Sigh, here we go again America

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I think you can find the figures if you look for them. I read articles about China's large debts accruing in the inland provinces, housing estate bubbles almost everyday in the newspapers.

A significant amount of China's GDP is fuelled by the property market. In fact, soaring property prices are a huge source of discontentment within the country.

You may recall China's stimulus package during the recent financial crisis. This spurred a lot of spending across China especially the inland provinces. And this means that that country is chalking a lot of debt.

The general sentiment in China is against going on foreign adventures, meddling in the affairs of other countries and the like. They are more concerned about the widening income gap, the economy and other domestic issues. As the Chinese Premier once said, "China's greatest contribution to the world would be to take put her houses in order."

So I agree with the statement that China will most unlikely send the PLA into Iran should war break out.

Take into account China's strict one child policies as well as it's government censorship and what makes you think the Chinese Government cares about the dissent of it's peasants? The Chinese government enjoys strong economic relations and ties with Iran and Russia, she values them to the extent that she would fight for them. And Iran and Russia also value their relationship similarly.

I'm serious when I say we'd make a serious mistake jepordizing millions of American lives if we attempt to call the bluff of the Eurasian axis, two of which with confirmed nuclear weapons programs(Russia and China).

October issue of Time Magazine

It's common knowledge that local Chinese governments are heavily in debt. The same local governments also get a lot of their funding by selling land to developers. Since average Chinese citizens are unable to own land, they are unable to invest in land to make a profit (like our real estate market) however they ARE allowed to invest in the development of that property. So a lot of Chinese citizens have invested heavily in housing.

There was an article in another edition of Time magazine that I saw later the same day (it might be in that edition of Time Magazine) that described how the Chinese government is trying to encourage the transition from thrifty spending to consumer spending.

As far as conflict goes, China uses North Korea as a buffer to keep American influences away from it's boarder. It would prefer to use other forces in proxy wars like it did in Korea and Vietnam.

I would disagree with you here. The countless protests (or "mass incidents" as they are called) in mainland China, numbering in tens of thousands a year rattles the government, especially the provinicial authorities, the prefectural authorities, the lower rungs of government. Take the recent protests in Wukan, Guangdong for example, the provincial authority had to step in and make concessions to the peasant's demands.

The government, especially the central government knows too painfully well that if this growing surge of discontent is not addressed, the whole country would plunge into instability. So I can confidently say that China will not go on a warpath. The only scenario where I see China being prodded into war is when her sovereignty is violated.



I don't personally think that China would use proxies. I am more of the opinion that China is under constant blackmail by North Korea's policy of brinksmanship. Vietnam was a Soviet proxy during the Vietnam War not a Chinese proxy. (In fact relations between China and Vietnam was so bad then, that China launched an invasion of Vietnam at 1979 for occupying Cambodia!) If China were to deal with the US, I'd think they would play the "economic card".