@alexkmg
The Spratly Islands (some 400km from China's nearest coastline), also called the Diaoyu Islands, by China.

Basically, these islands are strategically located to hamper China's safe flow of trade vessels into blue water, so China is actively and aggressively moving to defend and control its unhampered access to blue water.

The USA is attempting (vainly, I might add) to restrict China's rise as a superpower - by hampering or threatening its trade routes. The issue goes far beyond blue water access.

China is actively working towards becoming a global currency standard, to compete with the USD. The IMF recently announced its intent to eventually elevate China's CNY/RMB to a global standard.

After the fall of the USSR, the USA had a phenomenal chance to truly become a global leader, but decided to take the sewer route to enact some revenge on OPEC (for rebuffing US attempts at an oil monopoly and thereby increasing their standard of living at the expense of US colonialists profiteering), by festering unrest in the middle east, in which France stood alone and wisely declined to participate (the Iraq invasion).

We now have the extreme mess and misery of those actions, currently running rampant in the middle east.

I love the USA - but I REALLY hate their international political meddling - it's amateurish, selfish, arrogant, and when it goes wrong, as it frequently does, creates a mess on a global scale.

In addition to squeezing the pustule that is the middle east - the USA then gave us the 2008 global financial crisis - demonstrating a complete lack of ethics and morals, if not control over massive, widespread legal corruption, which almost collapse most of the economies of developed nations.

China avoided that cesspool of financial fraud and thanks to it's staggering growth and size (over 10% per annum while most developed countries were suffering to achieve any growth after the financial crisis), actually helped many economies emerge out of the 2008 financial crisis cesspool.

Obama publicly fawned his obeisance to Japan in a national and international incident of shame, when he bowed to the Japanese emperor - NEVER before done by any US president - a deficit symbol of obeisance (slavery) on behalf of the American people - yet no press seriously criticized this submission.

Japan is currently controlled and led by an ultranationalist, utterly unrepentant for Japan's war crimes, aggression, and atrocities (thanks also to US neutering of war crimes prosecution of class A japanese war criminals) to the general disgruntlement of all of the Asian nations that suffered incredible misery under Japan's colonial moves.

Japan has been fomenting (perhaps fermenting is a better choice of words) friction between China and the USA at every turn, which is absolutely not in the interests of the world at large.

These islands are in dispute between China and it's neighbors - the Philippines, Malaysia (who's rather passive in the matter in general), Taiwan, and Indonesia - to name a few. If you're familiar with Philippines politics (and the fact that politically, they're a US yippy dog) - if I were China, I'd absolutely NOT entrust blue water access security to the PI.

Taiwan's claims are rather moot, as Taiwan is internationally recognized as part of China, thanks to President Nixon way back in the 1970s.

That being said, the USA still uses Taiwan to sell BILLIONS of USD in arms - which they "keep in readiness in Guam", should Taiwan need to use these billions of dollars of weapons systems, should China accelerate reunification through military means.

Russia has used the USA's distraction in the middle east and Obama's soon to be famous "pivot to Asia" to also begin securing its access to blue water (and the black sea) with its activities in Ukraine.

The USA's antics - instead of helping foster global peace and security, has instead brought us to the brink of a third world war, should they continue to bait China on the Spratly Island issue. That the islands may also contain rich deposits of oil, gas, and minerals is a moot but secondary point.

Welcome to 21st century democracy.

Hence the author's concern about a territorial issue in the middle of an ocean, that's actually none of the USA's business - but they are interfering on behalf of the PI and Japan...so there's actually some rather intense saber rattling going on.

As for US xenophobia against China - it's readily apparent in the US controlled press over the last few decades. The press and the American people in general have been increasingly propagandized against China - taking every negative opportunity to play up and sensationalize an imaginary threat and enemy.

This politically irresponsible and reprehensible behavior by the arguably leader of the free world is as base, irresponsible, and reprehensible as inciting crowds to riot.

Europe is by now, well aware of the USA's propensity towards inciting strife. The fact that the USA is also the world's leader in arms sales adds to the conflict of interest in US politics - who are now easily and legally bribe-able through their "non-affiliated" but "independently aligned" political action groups or PACS (and SUPER PACs - which are basically phenomenally financed PACs)...in clear violation of the intent of the law on limiting campaign finance.

The list of ilk and ills going on in the USA are rather endless. The USA has a very very VERY bad habit of pointing fingers outside the country's borders (creating imaginary enemies), ostensibly to distract the voting public from the ills and shenanigans going on at home.

As a loyal and patriotic US citizen, I'm extremely dismayed at what's happening to my home country, and there's no end or hope in sight.

@Tonyoad: No, Alien did not.
@Laotou: The Diaoyu Islands and the Spratleys are different groups of islands. The current noise is about the Spratleys, not about the Diaoyu, although the latter issue has been going on for decades.

you are wrong about a whole bunch of things.

-USA and alliances have a much greater interest and more reliability than china. who breaks any and every law and contract, steals, lies and does whatever illegal way works for them. sure USA does so too but much more restricted.

-obama bowing is nothing else but a sign of manners. i am sure it would be no problem if he bows to royals in england spain holland etc.

