politics

Abe open to summit with China to help economic ties

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@ Tony Ew: And pray tell, oh wise maven, who fully grasps the nature of geopolitics, tell us what you think. Don't hint at it. Don't suggest you know, like a wizard who hides behind the curtain of 'I alone know and I alone grasp,' That's arrogant and disingenuous. It's the oil and gas, man. That's it simply put. Now let me give you the reasons behind why Abe cannot and will not negotiate away the Senkakus from a geopolitical point of view.

Japan has nearly forsaken nuclear energy after Fukushima and is incapable of competing on the world stage without cheap oil and gas. We considered Myanmar oil and gas for Japan in order to revitalize that economy as a hedge against Chinese regional hegemony. We even considered Bakken oil and gas for Japan to revitalize their moribund economy, but even that was too expensive to stimulate their economy. Ultimately, we settled on Senkaku oil and gas, which was there for the taking, as cheap as simply exploiting it.

That's where we stand. We intend that China NOT receive cheap oil and gas, which would negate the positive impact of our Bakken oil and gas in making us competitive again on the world stage. By denying China access to cheap oil and gas throughout the South China Sea and East China Sea, thereby making it possible for us to forge new alliances with the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, Brunei, Indonesia, etc., we are guaranteeing our own hegemony on the world stage for the 21st century.

Moreover, by denying China access to cheap oil and gas, which makes their products more expensive and less competitive, we are changing China's aggressive focus from its smaller neighbors to the south towards its large neighbor to the north, where there is abundant oil and gas. There will be a border war for those energy resources, without China having to worry whether we will intervene. We will not. It is there that we intend to foment a clash of powers between the only two contenders for the hearts and minds of fellow 21st century travelers.

That's the geopolitical point of view. In the final analysis, it's simply about the oil and gas, man. Nuff said.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Jay HoffmanJan. 30, 2013 - 10:36PM JST source please

http://www.ndu.edu/press/lib/pdf/china-perspectives/ChinaPerspectives-2.pdf

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

"One third of China's government is under direct control of the military"

source please

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Comparing China to Japan is like comparing ice and fire. One third of China's government is under direct control of the military, unlike Japan and other countries where the military is kept out of government affairs. This plays a key role in how they percieve "business" ventures overseas.

The disparity between rich and poor in China is widening so greatly that concerns for economic collapse due to growing public resentment, impatience and mistrust of the direction the leadership is taking place in China. The day might come soon when nationalism through the military may very well turn China into the same type of nation Japan was in the thirties when they felt the only solution to satisfy their demands for resources took them down the road of expansionism.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

“It is precisely because we have a problem that we should hold the summit between leaders and have high-level talks,”

But only about the economy, right, Abe? Everything else you've already decided never happened or that you will not budge on.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Just keep in mind that your counterpart also has obligation to protect their "beautiful seas" and that the same set of islands are their "our land", too.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

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