A death threat from the former Secretary of the U.S. Navy Dan A. Kimball
Dan A. Kimball, Secretary of the Navy in July 1951 until the end of the Truman Administration in January 1953
said while in office during the Truman Administration.
Why a high ranking U.S. official uttered a death threat against an individual in a free and democratic country where its law-abiding government ardently speaks of protecting life, freedom and liberty? Who is Qian Xuesen? What had he done that provoked such strong reaction from the U.S. government? Why was Qian considered a threat to the U.S. national security? Between China and the United States, who is a larger threat to world peace and safety? This article attempts to answer the foregoing based on facts and history.
Dr. Xuesen Qian 錢學森 (11 December 1911 – 31 October 2009), aka Hsue-Shen Tsien or H.S. Tsien in academic journals, is a world renowned Chinese aeronautical scientist whose contributions to the Chinese rocket and space program earned him the honour of the "Father of Chinese Rocketry". He was born in Hangzhou about 180 k.m. southwest of Shanghai. He left Hangzhou at the age of three when his father obtained a job in the Ministry of Education in Beijing. He received a degree in mechanical engineering from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University (上海交通大學) in 1934.
He emigrated to the U.S. in August 1935 after winning a scholarship to study mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 1939, he earned his doctorate degree from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena (Caltech was ranked first in the 2012–2013 Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the second year running, as well as ranking first in Engineering & Technology and Physical Sciences), under Professor Theodore von Kármán and became the youngest professor in Caltech.
He went back to China briefly in 1947 to marry Jiang Ying (蔣英) and returned to the U.S. the same year with his newlywed wife.
Dr. Qian was the leading theoretician in rocket and high-speed flight theory in the United States. He was instrumental in the founding of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, and collaborated closely with the newly-founded Aerojet Corporation in the development of the first jet assisted take off rockets built in the United States.
His knowledge in rocketry prompted the U.S. army to commission him a colonel and sent him to occupied post-war Germany to interview Nazi rocket scientists and to investigate the progress of wartime aerodynamics research. Before 1949, Dr. Qian conducted research for the American government and taught in MIT. His work on designing an intercontinental space plane would later influence the development of the American Space Shuttle.
By 1949, Dr. Qian applied the knowledge from the design of a practical intercontinental rocket transport. He proposed a 5,000 km single stage winged rocket derived from V-2 (a Nazi German rocket weapon invented near the end of World War II) aerodynamics. Dr. Qian concluded that a 22,000 kg rocket would carry ten passengers from New York to Los Angeles in 45 minutes. It would take off vertically, with the rocket burning out after 60 seconds at 14,740 kilometres per hour at 160 km altitude. The rocket would re-enter the atmosphere and enter a long glide at 43 km altitude. Landing speed was to be 240 km/h. His theoretical concept on Dynamic Soarer (Dyna-soar) inspired delta winged spacecraft design in the late 1950s and the early 1960s and the space shuttle.
After the Communist takeover in China in 1949, Dr. Qian soon became ensnared in Senator Joseph McCarthy's Communist witch-hunt. He was accused of having sympathy on Mao Zedong's government. His application for citizenship by naturalization in 1950 was declined. Be mindful that he had already resided in the U.S. for at least 15 years at that time and he was once made a colonel in the U.S. Army, which requires a U.S. citizenship by today's standard.
The Qians packed up eight crates of belongings and set off for Shanghai, saying they wanted to visit his aging parents back home. Federal agents seized the containers, which they claimed contained classified materials, and arrested him on suspicion of subversive activity. What they found nearest to classified materials is a logarithm book. He and his family were under surveillance. Without evidence of committing espionage, his security clearance granted by the Scientific Advisory Board was revoked. Dr. Qian became a subject of interrogation and investigation. During a 5-year long secret negotiation between the U.S. and Mao's government, Qian and his family were under house arrest in Terminal Island near Los Angeles without trial. The U.S. government considered that he knows too much about the American weapons system. His return to China is a risk to national security.
The Qians became subjects of oppression and a bargaining chip to the U.S. government. Dr. Qian was not allowed to do any research. His captors hoped that lengthy idleness would wear and tear the Qians, rendering Dr. Qian more susceptible to providing self-incriminating information and his technical knowledge obsolete. During these 5 years in captivity, Dr. Qian wrote a book on Engineering Cybernetics which further established his academic standing.
The Qians were eventually allowed to leave in 1955 with his wife and their two American-born children in exchange of 11 downed American airmen captured by the Chinese during the Korean War. Upon their departure, Dr. Qian was not allowed to take any books, notes and written materials by the U.S. authorities. It is said that Dr. Qian mocked the American agents by telling them that the substance is all inside his head. In September 1955, Qian left for China on the passenger liner SS President Cleveland of American President Lines en route Hong Kong.
Pride and Dignity of the Chinese Scholar
If Dr. Qian is such a great academician, why didn't he receive a Nobel prize or other award? After his return to China, Dr. Qian was nominated as a recipient of several American academic awards in engineering science. However, Dr. Qian refused to accept them unless the U.S. government formally apologizes for abusing him and his family. The U.S. government of course never apologizes.
Dr. Qian does not like watching movies (confirmed by his research assistant many years later in China). However, while in America, Dr. Qian reportedly encountered a white American who sat next to him in a cinema and abruptly walked away after making a racial remark that Chinese stinks. Angered and disillusioned by his unfair treatment, persecution and lengthy confinement, Dr. Qian vowed never to set foot in America again. "I do not plan to come back," Dr. Qian told reporters. "I have no reason to come back. . . . I plan to do my best to help the Chinese people build up the nation to where they can live with dignity and happiness." When the relationship between the U.S. and China turned better in the 1980's, Dr. Qian declined all opportunities to visit America. He kept his words and has never set foot on American soil for the rest of his life.