- i rather see the DY islands and Sprats in other hand thchinese hand. not out of despisespite but reality. if you want to use japan's past to justify chinese rise...you are in bed with the devil.

there is no closer more fascist. autoritarian state similar to the old NAZI and fascist empire of germany and japan,-than china shows at the moment.

the so far have not let one thing out. except killing factories. but i guess that is just a matter of time.

so if you wanna give china thumbs up for whatever nasty thing they are up to. go ahead but i hope you can see the sad irony.

and the history of its own [or any other] countries misery (mostly self served) is no excuse to do the same things over and over again.

i hope china can.jump over its own shadow and become a good guy player in this game. we have enough bad guys already.
but so far as always in its history it's just empty words. but i hope china can get its sh*t together, grow up, stop bullying, being mean to its neighbors and be a goid example. time for china to lead but not because it has the biggest army and scaring everyone. but maybe cos they are the nicest in the game. just wishful thinking...

@gokm community
Apologies for my typically verbose posts. Please skip this and proceed directly to the gokm article on the upcoming China South-Asia Expo & Trade Fair.

@dudesons
Wrong is a matter of perspective - but I respect your opinion. As for social responsibility - remember the UN recognized China for its amazing progress in raising its rural people out of poverty. The USA on the other hand, as the wealthiest nation in the world was recognized for INCREASING poverty.

As for international responsibility as a global citizen - the USA invaded Iraq on false pretenses. I don't recall China invading anyone, destabilizing their governments, and generally bombing cities into oblivion. China also did NOT facilitate the global financial crisis and largely avoided that debacle. The USA imports over USD 40 billion a year in illegal drugs from Mexico alone, creating massive domestic problems (and illicit wealth) with its neighbor. We also built the "great wall of Mexico" in an idiotic attempt to stem the flow of illegal aliens who generally come to the USA to work hard and whose greatest desire is to become (tax-paying) US citizens. We use their necessary labor, but won't even give them the opportunity to become permanent (tax-paying) residents. We treat people who are working for a living like common criminals or worse, like stray animals. That's just wrong.

In the USA - the minimum wage for hourly laborers is insufficient for families to subsist - so working families (according to a recent academic study) can only subsist with the assistance of welfare - subsidized food. That shows an immense socio-economic lack of governmental responsibility.

As an arguably loyal and patriotic US citizen, I'm more concerned that my home country get its shi*t together, grow up, and stop bullying. I trust China more with maintaining access to blue water than the USA - which persists in its futile goal of attempting to contain China, in a vain attempt to maintain US global superiority. We lost international respect with our invasion of Iraq and the greater middle east and with our near obliteration of global financial markets (which incidentally is the SECOND time we did this).

China is still a developing country with a relatively new government. What it has achieved in spite of its growing pains is nothing short of miraculous, for a nation of this immense size. India isn't even close to China's achievement in poverty alleviation.

The USA is a developed country, the leader of the world in many areas - and yet we still behave like spoiled immature bullies - we didn't used to be this way - it's something that's evolved over the decades. We used to be a fantastic country - investing in developing nations to help them develop economies and slowly, but steadily improve their system of government, business and financial markets, etc. Now we just exploit them for corporate gain - hence the appearance of a new form of colonialism. We created one of our worst enemies in Iran through our support of the former Shah of Iran and his increasingly oppressive, corrupt, and abusive government, but our media consistently neglects to mention the root cause of that nation's deep-rooted visceral hatred of the USA, so we can vilify them.

America and its media has an incredibly bad habit of creating real and imaginary enemies abroad - that's the current state of our foreign policy. By keeping US citizens focused on real and imaginary threats abroad - the public is distracted from the social ills crippling our great nation.

China will continue to rise, despite our efforts to contain and marginalize it. The USA's approach is blatantly adversarial instead of cooperative, although in the background, both nations continue to work towards cooperation in other areas - which is a good thing.

As for bowing to Japan to show respect - you are mistaken. A bow of respect is mutual. The Japanese emperor did NOT bow back in kind to show mutual respect. While it may appear a trivial issue - small behavioral characteristics betray or reveal personal character, especially in a nation such as Japan, where they pay close attention to behaviors such as bowing. Obama's act - regardless of personal preference - was unfitting disrespectful, and an incredibly irresponsible symbolic betrayal to the office, as the leader of the world's most powerful country - both militarily and economically.

I do respect President Obama as the leader of my nation - he has a very difficult job with a frequently illogically adversarial government - which is one of the ills of our current state of government and illustrates why our government is adversarial to perceived competitors and allies, globally, so I'm not surprised that our foreign policy is generally also generally adversarial. Our behavior towards France, when they declined to participate or support the Iraq invasion was nothing short of a national infantile temper tantrum - illustrating an utter lack of grace and respect for other sovereign nations and their decision making process. This is behavior of a spoiled brat.

I believe our government has forgotten its primary responsibility - to govern the people in a responsible manner - as opposed to bickering and fighting to prevent the advancement of our society over and above political agendas.

The USA was founded as a republic - but evolved into a democracy. The president's job is to listen to the advice of both major parties (and the minor parties) and generally align them all so government can move forwards - but he's been generally unable to do that, having to resort to executive order (fiat) to "get things done", further alienating political opponents.

Hopefully, the next leader of the USA will be a better manager of both parties, as currently the bickering inside our government makes us look like immature spoiled brats - and creates an air of unreliability in our rather chaotic foreign policy activities, which has evidenced itself in our attempt to negotiate a nuclear (or non-nuclear) treaty with Iran and in the recent highly publicized and embarrassing activities with the leader of Israel, showing a lack of unity within our government.

