[Sixstrings]

Okay this is the usual song and dance about the Dalai Lama. I note from the articles that they've been harder on the UK PM about his meetings with the Dalai Lama. I'm not sure if "grave damage" and summoning the embassy official mean they're more upset than usual, this time around.

But I frankly don't care.

We're not China's bitch. Better to let them know that sooner rather than later.

And if the Chinese response is harder this time around, then it's all Obama's fault because he's been weak on Syria, Iran, Ukraine, everything --- and now the wolves are at the door.

China summons U.S. official over meeting between Obama and Dalai Lama

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui summoned on Friday a senior U.S. embassy official in China after U.S. President Barack Obama held low-key talks with the Dalai Lama at the White House despite warnings from Beijing the meeting would damage ties.

Zhang summoned Daniel Kritenbrink, charge d'affaires of the U.S. embassy in China, on Friday night, according to a statement posted on the Chinese foreign ministry's website.

"The United States must take concrete actions to regain the trust of the Chinese government and people," Zhang said.
http://news.yahoo.com/china-summons-u-official-over-meeting-between-obama-030044254.html

CNN report on the Foreign Minister Hua Chunying warning the US:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/21/world/asia/china-us-dalai-lama/

Man, you can tell she's a hardcore party communist. She seems like a North Korean.

Beijing says White House meeting is 'gross interference in Chinese politics' and will damage China-US relations

Barack Obama met the Dalai Lama at the White House on Friday, despite objections from China, which has warned that the meeting would inflict grave damage on Sino-American relations.

The Tibetan spiritual leader is in the US on a speaking tour. The White House did not announce the meeting until late on Thursday, prompting a gruff complaint from Beijing, in what has become something of a diplomatic ritual whenever Obama meets the exiled Buddhist monk.

The two Nobel laureates spent an hour in the White House's Map Room, a step down in prestige from the Oval Office, where the president traditionally meets foreign heads of state. The meeting was closed to reporters.

China accused Obama of letting the Dalai Lama use the White House as a podium to promote anti-Chinese activities. Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China's foreign ministry, said before the meeting that it was "a gross interference in China's domestic politics" and "a severe violation of the principles of international relations. It will inflict grave damages upon the China-US relationship".

China, which routinely responds to foreign leaders' meetings with the Dalai Lama with diplomatic snubs and sanctions, said it had relayed its concerns formally to the US and urged Washington to treat its concerns seriously.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/21/china-us-barack-obama-dalai-lama

US v China: is this the new cold war?


http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/78920b2e-99ba-11e3-91cd-00144feab7de.html#axzz2u192avfR

[Sixstrings]

Yikes, more China doom:

China training for 'short, sharp war' against Japan

Japan and US express concern at rapid increase of military action in South China Sea

China is stepping up its training for a "short, sharp war" designed to seize the disputed Senkaku islands from Japan, according to the head of US naval intelligence in the Pacific.

Addressing a conference sponsored by the US Naval Institute in San Diego, California, Captain James Fannell said that the recent Missing Action 2013 exercises were training for the invasion of the uninhabited archipelago, which China claims as its sovereign territory and refers to as the Diaoyutai Islands.

"We concluded that the PLA (People's Liberation Army) has been given the new task to be able to conduct a short, sharp war to destroy Japanese forces in the East China Sea, following with what can only be expected as the seizure of the Senkakus or even a southern Ryukyu island," said Capt Fannell, director of intelligence for the US Pacific Fleet.
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/china-training-for-short-sharp-war-against-japan-30031836.html

And then the big one, that I've speculated about before -- bond dumping:

China just sold almost $50 billion in US Treasurys… But don’t panic just yet

Though this news is likely to stoke fears of a US bond market sell-off, it’s way too early to judge whether this is a fluke or a new PBoC strategy. If China continues to slash its Treasury holdings, that could be grim tidings indeed for the US Treasury market, especially with the Federal Reserve also winding down its bond-buying, as BNP Paribas’s Aaron Kohli told Caijing.

If and when the Chinese government does finally loosen its hold on the yuan, however, the impact on US government bonds will very likely be a big one.
http://qz.com/178532/china-just-sold-almost-50-billion-in-us-treasurys-but-dont-panic-just-yet/

China wants Japan to return weapon grade nuclear material to US
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77tb6xNaxV8

[americandream]

China is the capitalist world's bitch. Ignore the yapping. It's for the sweating and underpaid masses. Adds meaning to their lives, gives them a sense of destiny.

[rollin]

Earth to China. Quiet down and walk lightly or we stop buying your slave made cheap products that fall apart not long after we buy them.

[americandream]

Earth to China. Quiet down and walk lightly or we stop buying your slave made cheap products that fall apart not long after we buy them.

