Hi Jay -
Re: US-China relations. I imagine you understand Americans very well, but just to make it clear - we don't want to "squat on" the Chinese.
Americans like to have fun. Americans like to make money. There hasn't been a war on US territory since 1865, and the last time we fought foreigners on US soil was 1812. We intend to keep it that way, if we can.
The last time a foreigner attacked the US was December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked our fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. We had a very hard time with the Japanese in WWII, as did the Chinese.
The Chinese were our allies fighting the Japanese. The Chinese army that fought with the US military was headed by a strong, heroic man who doesn't seem to get much respect in China anymore - Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek. There was also a Chinese army headed by Mao Tse-Tung. Neither Chinese army was fighting effectively against the Japanese, because they were holding troops in reserve to fight against each other. I don't know if the US effort in defeating the Japanese occupying China during WWII gets taught in Chinese schools these days, but we deserve thanks.
army.mil
After WWII came the Cold War, which was hot enough for the people living in places where Communist forces clashed with nationalist forces, like Korea, VietNam, Cambodia. But now that things have cooled down the US has pulled back its military presence in what, to us, is the Western Pacific.
There is a lot of posturing going on about Taiwan that I, personally, find baffling. You have pointed out, from time to time, how close the commercial and social ties are between mainland China and Taiwan. The Taiwanese people are better educated, have a better standard of living, and at least historically produced better quality commerical goods. Have you ever read the fairy tale about killing the goose that lays the golden eggs? The goose lays a golden egg, every day. If China kills the goose and cut it open to get the eggs out, they'll be left empty-handed.
The Chinese people are too smart to do that.
We promised our ally, the Generalissimo, that we would protect Taiwan from Chairman Mao, and we have kept that promise. In the fullness of time, China has evolved towards a more enlightened respect for the rights of individuals, and hopefully will continue to evolve. We don't pose an aggressive threat to China. However, we do have a policy of preserving peace in the Pacific. We are committed to the peaceful resolution of relations between China and Taiwan.
I am telling you this because I am interested in your reaction - although you are not mainland Chinese, you have contact with the mainland, and understand them. Also, you have experience in the transition in Hong Kong, which was peaceful. |