A key example of the loss of our prestige and influence is the utter flight of our major European allies to the China-led AIIB (except for Japan). Japan doesn't technically need the AIIB, as they're essentially quite well represented by the ADB (Asia Development Bank). The Europeans are generally not privy to ADB led investment-based contractual opportunities - hence their leap onto the AIIB bandwagon - it gives them opportunities not available from the Japan/USA led ADB.

But you're right - I don't hope, I expect China to also continue to work towards global peace and prosperity, but I expect more of if not better from my home country, and playing the adversarial military big stick is neither a logical, nor an acceptable way to open negotiations with a rising power - it merely creates an atmosphere inciting a mutually adversarial military big-stick response and its an extremely and globally dangerous and irresponsible game to play and which the USA can only lose regardless of the outcome. When a bully is confronted, it can only end with a loss of face for the bully - or a schoolyard brawl and the USA is painting itself into a corner with no elegant escape strategy.

@laotou In this thread, in three posts, in over 2400 words you state you "love the USA," and that "As a loyal and patriotic US citizen" and "As an arguably loyal and patriotic US citizen," whilst engaged in a relentless rant against US domestic and foreign policies and you opine that China is more trustworthy, honest and with less self-serving behavior than the USA. Fine, you have every right to your opinions no matter how biased they are. I do think for the record, it should be known you are a naturalized American citizen of Chinese decent.

As the potential for conflict between the USA and China seems to be escalating of late, I can understand your anxiety and fear of what your situation could be. By attempting to curry favor with Chinese authorities with your 五毛 posts you think you can avoid the consequences of being a Chinese holding an American passport. Sadly, I have noticed most American citizens detained and jailed in China share your status: Chinese who opted to become American citizens through naturalization and are holders of USA passports. I understand why you rant against the USA.

However, as you now toe the party line with your五毛 posts, you are losing this American's sympathy. For this thread, I prepared a rebuttal to your first post. Then, I outlined a rebuttal to your second post. But now I realize if I engage you in a public debate, I am giving purpose and weight to your effort to ingratiate yourself with Chinese authorities. As a loyal, patriotic, disabled decorated American Veteran, who proudly served my great country, I will leave it to others the task of debating your pedestrian, jingoistic and self-serving anti-American comments.

@geezer
Since this was more a personal criticism than topical, I'll respond - since I've nothing better to do at this hour of the morning....and actually, your post is an engagement in a public debate, so here goes my rebuttal.

I don't need to curry favor with the Chinese government. They already know who I am and my background. The US State Department also knows who I am, where I am, and seem to enjoy keeping "special" tabs on me...for the last 15+ years.

Yes - you're right - I'm a "naturalized" US citizen of Chinese descent. The way you say it bitterly reminds me I'm not REALLY a US citizen, I'm a second class citizen, whose citizenship can be revoked at will, on a whim, without legal or any other recourse. I'm also NOT really Chinese, as I wasn't born here.

Your assumption that I'm pro-chinese on these blogs, for the sake of ingratiation is utterly wrong. I'm pro-chines government, because I see massive improvements by the government, despite their operational woes and ills. The 3 Gorges Dam was met with international protest - yet EVERY time the Yangtze River experience flooding - Chinese by the tens of thousands would perish. I still remember reading about how the floods from sustained rains would kill tens of thousands, to hundreds of thousands, leaving millions homeless. The numbers were so staggering, we were certain they were wildly exaggerated. China alleviates poverty, the US exacerbates poverty. That is a UN recognized fact - although you may debate the metrics of poverty.

I don't need to ingratiate myself - I'm an arrogant, self-assured, eminent professional in all that I do. I'm not perfect - despite my attempt to impart that illusion -but I definitely strive to be world-class professional and I've achieved that throughout my careers. A foreign ambassador once perused my resume (not my doing) and gave me the ultimate praise (hearsay) in a single word - "Impossible".

You served IN the US military, were disabled while in service, were decorated, and get to retire. That's great for you. All US military have my respect. I show overt favoritism to retired military in consulting and business contracts, as my way of showing that respect - all other things being equal (I don't give charity - that shows a distinct lack of respect).

I merely served the US military in several careers. I don't get medals - I get laid off, fired, and oppressed because I'm not white, not black, not hispanic. Asians make good little techno-slaves. And apparently, I don't get respect from people like you, who belittle my professional achievements, despite the magnitude of contribution.

i've earned the respect and friendship of all the military and other alphabet agencies I've had the privilege to work for and with, because I am dedicated, honest, loyal, responsible, diligent, ethical, reliable - all the attributes that are valued by the US and any professional military. Those very traits which are honored in the military are scorned in the commercial sector.

Loyalty to one's staff - it's a firing offense. I was threatened with termination for authorizing training for all my traitorous staff, as basically our whole division was to be terminated as soon as we finished the contract that I won, which they didn't want, but were now stuck with. I was also threatened with termination from the same guy, in the same burst of manure from his mouth, for bringing in a major (also american multinational) competitor to poach my non-traitorous staff (possibly contributing to a more visceral bias from my traitorous staff). The offer was made to the traitorous staff, but they thought their jobs were secure, despite my warnings - everyone hates the bearer of bad news. Even my wife - who expresses vile contempt for irresponsible managers, advised me to "just let them drown in their own stew" - but I am eminently professional, ethical, and responsible, to a fault (those days are LONG gone).

You don't really know me or my history - it's obvious in your contempt for me as a "second-class US citizen".

