be "Capitalized?"

While the People's Republic of China, by its own design, has become a hotbed of manufacturing, exporting a wide range of goods, it has also been actively building an armory which is impressive--if not for its numerical size, at least for its wide range.

Suzanne Fields is certainly not the first person to write about this phenomenon, but she has clearly distilled some of the discussion here: http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20050608-093559-7151r.htm

Some excerpts:

...We've been lulled into thinking the Chinese brand of "free markets" will move that country toward democracy. Maybe someday, eventually, it will. But free markets must be accompanied by personal freedoms and representative government, and that isn't happening. In fact, there are disturbing signs of a military build-up and deception about it at the highest levels of the Chinese government today. ...

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld went to Singapore...and noted that China's military budget ranks behind only that of the United States and Russia. "Since no nation threatens China, one must wonder," he said. "Why these continuing large and expanding arms purchases?"

This was new from an administration that until now criticized, mildly, China's human-rights violations... But it's the Chinese armory that concerns the defense secretary. "I just look at the significant rollout of ballistic missiles opposite Taiwan, and I have to ask the question: 'If everyone agrees the question of Taiwan is going to be settled in a peaceful way, why this increase in ballistic missiles opposite Taiwan?' " Newly purchased submarines, fighter jets, assault ships and missiles not only pose a threat to Taiwan, but to the United States if we honor our treaty commitments to go to the aid of our old friends there.

Friends, China is paying for these dangerous toys with US dollars.

There are quite a few heated discussions on the Internet regarding trade policies. The ones that I find persuasive are those which link China's willingness to use its vast population as an economic weapon--I repeat, weapon--in tandem with China's willingness to purchase (and/or steal) sophisticated military weapons.

China has never derogated its policy-position naming the United States as its "main enemy."

Finally, someone in Washington is paying attention.