Good point. 15% of Americans go hungry.

But, tongue in cheek aside, what the USA needs to do is do a deal with China. The US needs to withdraw all their troops from South Korea, Japan, Guam, indeed all of their troops west of Hawaii. Then, and only then, will China really get tough on North Korea regardless of how many North Korean refugees are going to pour across the Yalu river.

The only problem is that they might not stop with norrh korea

Matthew: You mean China might invade Taiwan? I am 99% certain that won’t happen. The volume of trade between mainland China and Taiwan was worth 170 billion US dollars last year and it’s increasing all the time. You think the Communist leadership in China would put that and the millions of jobs that the Taiwanese have set up on the mainland in jeopardy with a military invasion?

When it comes to military invasions, it is the US that is running amok presently not China. It’s bombing 6 countries presently without UN mandate, in violation of international law and in violation of human rights.

Japan and China have trading agreements, which dwarf those with Taiwan, but has that stopped Chinas provocations in the South China Sea? You assume China is approaching this situation with a cool head, but given the nuanced internal political situation, particularly recents moved to quell civil liberties and restrict government criticism, military confrontation is increasingly seen as a unifying element in China. Withdrawing all US forces might seem like a great idea on paper, but the reality is that the Chinese, with their entrenched anti-democratic global world view, would aggressively fill that vacuum and the east west divide would push the world toward confrontation.

The volume of China Japan trade was over 350 billion US dollars last year. It’s hardly surprising it’s larger as Japan was 127 million people and Taiwan has 23 million people.

Regarding the South China Sea dispute, China has a much stronger claim to the Diaoyu islands than Japan has. The islands were annexed by Imperial Japan in 1895 when Japan annexed Taiwan after their victory in the first Sino-Japanese war. When Taiwan was liberated after WW2, the islands continued to be administered by the US military until they were finally ceded to Japan in 1972 along with Okinawa prefecture. The US military still uses one of the Diaoyu islands for military exercises, that is, as a bombing range. Additionally, the Diaoyu islands lie on the continental shelf adjoining both mainland China and Taiwan. There is a trench that separates the Diaoyu islands from the islands of Okinawa.

The alleged military aggression of China in the South China Sea is a myth. A closer look shows that it is, in fact, the US military that is the aggressor in the South China Sea.

Thanks for the unnecessary history lesson, which doesn’t change the facts in any way. Under international law the islands are Japanese, and China has been aggressively trying to exert military strength in that part of the world for the last year. The Philippines have been forced into allowing US troops back onto their shores, so as to counter Chinese aggression, and the Vietnamese have been re-establishing links with the US, in the hope of allowing troops to be stationed there, something that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago. Who do you think this is happening? It’s because of Chinese aggression, as viewed by the people on the ground. You may think this is a myth, but the citizens of these countries do not. They see the real face of Chinese expansionist policies and they do not trust it.

No, Kenneth, under International law, the Diaoyu islands are not Japanese. Under the threat of US military retaliation, the islands are Japanese. US military muscle and International Law are two separate things.

The islands were never Chinese, regardless of how much they protest that point, at least since they realised they could stand up to the Japanese, in 1971 and try and muddy the waters with talks of maps that nobody was allowed investigate and the usual Chinese nationalistic spin and nonsense. The Sekaku islands are Japanese, at least since they were claimed in the 1890’s, as they were unoccupied, and continue to be Japanese in international law.

The Diaoyu islands belong to Toucheng Township, Yilan County, Taiwan. The People’s Republic of China also accepts that. Taiwan is a part of China, therefore, the Diaoyu islands belong to China.

Under the rules of international law and international maritime law, the Diaoyu islands belong to China. The Diaoyu islands are located on the continental shelf that they share with Taiwan and mainland China. There is a sea trench that separates the Diaoyu islands from the islands of Okinawa which are a part of Japan.