All I need to know about you is you're a retired, decorated, disabled US vet. That earns my respect, regardless of our personal and political differences of opinion, not that you'd care, as I am, after all - just a second class US citizen. You know - even illegal immigrants who DON'T pay taxes get better health care benefits than I do. That really stings.

You worked for the US military - if you can stick it out or get out early on disability - you get great benefits - and I'm not criticizing that - I think that's great and well deserved for ANYONE who serves the people - whether military, police, fire, etc.

I get to pay into social security for my retirement and we all know that system's highly unreliable to depend upon solely just for subsistence living. Sucks to be like me.

My professional job has always been risk analysis and management. Delivering best in class if not world class systems and support. As such - it's also my job to cut through manure and see to the root of issues and problems, so they can be resolved, mitigated, or otherwise managed. I'm VERY good at what I do and it's evidenced in my current professional abilities, and since I'm also an arrogant whole - what I do is beyond most normal people's imaginations - it's impossible.

I don't need to nor am I inclined to ingratiate myself with anyone or any country. If I wanted to be a professional ingratiator - I would've started earlier in life as a gigolo or similar such professional. Even the perception that my moronic, abrasive, opinionated comments on this (apologies to gokm) not as internationally famous as say yahoo website could possible or remotely "ingratiate" me with the Chinese government is both preposterous and ludicrous.

Maybe I'm wrong - maybe gokm is a famous and critical website used by the CCCP to troll for ingratiators, but in my self-aggrandizing world-class professional opinion, I rather doubt it (again, apologies to gokm - but realistically - gokm is just not Yahoo, yet, and I rather doubt that's on the gokm team's list of goals and visions).

What I see is in plain sight for all to see, if you'd care to look. The current media - assuming Yahoo's news portal is representative of the media at large - is extremely biased in it's reporting. Factual reporting is insidiously populated with extraordinarily biased opinions, making most media outlets, to include AP, AFP, et al - US propaganda rags on the level of CCTV.

If you believe the best way to negotiate with your neighbors involved in a property dispute, is to stroll over to your biggest competitor's house, waving a big old hunking stick around, in a menacing and intrusive manner, then you are naturally the epitomy of US Foreign Policy, and I'm just a pedantic, juvenile, self deluded narcisst, aka crazy grumpy old fool.

I'm critical of my government - as a second class wannabe citizen - because it's just plain wrong. Corruption is rampant, because we legalized it.

Solyndra is an excellent case in point - while rumors abound about whether Solyndra's campaign contributions of almost USD 90k contributed to their fast track taxpayer guaranteed renewable energy loan approval of almost USD 530 million - the more important fact is that the company managed to burn through USD 530 million in roughly 12 months, to rocket into bankruptcy. The ability to spend USD 530 million in 12 months and then abruptly become bankrupt, putting roughly 1100 people out of work and defaulting on their termination salaries is a historically stellar business case of inept management and fiscal irresponsibility - but I've yet to see a single published business case analysis of this spectacular fiasco.

Historically, our government supported the former Iran regime (hence their visceral hatred of the USA - although they seem to generally enjoy our movies, music, and of course one of our more famous, side products, porn), the Marcos regime, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the epitomy of nepotism and famous alleged corruption Saipan (since the fall of the Marcos empire), lots of rumors, nothing every substantiated by US Justice, aside from Tom DeLay's unfortunate entanglement.

Voter's clamored for campaign contribution limit laws - which were reluctantly enacted, then our political parties discovered an alternative to unlimited campaign funds - the PACs and super-PACs - utterly circumventing a voter supported law with a definitive and resounding slam dunk "heard around the world".

Doesn't that upset you? Make you angry, frustrated, annoyed, irritated? The abrasive relationship between poor black communities and law enforcement has been festering for decades - yet our government does nothing to seriously dent the alarming and seriously lopsided incarceration of blacks and other minorities, until the problem overflows into race riots (which is really silly, because they're really only destroying their own neighborhoods - but hey - if it makes the news, by all means, defecate in the bed you sleep in).

As military - your job is to execute lawful orders without question (I think - I was never in the military, but I envision it's this way). But you're NOT in the military anymore. Don't you question the methods of the USA's "pivot to Asia". It's basically akin to my analogy of the neighbor across the street (the USA) attempting to mediate a dispute between it's neighbors across the street, over a property line and ownership dispute - and waving a big stick at China, as opposed to offering to fairly and in an unbiased manner, try to help mediate a fair and equitable solution (which China would reject anyway - but that's not the point).

Instead of strolling across the street as an impartial and disinterested aka unbiased observer, the USA leapt into the fray waving a stick (military air reconnaissance). That's DEFINITELY not unbiased. The USA has also been mouthing off about adamantly and unconditionally (?) supporting it's allies in border disputes with China (aka Japan, PI).

The USA has zero credibility as a fair, unbiased, and disinterested party to the negotiation, based on its behavior and rhetoric. By claiming the USA has the right to enforce blue-water access, the USA is attempting to insert itself as an obviously biased player in an already contentious dispute. That's guaranteed to push a dangerous button in China and has nothing to do with ingratiation or questionable alliance. It's aggressively confrontational and regardless whether China can sustain, dominate, or yield (which I rather doubt they'll do), both the USA and China are bound to suffer immensely from this very poorly planned and strategized confrontation.

Regardless of the outcome, it's bound to push both China, Russia, Japan, and probably the rest of Asia into a renewed arms race of unparalleled proportions, which is precisely what's happening now.

