A1exl1's Weblog

Comment #1

a1exl1 — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 19:46:49 +0000

comment on circumnavigaet’s ” Commentary on Iran Article”

nice. i like the way you think. you come up with additional questions after analyzing the facts that you found. hope you will find answers to your questions.

Comment #3

a1exl1 — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 19:45:51 +0000

Comment on circumnavigate’s “Analysis Sharia Courts In Europe”

Good analysis. You really understand the sharia and even took a further step to evaluate its faults.

Comment#2

a1exl1 — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 19:44:28 +0000

Comment on circumnavigate’s “Ideas on the FAQ”

Good job finding answers to your question. It is always good to find diverging evidence that gives you another perspective to the issue.

Comment by a1exl1 — November 5, 2007 #

China’s relationship with Japan

a1exl1 — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 06:33:02 +0000

China has a brutal past with Japan. Events such as invasion of Manchuria and rape of Nanjing are very big parts of the history between the two nations. It is still a delicate issue. Recent events such as Koizumi visiting the Yasukuni shrine, which pays tribute to World War II heroes and Japan’s use of Atarashii Rekishi Kyokasho, or New History Textbook, which downplays Japan’s military aggression in Sino-Japanese war, World War II, etc. Anti-Japanese sentiment flared up in China and escalated to a high level. These emotions show that there still exist perptual tention between China and Japan.

Forunately, Shizo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan’s trip to Beijing last October “broke the ice.” With the rise of China’s power, the Chinese government seem to be willing to improve relations with Japan and is determined to build a “strategic partnership.” China’s state media emphasized that this year should be celbrated as the 35th anniversary of “normalized realtions” with Japan.

Chinese relations with Taiwan

a1exl1 — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 06:21:28 +0000

China’s relationship with Taiwan have always been tense and complicated. It is no different now that China is experiencing tremendous economic growth. After Maozedong took control of China, the leader of the KuomingDang fled to the island of Formosa, or Taiwan. As opposed to China’s communist regime, the democratic government of Taiwan was recognized as the representative of China until as late as 1979, when the United States, broke off relations with the Republic of China and established full diplomatic relations with the P.R.C.

The current president of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian has voiced his sentiment for independence numerous times during his tenure. But the economic integration between Taiwan and China has shifted some of its attention from a long struggle over national identity toward a greater focus on economic partnership with the mainland. And Chen Shui Bian is prevented from running for a third term of the presidency. The potential candidates both want closer economic relations with the mainland.

Grim Tales

a1exl1 — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 06:09:59 +0000

The Economist writes in “Grim Tales” that China’s growth has brought much damage to the environment within the country and its neighboring countries as well. For example, South Korean and Japan both suffer from sandstorms exacerbated by desrtification in China. Acid rain is daming Korean and Japanes forests. Japanese fishermne are affected by China’s pollution. In addition, another big problem is the growth in oil consumption because the government is committed to a “car-led policy of devlopment.” The only bright spot in all this is that because energy demand is so high and growing at such a fast pace, China has more incentive to try out alternative energies, including windpower. China seems to appear to understand the scale of the environmental problem. In the government’s latest five year plan, it committed itself to increasing forest cover, cutting the discrahge of pollutants, and reducing China’s energy consumption.

The export juggernaut

a1exl1 — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 06:01:57 +0000

The Economist did a special report on China and came up with the conclusion that China’s prowess in exporting is good for its neighbors. After China joined the WTO, its foreing investment has increased and it has overtook Japan to become the world’s third largest exporter, behind America and Germany. However, the ten ASEAN countries also have seen growth in foreign investment as well. China’s boom has “sucked in vast quantites of parts and componets for final assembly from other parts of Asia.” In other words, China’s increasing appetite and its membership in the WTO has translated into gains for other Asian countries. Japan was pulled out of a decade and a half slump by Chinese demand for top-notch components and capital goods. South East Asia, which is rich in resources will likely continue to porfit from China’s appetitie for raw materials. Hong Kong, Taiwan, and potentially Japan will profit from being China’s trading partners.

The China trade syndrome

a1exl1 — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 03:33:21 +0000

The economist article “The China Trade Syndrome” reports that Europe has finally started to take notice of the rise of China. European countries have been slower than America to notice the consequences of globalization. When America was complaining about China’s imports and price of products, Europe was more concerned with people moving from central Europe westwards and factories moving in the other direction. But now, there are three major problems that are linked to China that European countries will have to soon address. One is the trade balance between China and Europe. The balance has drastically tipped to China’s side as bilateral trade deficit with China is running at 15million Euros. The second problem is that “China ignores gentle hints to stick to commitments it made when it joined the World Trade Organisation.” This include intellectual property theft and state subsidies. A new problem involves Chinese regulators and their unfair treatments of members of EU. And since the countries in the EU all want to have an advantage when it comes to trade and economic alliances, many of the members of the EU are willing to submit to the treatment of the Chinese regulators. The third issue is China’s yuan. It has lost around forty percent of its value to the Euro since 2000. It does not help Europe’s cause that there are dividing sides among the members in the EU. Members of the EU have different opinions on if an open market with China is a good thing pepending on if they able to reap the benefits of China’s rising economy.

Ongoing Problems

a1exl1 — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 22:48:01 +0000

One challenge that I had with the Q-project was I found a large amount of articles that dealt with my issue. This is a benefit, since more information means more analysis, but this has also become a problem. A lot of the articles talk about the same issues, so I have been having a hard time deciding which articles are more relevant.

Ambiguous Intentions

a1exl1 — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 21:38:29 +0000

China has suffered through, Japanese invasion and occupation, civil war, and Cultural Revolution. Because of these events, the economy was destroyed and the population became increasingly poor. But the economic reforms of Deng Xiao Ping and the continuing focus on the economy by his successors have led China out of its darkest days and into a new age, an age when global issues abound and the economy needs to be discussed in a global scale. China’s economy right now is export driven, and this was made possible by globalization. The economic benefits are so huge that the Chinese government has willingly opened up its market and has become an advocate of free trade. It has also started to let the market decided its currency, even though reluctantly at first, because the appreciation of the Chinese yuan will only help China’s economy in the long run. It will prevent the market from overheating and the government will have more control on the interest rates. The economy is the primary focus of the government, so much so that the government is willing to be more levelheaded as the Economist article “Heavenly Dynasty” has pointed out. It has become more peaceful in its dealing with the United States. However, the increasing power of the China’s economy is now seen as a potential threat to other Asian countries. Chinese’s intentions are both murky and ominous. They have built up their navy and military power in the past few years. It is understandable that because this reflects their growing wealth and prestige. But they also have missiles with a range to hit Japan and rockets that can destroy satellites. The new roads, ports, and pipelines in Myanmar and Pakistan can be seen as future supply routes for Chinese navy. This all has might have to do with China’s sense of manifest destiny. The fact that It had been in economic disarray and had been seen as a weak nation for so long that the current rise of nationalism is particularly strong an can be potentially dangerous. Examples of this new sense of nationalism can be was seen in 1999 when NATO bombs struck the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during the Kosovo war, and again in anti-Japanese riots in the spring of 2005. This is why economic success in China has so easily caught the attention of countries like the United States. It is a huge nation with unlimited potential that has an unclear but surely insatiable desire to become a super power.