Re: China to buy Eurofighters?

On Wed, 3 Dec 2003 18:12:33 +0000, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (phil
hunt) wrote:

>On Wed, 03 Dec 2003 07:04:27 GMT, Scott Ferrin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>On Wed, 3 Dec 2003 03:09:10 +0000, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (phil
>>hunt) wrote:
>>
>>>item: In October, a Chinese official report called for greater trade
>>>with the EU, and for the EU's arms embrago against China to be
>>>lifted.
>>>
>>>item: German foreign minister Gerhard Schroder recently visited 
>>>China and said arms embrago should be lifted.
>>>
>>>item: a spokesman for EADS (large European arms manufacturer, which 
>>>is one of the main partners in Eurofighter) recently called for the 
>>>embargo to end.
>>>
>>>Any speculation as to what weapons China wants to buy? I think the 
>>>Eurofighter. Also on the shopping list might be ASRAAM, Meteor and
>>>ASTER anti-aircraft missiles.
>>>
>>>There's a more detailed discussion of this on my blog at:
>>><http://www.cabalamat.org/weblog/art_97.html>
>>
>>
>>In my opinion selling them top of the line stuff is the height of
>>stupidity.  It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what the
>>situation is going to be with China and the West in ten to fifteen
>>years.
>
>You say that as if you assume hostility is obviously going to 
>happen. I'd like to see your reasoning for that...

And it seems you assume that it won't.  Hoping that nothing will ever
happen isn't such a great idea because if it does and you're not
prepared or worse have strengthened a potential advisary, you're
begging for trouble.  China is bent on becoming a superpower and also
has it's eye on expansion and intimidation.  Do you think Taiwan has
500 missiles pointed at it for kicks?  At some point China will decide
to give it a go.  Either they get bitchslapped when they try it and
maybe decide to stay home or they win and say to themselves "hmmm
where to next?"