Now, if this is all about the US economy, then by all means - an arms race is great for the defense industry (war is bad for the defense industry, as we have to spend all that R&D money on bullets, bombs, and fuel - not to mention combat pay).

We have so many serious social ills at home - and we really need to focus on these issues as they're rather critical. Rampant drug use (USD 40 billion a year tax free to Mexican drug cartels aka gangsters), changing the social culture that's destroying black neighborhoods - one-parent families, poverty, employment, self-respect, community, patriotism, respect for authority (it's earned), etc.

If I return to the USA, I have to start paying taxes again (assuming I earn beyond poverty level), but how can I justify paying my minuscule taxes when the IRS turns a blind eye to USD 40 billion in cash traipsing across our borders in illicit drug money.

How can I in good conscience pay taxes, when we're pouring billions into known corrupt entities in Iraq, Afghanistan, Saipan (allegedly, but never proven legally), and now, once again the PI. Those people are stealing my hard earned taxes right in front of our faces - it's bluntly shameless and offensive to me and should be to all Americans.

Is this what you fought for, what you became disabled for? The right to give away US taxpayer money to corrupt foreign governments while we at home who pay those taxes have no healthcare, declining social security benefits from what is paid today?

Or since you're a disabled vet with early retirement benefits separate from my crappy civilian benefits, and since you're living here - you don't need to pay taxes - not your problem, don't care?

And of course - you're ultimate put-down - I am after all, only a second class citizen of Chinese descent, so my criticisms/rants against my government should merely be construed as the ravings of an anti-american, pedestrian, self-serving ingratiating jingoist?

Perhaps you're right - maybe I should quit ranting and just play the system. Go home and get my welfare checks, breed like rabbits, so I can get even bigger welfare checks and rental assistance checks, go get my food stamps, then dump my family - and teach them how to game the welfare system, and the food stamp system, and subsidized living system, not to mention the free drugs and healthcare systems. Then having created a rapidly multiplying self-sustaining social parasite, pretend to rob a bank (or deal drugs - tax free), eventually get caught, go to jail, and get free room and board until I die, which will also be paid for by the state or the feds. I'll also get free laundry, free clothes, access to free gym equipment, and learn to be somebody's b*tch at my old age...oh and free medical, free dental, free vision care, free long-term medical in the event of any disease or affliction - cancer, diabetes, etc. But I won't really fit in - I'm not white, I'm not aryan, I'm not black or hispanic, and the asian gangs won't take me, cuz I started too late in life, I'll just be an old, geeky wannabe second class american citizen, in jail, but at least I won't have to worry about room and board, healthcare, or the declining size of my social security checks and the fact that I have to pay state and local taxes on my income, and state and local taxes on most purchases.

Fortunately for US taxpayers, I can't be that guy, nor would I allow my family to slide into that lifestyle, nor would they. We're all eminent professionals and aside from being personally arrogant, abrasive, and an all-around professional ahole, I also have self-respect, ethics, a sense of honor, integrity, and self-righteousness. I treat my business partners and stakeholders with respect and integrity and I demand and enforce those qualities from all my stakeholders.

Ingratiate myself - I scoff at that comment. I'm too proud and too arrogant to ingratiate myself with anyone, much less a government. I think people, companies, and governments in general should ingratiate themselves with me and THAT'S on my five-year plan.

@geezer
Since this was more a personal criticism than topical, I'll respond - since I've nothing better to do at this hour of the morning....and actually, your post is an engagement in a public debate, so here goes my rambling verbose rebuttal.

I don't need to curry favor with the Chinese government. They already know who I am and my background. The US State Department also knows who I am, where I am, and seem to enjoy keeping "special" tabs on me...for the last 15+ years.

Yes - you're right - I'm a "naturalized" US citizen of Chinese descent. Thanks for outing me. The way you say it bitterly reminds me yet again, that I'm not REALLY a US citizen, I'm a second class wannabe citizen, whose second-class citizenship can be revoked at will, on a whim, without legal or any other recourse. I'm also NOT really Chinese, as I wasn't born here, however, I don't have to worry about foreigner-bashing, as I have the advantage of blending, so the premise of your "ingratiating" comment is faulty. A couple of local haircuts and some off-the-rack clothes and I fit right in - especially if I keep my big mouth shut - which aint' gonna happen. Alternatively, I can fake a french, german, hong kong, and singaporean accents. I can do Japanese too - but that's not really beneficial in this case.

Your assumption that I'm pro-chinese on these blogs, for the sake of ingratiation is therefore rebutted and rebuffed. I'm pro-chinese government, because I see massive improvements by the government in social welfare, despite their operational woes and ills over the decades. The 3 Gorges Dam was met with international protest - yet EVERY time the Yangtze River experienced sustained rainfalls and exceptional flooding - Chinese by the tens of thousands would perish. I still remember reading about how the floods from sustained rains would kill tens of thousands, to hundreds of thousands, leaving millions homeless. The numbers were so staggering, we were certain they were wildly exaggerated. China alleviates poverty, the US exacerbates poverty. That is a UN recognized fact - although you may debate the metrics of poverty.

I don't need to ingratiate myself - I'm an arrogant, self-assured, eminent professional in all that I do. I'm not perfect or infallible, despite my attempts to generally impart that illusion -but I definitely strive to be always best in class, if not a world-class professional and I've achieved that throughout my careers. A foreign ambassador once perused my resume (not my doing) and gave me the ultimate praise (hearsay and as though I'd really care what some foreign government official thinks) in a single word - "Impossible".