Taiwan doesn’t belong to china either Paul. It is an independent country. It seems clear now that you have been blinded to the truth by a love for all the nuanced of modern Chinese propaganda, and the many counter factual misrepresentations of the realities that dominate state run tv. Japan took an uninhabited island under their control, Paul, and have ruled administered it ever sense. It was never Taiwanese or Chinese, as you have repeatedly claimed, although I am not sure if you are trying to convince me or yourself? The truth remains the same, the islands are ruled by Japan and will continue to be so under international law. Spouting off Chinese nationalist spin won’t change that fact. As we speak Japanese boats are patrolling their waters around their island, and undoubtedly dealing with the illegal presence of Chinese nationalists, all of whom were indoctrinated with the same lies and propaganda that you have tried to peddle here. All the nationalist spin won’t change the facts. The islands are still Japanese.

Sorry, Kenneth, the United Nations disagrees with you. The UN doesn’t recognize Taiwan and neither does the United States. Both the United Nations and the United States recognize that there is only one China and the capital of that China is located in Beijing.

The Diaoyu islands are uninhabited but this is not just about the Diaoyu islands. This is also about the territorial seas surrounding the islands. The country in control of the islands also have an exclusive economic zone extending up to 370 kilometers surroudning the islands.

Japan doesn’t administer the
Diaoyu islands. The Japanese government has forbidden the nearest local government (Ishigaki city) to survey and develop the islands.

Why did the Taiwanese government wait until 1972 before pressing its claim to the Diaoyu islands? The Diaoyu islands as well as the Ryukyu islands were under US Military administration until 1972. There were US military bases on Taiwan until 1979 when the US withdrew diplomatic recognition from Taiwan. In other words, the US army was in occupation of Taiwan. It wouldn’t have been wise for the Taiwanese government at the time to press a claim against territory administered by the US military, as the Diaoyu islands were until 1972.

Paul, yet again you have waffled out irrelevant facts, which must be designed to deflect from addressing my points, as they fail to address the points and ignore the facts yet again. Did I say there wasn’t uncertainty around Taiwan’s legal status, or that the UN did not have difficulty dealing with the governments official position? No, I did not. Yet you went on a pointless rant about it anyways. When I brought up Chinas aggression toward its neighbours earlier, you deflected again. I said Taiwan was an independent country, which it is, regardless of how your pro-china outlooks views it. The uncertainty in the UN hasn’t changed that fact.
Regarding Senkaku, Japan assumed control of uninhabited islands, which they currently administer and govern, and repeating Chinese nationalist spin over and over again hasn’t changed that fact, Paul, nor has spouting incorrect pro-Chinese political counter factual points. Taiwan has no claim to the islands, other than the fact it is closer geographically, and chest thumping, by either the Chinese or Taiwanese, will not make a difference. Asian rearmament will grow as a result of Chinese aggression, but that doesn’t make Chinese expansionist spin any more factual.
I try to answer people’s replies, Paul, but its a new day and you’ve deflected issues that do not fit your interpretation, so as to spout Chinese spin, rather than the reality, so I am going to move on to another comment thread.

Kenneth: There is no uncertainty in the UN regarding Taiwan’s non-membership of the UN.. The Republic of China, that is, Taiwan, was kicked out in 1971 by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 and was replaced by the People’s Republic of China “as the only legitimate representative of China in the United Nations”.

The Diaoyu islands are not administered by Japan. The Japanese government forbids the nearest local government of Ishigaki to survey and develop the islands. They are 8 uninhabited islets and rocks. One islet is used as a bombing practice range by the US air force. Aside from that, the Japanese coast guard is active expelling anyone who intrudes, whether they be Taiwanese, Chinese or Japanese, and that’s about the height of it insofar as human activity is concerned.

The last thing china wants is NK refugees to flood over the border. The Yalu river is now frozen and crossing the border is easy enough.

More than that the last thing china wants is to share a border with the US army. A war with north korea could get very messy!

Cut and paste does not equal comment

Cut and paste does not equal comment.