China Talking Points Podcast: China’s post-bin Laden Foreign Policy by ChinaTalkingPoints

With over 60% of the world’s future nuclear power plants destined to be built in the PRC, their decisions on technology, safety, and international cooperation will have in impact well beyond the nation’s borders.

Join us as we discuss China’s response and likely next steps in the nuclear energy game.

China Talking Points Podcast: China’s Nuclear Future by ChinaTalkingPoints

Can the US still assert any authority?  Is China powerful enough to hold sway on any topic?  The duel topics of debt and dissent seem oddly in parallel as Eric and I discuss what external influences may play a role within China.

In this podcast, we debate and discuss the impact of China’s economy on Egypt. We see ramifications of the “China Price” impinging on business interests and China’s wealth creating standing in juxtaposition to what this generation of Egyptians have experienced.

Join us as we sort through perceived and real influences.

China in Africa Podcast: China and the Egyptian Uprising by ChinaTalkingPoints

Take a listen as we debate everything from territorial concerns to submarine range to leadership of UN combat missions. Are you ready for a China that assume the mantle of global leadership?

China Talking Points Podcast: China’s Military Power Projection by ChinaTalkingPoints

The website Visual Economics pulls together data from a couple of sources and at least provides a visual perspective by region which is more helpful than pure number estimates:

Of course, the reality is that China’s military spending is growing, but a lot of data gets thrown around about stealth fighters, aircraft carriers, and cyber warfare that doesn’t speak to an over-arching issue: when China’s economy is the same size of the US (see a good CS Monitor article) they will be able to match our budget despite a still much smaller per capita GDP figure).

Combined with what will be 3 to 5 trillion dollars in reserves, China will have, dare I say, quite a war chest.  So to my mind, the question to ask is not whether China will continue to modernize their military -they will and should.  The question for us to track in the news is insight into their strategic goals, and the key issue for our security is a lack of transparency.

Instead of worrying about China’s investment into its military might, we should worry more about how it plans to use it.

In an article in yesterday’s New York Times, potential testing of a new stealth fighter by the Chinese Military was featured over the Defense Secretary Gates’ visit to Beijing.  Later editions of the article changed the lead to highlight the visit first, but the bulk of the article was about the stealth fighter.

The overall story of Beijing’s military modernization program is certainly important, but I think more print should have been spilled on the high level exchanges – without which the risk of conflict increases.   There will always be more modern weapons in Beijing’s arsenal (and don’t forget we inspire this because our own weapons are so frequently on display).  The point is what is Beijing’s intentions, aspirations, strategies; this is what military exchange is all about.

On one point, the article did a good job of highlighting how ham-fisted the PRC continues to be over discussing it’s modernization efforts.  Transparency breeds trust and if Beijing wants us to believe in a peaceful rise, then we could use some more open dialogue.

Interestingly, editorial boards seem to believe that the classic job-loss case that is being so loudly trumpeted has created an opening to highlight many different differences and conflicts that are currently roiling US-China relations.

As an election cycle, we think we’re just hearing words without action, but it is a good time to remind yourself about the multifaceted relationship.

This time, multiple sources are looked at to see how the overall relationship between China and the US is being positioned. If perception is reality, then this summarize the perceptions being promoted by the media outlets.

Enjoy!

[NOTE: Full transcript is provided below.]

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Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

[BEGIN NEWSY.COM TRANSCRIPT]

BY TRACY PFEIFFER
10/13/10

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations — or ASEAN — is in the middle of its first Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, with U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in attendance. Reports coming out of the closed-door meeting indicate a warming relationship between the United States and China, which had suspended high-level military communication in January over an arms deal between the U.S. and Taiwan.

We’re analyzing coverage from The U.S. Defense Department, The Wall Street Journal, Voice of America and The Washington Post.

The U.S. has found itself — crossways with China on a number of issues, from arms to territorial disputes China has had with several neighboring countries. The U.S. has taken a hard-line stance, but this week, that softened a bit. In a U.S. Defense Department release, Gates is quoted as saying,

“The United States does not take sides on competing territorial claims, such as those in the South China Sea… Competing claims should be settled peacefully, without force or coercion, through collaborative diplomatic processes, and in keeping with customary international law.”

Part of the dispute in the South China Sea is over a string of natural resource-rich islands claimed by several nations, including smaller countries like Vietnam who want U.S. support in the face of China’s dominance in the area. (Video: Wall Street Journal)

Voice of America interviews a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer who says the U.S. is in a complex position on the issue.

“China and the United States have a relationship that is very, very important, and I don’t think that’s going to be disrupted… I think we’re quite confident of the nature and scope of American influence and power in Southeast Asia and China should be part of the equation there.”

An analyst for the Wall Street Journal explains how Gates went about handling this complex task — noting his very presence at the meeting was a big show of U.S. support.

“By not inflaming things too much, because as much as there is friction in the region, Japan and other countries don’t want the U.S. kind of bowling in and making things worse. A third thing that he did, Adam, was he didn’t really roll back anything that the U.S. has said about China or about the region in recent weeks.”

Finally, the Washington Post says China’s counterpart to Secretary Gates attempted to calm fears of China’s naval aggression, such as the recent arrest of nine Vietnamese fishermen in disputed waters. He is quoted as saying,

“China’s defense development is not aimed to challenge or threaten anyone, but to ensure its security and promote international and regional peace and stability … Security of a country relies not only on self-defense capabilities, but also on mutual trust with others.”

Chinese officials have invited Secretary Gates to Beijing for a meeting which is expected to take place early next year.

[END]