You served IN the US military, were disabled while in service, were decorated, and get to retire with a military pension. That's great for you. Most US military have my immediate respect. I show overt favoritism to retired military in consulting and business contracts, as my way of showing that respect - all other things being equal. I don't give charity - that shows a lack of respect.

I merely served the US military in several careers. I don't get medals - I get laid off, fired, and crappy salaries and promotions, because I'm not white, not black, not hispanic. Asians make good little techno-slaves. And apparently, I don't get respect from people like you, who belittle my professional achievements, despite the magnitude and scale of the contributions. Sucks to be me.

i've earned the respect and friendship of all the military and other alphabet agencies I've had the privilege to work for and with, because I am dedicated, honest, loyal, responsible, diligent, ethical, reliable, meticulous, and the epitomy of professional - all the attributes and character traits that are valued and instilled by the US and any professional military. Those very traits which are honored and sought after in the military are scorned in the increasingly corrupt commercial sector. I've seen corruption first hand as a professional, refused to support it, refused to participate, and always recommended alternate path - to no avail. Doing the right thing is guaranteed to shorten one's career in today's corporate america, when you're an influencer or a decision maker. It's no small wonder the general corporate ethos is grab and steal as fast as your hands can go.

Loyalty to one's staff - it's a firing offense. I was threatened with termination for authorizing training for all my traitorous, rebellious staff. I gave them all the opportunity to enroll in REALLY EXPENSIVE training and certification exams, as I knew our whole division was to be terminated, as soon as we finished the contract that I'd won, which the company didn't want as they wanted to shut us down - way too expensive, but were now stuck. I was also threatened with termination from the same guy, in the same burst of manure from his mouth, for bringing in a major (also american multinational) competitor to poach my eligible and willing staff (possibly exacerbating a more visceral bias from those left behind). The offer was made to the traitorous staff, but they thought their jobs were secure, despite my warnings - everyone hates the bearer of bad news. Even my wife - who expresses vile contempt for irresponsible managers, advised me to "just let them drown in their own ignorance" - but I am eminently professional, ethical, and responsible man (did I mention proud?), to a classical greek tragedy fault - however, those days are LONG gone!

You don't really know me or my history - it's plainly obvious in your contempt for me as a "second-class US citizen of Chinese descent".

All I need to know about you is you're a retired, decorated, disabled US vet. That earns my respect, regardless of our personal and political differences of opinion, not that you'd care, as I am, after all - just a second class US citizen of Chinese descent, apparently pandering, fawning, or begging for ingratiation from the Chinese government.

You worked for the US military - if you can stick it out or get out early on disability - you get great benefits - and I'm not criticizing that - I think that's great and well deserved for ANYONE who serves society - whether military, police, fire, EMTs, teachers, doctors, nurses, (although US attorneys should really burn in hell for all eternity) etc.

I get to pay into social security for my retirement and we all know that system's unreliable to depend upon for subsistence and my retirement benefits from that system are estimated to be reduced 20-30% from what retirees today are drawing. Combine that with inflation - gonna suck to be me.

My professional job has always been risk analysis, mitigation, and management of large scale integrated systems. It's my job to look at complicated things, simplify them, then deliver best in class if not world class solutions, systems, and support. As such - it's also my job to cut through manure and identify root causes, so solutions can be formulated, implemented, and risks mitigated or otherwise managed. I started doing that for the military, so people similar to you wouldn't die on mission and could both initiate and return from mission essentially intact and more importantly alive, so they could go on the next mission.

I'm usually REALLY good at what I do and it's evidenced in my current professional abilities, and since I'm also an arrogant ahole - what I do is beyond most normal people's imaginations and comprehension - it's impossible for a single human being to be this talented - and that's an incredibly arrogant thing to say. On that note, I'm NOT talented - I just work really really really hard and juggle lots of things at the same time. If my university grades are any measure of talent, I'm rather average - until one takes into account which university I managed to survive - and then I might debatably level up a notch or two from average - whatever that means.

I don't need to nor am I inclined to ingratiate myself with anyone or any country. If I wanted to be a professional ingratiator - I would've started earlier in life as a gigolo (not qualified), gopher or similar such professional. Even the perception that my moronic, abrasive, opinionated comments on this (apologies to gokm) not as internationally famous as say yahoo website could possibly or remotely "ingratiate" me with relevant or pertinent Chinese government authorities is preposterous and ludicrous. Besides - with my obviously inflated opinion of myself - I believe people, communities, and governments should be fawning all over themselves to ingratiate themselves with me (and I actually believe and practice that).

Maybe I'm wrong - maybe gokm is a famous and critical website used by the CCCP to troll for ingratiators, but in my self-aggrandizing world-class professional opinion, I rather doubt it - again, apologies to gokm - but realistically - gokm is just not Yahoo, and I doubt that aspiration is even on the gokm team's list of goals, missions, objectives, and or visions).

What I see is in plain sight for all to see, if you'd care to take a genuinely critical look - but beware - the life of a professional risk analyst is incredibly depressing, because our professional life requires we look for all that's wrong, broken, or will create future risks - which, incidentally is also a tactical and strategic military skill.

The current media - assuming Yahoo's news portal is representative of the media at large - is extremely biased in it's reporting. It's actually polarizing. Factual reporting is insidiously populated with extraordinarily biased opinions and insinuations, making most media outlets, to include AP, AFP, et al - US propaganda rags on the level of CCTV. So, I can perhaps understand your perspective and comments - you've been suckered. It's ok if you admit it or not - I believe most people in the USA feel the same way - aside from fringe crackpots like me, survivalists, and the tea party, to name a few.