You would need to speak to the Western financiers who seduced agrarian China into mass producing their crap.

[Plantagenet]

China sees itself as the "Middle Kingdom" surrounded by barbarians. They seem to believe that gives them the right to attack and seize the territory of surrounding countries. Fifty years ago they invaded Tibet. Now China wants to seize some Japanese Islands, and the fisheries and FF resources from the ocean around those islands.

But Japan is an island nation---it isn't going to give up its territory without a fight.


Japan is going to fight back when China attacks.

[americandream]

Each time these pretend yaps break out, I remind people that the gold plated minority are hardly likely to give up their gilded thrones over this island or that sweaty uprising. They may thrash the crap out of upstarts like Saddam who threaten to upset the apple cart out of sheer stupidity, but the elite by and large enjoy the good life. In a years time, this will be forgotten and newer and more fantastical treasures will be available at massively discounted prices down your local mall.

[Paulo1]

I think I am going to go aout a buy a couple more 'disposable grinders' when they next come on sale at Crappy Tire. I try to find good ones that last, but we haven't turned that corner, yet. Looking forward to buying Canada/USA/Union made once again.

Paulo

[americandream]

Looking forward to buying Canada/USA/Union made once again.Paulo

Those days are gone forever.

[AndyA]

rollin wrote:
Earth to China. Quiet down and walk lightly or we stop buying your slave made cheap products that fall apart not long after we buy them.

You would need to speak to the Western financiers who seduced agrarian China into mass producing their crap

Why have we been buying them for the last xx years then?

[Sixstrings]

China is the capitalist world's bitch. Ignore the yapping. It's for the sweating and underpaid masses. Adds meaning to their lives, gives them a sense of destiny.

True AD, but it really it can result in an Argentina invading the Falklands. Or a China doing that "short sharp war" with Japan to take the Senkoku islands.

[PrestonSturges]

Seriously, China is like a small dog two streets away that never quits barking. Yap, yap, yap. They want to be a world power because they make our plastic gadgets that we could live without. We could all give up the next generation iphone and Lenovo Windows 8 tablet just to fuck China. We don't need them, the world doesn't need them, and they just can't accept that simple fact. Suck a huge American dick, China.

[Sixstrings]

Seriously, China is like a small dog two streets away that never quits barking. Yap, yap, yap.

That's usually the case, but It's a bit concerning this time prest, I know you're a liberal (as am I, usually) but this is where looking weak in one area can have dangerous ripples afterward, from multiple directions.

China's plan for a "short, sharp war" with Japan must obviously be assuming the US wouldn't do anything. If we look weak, if we falter, then China may just grab those islands the same as the Argentines thought they could get away with the Falklands and the Brits were too weak to do anything (they thought).

It's concerning, sino-japanese war is a sort of a big deal. What would we do? Would we stay out, let the Japanese get walloped and hope China stops at those islands? Could we really risk war over some empty little islands and fisheries and oil rights?

Does China Back Up Its Dalai Lama Threats?

China issues a nearly identical statement of outrage every time a foreign head of state meets with the Dalai Lama, but does it ever follow through on its claims that bilateral relations will be seriously damaged? According to one analysis, it does, but not for very long.

Andreas Fuchs and Nils-Hendrik Klann of the University of Göttingen published a paper in 2010 looking at the effect of Dalai Lama meetings on bilateral trade. Looking at “exports to China from 159 partner countries between 1991 and 2008,” they did find evidence of “trade-deteriorating effect” following meetings between the Dalai Lama and heads of state. (Meetings with lower-ranking officials didn’t have any effect.)

Specifically, “exports to China are found to decrease by 8.1 percent or 16.9 percent” as a result of meetings, however, the effect disappears within two years of the meeting taking place, and primarily affects only “machinery and transport equipment.”

It’s worth noting that the analysis looked only at the Hu Jintao years. It’s not yet clear whether Xi Jinping’s government will take these gestures quite as seriously.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_world_/2014/02/21/china_threatens_grave_damages_from_obama_dalai_lama_meeting_but_does_it.html

[PrestonSturges]

It could just be as Orwell said - people are willing to accept inequality and poverty if they are at war, so the state needs to have continuous war. it doesn't matter if the war is being won or lost or even it's real or imaginary. Maybe China is desperate for a "war" in order to protect the privilege of the ruling class while making the workers accept a sudden decrease in their standard of living.

This is so obvious that I'm embarrassed I did not think of this before.

[promiseplum]

Earth to China. Quiet down and walk lightly or we stop buying your slave made cheap products that fall apart not long after we buy them.

I agree with this one, those are just like a big "copying machine".