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I think the US barely figures into this. I think it's all about oil in the south china seabed in both of these island disputes. Nobody cares about the actual is

I think the US barely figures into this. I think it's all about oil in the south china seabed in both of these island disputes. Nobody cares about the actual islands. The chinese are terrified about their oil supply vulnerability. Unfortunately this part of the world is a powder keg. I wonder if there is a diplomatic way to assuage china's oil supply insecurity and save face for all concerned.

MichaelMoser123 13y ago
Wikipedia says that Japan has enjoyed a long period of low defense spending (1% GDP), partly because they rely on the 1960 treaty with the US. So the implicit threat of US involvement is very much taken for granted. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_budget_of_Japan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_budget_of_Japan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Mutual_Cooperation_and_Security_between_the_United_States_and_Japan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Mutual_Cooperation_an...
- corresation 13y ago
  Japan has the fifth highest military spending in the world. That's a lot of money. Further, military spending for the majority of the world is related to the real threat that they endure. What threats did Japan face? There was no chance of a Chinese invasion, and among the rest of the Asia Pacific countries things are relatively civil. The powder keg of India/Pakistan has nothing to do with Japan. As a second further, when you start dumping money into the military you generally just create a problem as everyone around you will start doing the same.
Spooky23 13y ago
Not correct. The Philippines are essentially a US vassal state, and tends to care about freedom of navigation in this region. There are all sorts of legal issues around China's successful assertion of claims in this area.
- a8da6b0c91d 13y ago
  I was referring to the idea that the Chinese are reacting to specific US policies. Yes, the Americans are a major player in the region, but the reason the Chinese are doing what they're doing is resource insecurity.
  - Spooky23 13y ago
    This stuff is multi-dimensional. Sure, they want oil, but they also know how sensitive we are to anything that potentially hinders US naval or commercial maritime interests in that region. At the end of the day, with the exception of the Japanese post WW1 and WW2 era, the Pacific Ocean has been mostly controlled by the US Navy. We've had a naval presence there since the American Revolution. The Chinese have only had a credible naval force for a few years, so both side are testing the boundaries.

MichaelMoser123 13y ago

Wikipedia says that Japan has enjoyed a long period of low defense spending (1% GDP), partly because they rely on the 1960 treaty with the US. So the implicit threat of US involvement is very much taken for granted. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_budget_of_Japan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_budget_of_Japan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Mutual_Cooperation_and_Security_between_the_United_States_and_Japan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Mutual_Cooperation_an...

corresation 13y ago
Japan has the fifth highest military spending in the world. That's a lot of money. Further, military spending for the majority of the world is related to the real threat that they endure. What threats did Japan face? There was no chance of a Chinese invasion, and among the rest of the Asia Pacific countries things are relatively civil. The powder keg of India/Pakistan has nothing to do with Japan. As a second further, when you start dumping money into the military you generally just create a problem as everyone around you will start doing the same.

Spooky23 13y ago

Not correct. The Philippines are essentially a US vassal state, and tends to care about freedom of navigation in this region. There are all sorts of legal issues around China's successful assertion of claims in this area.

a8da6b0c91d 13y ago
I was referring to the idea that the Chinese are reacting to specific US policies. Yes, the Americans are a major player in the region, but the reason the Chinese are doing what they're doing is resource insecurity.
- Spooky23 13y ago
  This stuff is multi-dimensional. Sure, they want oil, but they also know how sensitive we are to anything that potentially hinders US naval or commercial maritime interests in that region. At the end of the day, with the exception of the Japanese post WW1 and WW2 era, the Pacific Ocean has been mostly controlled by the US Navy. We've had a naval presence there since the American Revolution. The Chinese have only had a credible naval force for a few years, so both side are testing the boundaries.