If you believe the best way to mediate a neighborhood dispute, is to stroll across the street, waving a big old hunking stick around, and pushing it the face of the one neighbor you don't have a defense agreement with, in a menacing and intrusive manner, then you are naturally the epitomy of current US Foreign Policy, and I'm just a pedantic, juvenile, self deluded narcissistic, aka crazy grumpy old <insert additional derogatory adjectives here> fool.

I'm critical of my government - as a second class wannabe citizen - because it's just plain wrong. Our behavior is just wrong. It's arrogant, abrasive, and incendiary. I criticize the blatant corruption in our country.

Solyndra is an excellent case in point - while unsubstantiated rumors continue to abound whether Solyndra's campaign contributions of almost USD 90k contributed to their fast track taxpayer guaranteed renewable energy loan approval of almost USD 530 million - the more important non-political fact is that the company managed to burn through USD 530 million in taxpayer guaranteed loans in roughly 12 months, then torpedo into bankruptcy. The ability to spend USD 530 million in 12 months and then abruptly become bankrupt, putting roughly 1100 people out of work and simultaneously defaulting on their termination salaries and benefits is a historically stellar business case of inept and negligent, if not world class UN-professional management and fiscal irresponsibility - but I've yet to see a single published business case analysis of this spectacular fiasco - probably because google is blocked. Maybe I'll go write one and publish it...AFTER our illustrious Japan bowing President leaves office. Well, at least he didn't hurl on the prime minister. Democrats bow, Republicans hurl. What kind of world leaders are we producing?

Historically, our government supported the former Iran regime - hence their visceral hatred of the USA - although today's Iranians seem to generally enjoy our movies, music, and allegedly, American porn - moving right along... the imperial Marcos regime aka dictatorship, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the alleged epitomy of thuggery, nepotism, and government corruption, Saipan or was that American Samoa, which I believe wins the award for longest running US supported protectorate aka welfare state. We don't have significant military presence on Saipan (like we do on Guam) and it doesn't have any resources of particular interest to the USA (such as oil, minerals, gas, etc) - but it makes a great backup in case Guam goes on vacation..

Voter's clamored for campaign contribution limit laws - which were reluctantly enacted, then our political parties discovered or rather engineered an alternative creating multiple vehicles for virtually unlimited campaign funds - the PACs and super-PACs - utterly circumventing a voter supported law with a definitive and resounding in-your=face slam dunk.

Doesn't that upset you? Make you angry, frustrated, annoyed, irritated? The abrasive relationship between poor black communities and law enforcement has been festering for decades - yet our government does nothing to seriously dent the seriously lopsided incarceration of blacks and other minorities, until the problem overflows into race riots (which is really silly, because they're really only destroying their own neighborhoods - but hey - if it makes the news, by all means, defecate in the bed you sleep in).

As military - your job is to execute lawful orders without question (I think - I was never in the military, but I envision it's generally this way). But you're NOT in the military anymore. Don't you question the methods of the USA's "pivot to Asia". It's basically akin to my analogy of the neighbor across the street (the USA) attempting to mediate a dispute between it's neighbors across the street (PI, Japan, China), over a property line and ownership dispute - and waving a big stick at China, since the PI and Japan are your buddies and don't threaten your position as the street's burly enforcer (or bully), as opposed to offering to fairly and in an unbiased manner, try to help mediate a fair and equitable solution (which China would reject anyway - but that's not the point).

Instead of strolling across the street as an impartial and disinterested aka unbiased observer, to help broker a mutually acceptable solution, the USA leapt into the fray waving a stick (military air reconnaissance). That's DEFINITELY not unbiased. The USA has also been publicly mouthing off about adamantly and unconditionally (?) supporting it's allies in border disputes with China (aka Japan, PI).

The USA just created zero credibility as a fair, unbiased, and disinterested party to a peaceful, fair and just mediated settlement, based on its behavior and rhetoric. By claiming the USA also has the right to enforce blue-water access in the disputed areas and will militarily support incursions in its allies disputed lands, the USA just inserted itself as yet another claimant to the area, and yet another obviously biased player in an already contentious dispute. That's guaranteed to push a dangerous button in China and has nothing to do with ingratiation or questionable alliance. It's aggressively confrontational and regardless whether China can sustain, dominate, or yield (which I rather doubt they'll do), both the USA, China, and the world in general are bound to suffer immensely from this very poorly planned and strategized confrontation.

Regardless of the outcome, it's bound to push both China, Russia, Japan, and probably the rest of Asia into a renewed arms race of unparalleled proportions, which is precisely what's happening now. While we're all distracted with each other - Iran will test a nuclear bomb and Israel will then bomb Iran (assuming Iran doesn't test the nuke in Israel).

Now, if this is all about the US economy, then by all means - an arms race is great for the defense and derivative industries (war is bad for the defense industry, as we have to spend all that R&D money on bullets, bombs, and fuel - not to mention combat pay).

We have so many serious social ills at home - and we really need to focus on these issues as they're rather critical. Rampant drug use (USD 40 billion a year tax free to Mexican drug cartels aka gangsters), changing the social culture that's destroying black neighborhoods - one-parent families, poverty, employment, self-respect, community, patriotism, respect for authority (it's earned), etc.

If I return to the USA, I have to start paying taxes again (assuming I earn beyond poverty level), but how can I justify paying my minuscule taxes when the IRS turns a blind eye to USD 40 billion in tax free cash traipsing across our borders in illicit drug money. The IRS nailed Al Capone. Surely USD 40 billion a year should have elicited some kind of interest from the IRS?

How can I in good conscience pay taxes, when we're pouring billions into known corrupt entities in Iraq, Afghanistan, Saipan (allegedly, but never proven legally), and now, once again the PI. Those people are stealing my hard earned taxes right in front of our faces - it's bluntly shameless and offensive to me and should be to all Americans.

Is this what you fought for, what you became disabled for? The right to give away US taxpayer monies to corrupt foreign governments while we at home who pay those taxes have no healthcare, declining social security benefits from what is paid today?

Or since you're a disabled vet with early retirement benefits separate from my crappy virtually non-existent civilian benefits, and since you're living here - you don't need to pay taxes - not your problem, don't care? Sucks to be me?

And of course - you're ultimate put-down - I am after all, only a second class citizen of Chinese descent, so my criticisms/rants against my government should merely be construed as the ravings of an anti-american, pedestrian, self-serving ingratiating jingoist?

Perhaps you're right - maybe I should quit ranting and just play the system. Go home and get my welfare checks, breed like rabbits, so I can get even bigger welfare checks and rental assistance checks, go get my food stamps, then dump my family - and teach them how to game the welfare system, and the food stamp system, and subsidized living system, not to mention the free drugs and healthcare systems. Then having created a rapidly multiplying self-sustaining social parasite, pretend to rob a bank (or deal drugs - tax free), eventually get caught, go to jail, and get free room and board until I die, which will also be paid for by the state or the feds. I'll also get free laundry, free clothes, access to free gym equipment, and learn to be somebody's b*tch at my old age...oh and free medical, free dental, free vision care, free long-term medical in the event of any disease or affliction - cancer, diabetes, etc. But I won't really fit in - I'm not white, I'm not aryan, I'm not black or hispanic, and the asian gangs won't take me, cuz I started too late in life, I'll just be an old, geeky wannabe second class american citizen, in jail, but at least I won't have to worry about room and board, healthcare, or the declining size of my social security checks and the fact that I have to pay state and local taxes on my income, and state and local taxes on most purchases.

Fortunately for US taxpayers, I can't be that guy, nor would I allow my family to slide into that lifestyle, nor would they. We're all eminent professionals and aside from being personally arrogant, abrasive, and an all-around professional ahole, I also have self-respect, dignity, ethics, a sense of honor, integrity, and self-righteousness. I treat my business partners and stakeholders with respect and integrity and I demand and enforce those qualities from all my stakeholders.

Ingratiate myself - I scoff at that comment. I'm too proud and too arrogant to ingratiate anything. I think people, companies, and governments in general should ingratiate themselves with me and THAT'S on my five-year plan.

in this case you are wrong. if you meet a royal at a certain level you bow or other respect measures. and it doesn.t matter if this is rewarded by notice from the royal. usually it isn.t not in Japan or other states and kingdoms. the whole idea of royals are that there is no MUTUAL respect.

china never invaded ANYONE? you should check the history books....and take a look at the islands in the south.
it never destabilized anyone?....oh gosh....check current world politics.

it wasn.t big player in the financial crisis in 08?....muahahaha....right.

china is a developing country?...you mean the fact that they played with numbers so that they illegaly and unlawfully could receive aid from all over the world which they put in military budget. space programs for showing their d*ck is.

i don.t care about anything going on in the US. and your prpblems with them. its not the smartest place on earth. politically

the only thing i know for sure is, if china doesn.t evolve culturally and as a society. nazi germany and emporial japan plus stalin.s work will be remembered as the nicer times. china will f*ck it up huge, as they always did and always will do. due to their stubburness and disability to change and evolve.

i.d rather be under 100 years of putin.s rule than one 1 under china as superpower.

in terms of government.

i mean ask yourself why would china suddenlu want all those things. you think they just keep the oceans free and everyone harmonious? look around...now!

the chin. gov. is just a mirror of its society

remember Pol Pot, C H I N E WAS the few staunch backers of that murderous regime.

the 1967 riot in hong kong and its neighbouring Macau was the making of WHO?

if one reads Chinese Classics, the great poet and journalist, Du Pus ( 杜甫) works, one would realise that China was expanding its territory to the detriment of its own people. "Chariots Ballad" (兵車行) revealed what happened then. an extract here, "....信知生男惡,反是生女好,生女猶得嫁比鄰,生男埋沒隨百草,君不見,青海頭,古來白骨無人收,新鬼煩冤舊鬼哭,天陰雨濕聲啾啾." you will also notice that 青海頭 was the frontier then. anything beyond 青海 (QingHai, bording Sichuan) belonged to someone else. :-))))))))

then, not to mention the first 40 years lost and millions of death in the hand of the government of the Peoples republic. should I mention the nineteen eighty-nine massacre?

oh.........Some Hungarians can claim they are the rightful owner of that big piece land lost... :-)))))))

Asia's biggest security forum, the Shangri-La Dialogue, opened Friday in Singapore. China wasted no time in pronouncing judgement:

China's Xinhua news agency said some of the participants in the Shangri-La Dialogue "attempt to monopolize the right to speak in the field of international security."

"They echo each other, distort the truth, magnify differences, add fuel to fire, so that dialogue diverges from the path of strengthening exchanges and enhancing mutual trust."