Grant Cooper, an attorney retained by Caltech to defend Dr. Qian, once said, "That the government permitted this genius, this scientific genius, to be sent to Communist China to pick his brains is one of the tragedies of this century." One can only wonder what might have been had anti-Communist paranoia not alienated one of America's finest scientific minds.
Cooper's remark turns out to be true. China's space program was developed from a non-existent industrial infrastructure and scientific and technological level. Its development went through stages of arduous pioneering, development, reform and revitalization. Dr. Qian almost single-handedly created the Chinese space program from scratch and China's first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying nuclear warheads from the technology base of an agrarian society in less than 16 years. In 1950's to 1970's, China had the following problems:
sudden withdrawal of technical advisors by the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1960 after the two Communist Parties split;
•
trade, arms and technologies embargo from the West since the Korean War in 1950.
In view of these difficulties, Dr. Qian's achievements are very impressive. In two decades, he provided the technology to transform an antiquated Chinese army that fought primarily with arrows and swords at the turn of the 20th century to a modern military force equipped with nuclear tipped ICBM. His scientific theories and methods are also applied in agriculture, forestry and social science.
50 years after Dr. Qian started the Chinese space program, China now ranks among the most advanced countries in the fields of manned spacecraft, satellite recovery, multi-satellite launch by a single rocket, cryogenic propulsion, strap-on boosters, geostationary satellites, satellite tracking and control, remote-sensing, communications, and navigation satellites, and micro-gravity experiments.
In September 1999, Dr. Qian was one of the twenty three recipients of the prestigious "Two Bombs and One Satellite" (兩彈一星功勛獎章) Medal 兩彈一星功勛獎章
"Two Bombs and One Satellite" Medal from the State Council (國務院) of the People's Republic of China. When people called him the "Father of Chinese Rocketry", Dr. Qian humbly denied the honor. He remarked that space program requires team work and is too big for one scientist to contemplate.
His scientific success eventually put the first Chinese astronaut into orbit in 2003. The American journal Aviation Week & Space Technology would name Dr. Qian its Person of the Year in 2007. Dr. Qian lived long enough to witness all these. He died at the age of 97 on 31 October 2009 in Beijing.
The Chinese poem below reflects the sentiment of an overseas Chinese upon hearing the news of Qian's death.
Please hover your mouse to view the English version.
Reproduced with permission from the original poem writer.
The Post Qian Scientific Era
After Qian's death in 2009, China continues to progress in her space program. On 16 June 2012, Shenzhou 9 Spacecraft (神舟) carried a three-person crew (including the nation's female astronaut) and docked with Tiangong-1 (天宮一號). The spacecraft returned to earth on 29 June 2012 with its three astronaut appearing in good health.
On another front, China's deep-sea submersion technique has broken diving record of reaching a depth of over 7,000 metres. On 27 June 2012, the Jiaolong Submarine (蛟龍) with two oceanauts reached a depth of 7,062 metres (23,169 feet) in the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean after a 10-hour dive. The success enables man to explore deep sea natural resources and to conduct chemical, physical and biological research at such depth.
Incidentally, the first Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning was commissioned at the point of writing on 25 September 2012. Almost a century after the first flat-top carrier was put to sea, the Chinese Navy entered its new aircraft carrier era and is planning to build four carrier battle groups, both conventional and nuclear powered, before 2020 to strengthen its coastal defence. Dr. Qian would be pleased to see this remarkable event if he is still alive today.
It is noteworthy to remark that some Western media immediately questioned why the Chinese Navy built an aircraft carrier. Obviously, this question is intended to cast doubt and to foster a fear of Chinese military expansion. While tireless effort has been made to taint the People Liberation Army as a threat to world peace, a more relevant question that every peace-loving person should ask is why the U.S. has 10 carrier battle groups cruising in all oceans, stations troops all over the world and stocks thousands of nuclear warheads that could destroy the world many times. Be mindful that the U.S. is the only nation who has used atomic weapon in war.
Although few nations could make such huge and rapid progress in such a short time, there are still many difficult challenges ahead for China.
Please hover your mouse to view the English version.
Reproduced with permission from the original poem writer.
Anti-Sino sentiment in America continues and often becomes more prominent in presidential election year. Candidates from both parties categorically attack China to please voters and to garner support. This reflects distrust, fear and possibly envy of success. Such hostility presents not only at the political level but also at business level. Economic disputes, such as allegations of currency value manipulation, state subsidy in certain industries, reduced export of rare earth (a strategic mineral comprises of materials needed to make computers and military hardware), threat to national security in business amalgamation with foreign companies often arise.
On 8 October 2012, the U.S. Congressional Intelligence Committee has labelled two top Chinese telecommunications manufacturers, Huawei Technologies and the ZTE Corporation, a security threat after an 11-month investigation. It reached this conclusion because these Chinese companies failed to provide information to remove security threat concerns. The Committee believes that these companies should be shut out of the American market because they are open to Chinese state influence. This "thug logic" bears remarkable resemblance with rationale used by child protection agency. When parents fail to provide information to remove their child protection concerns, they are child abusers and therefore removal is justified. Bias and assumption of guilt are obvious. It is another word to say if parents do not provide self-incriminating information of child abuse, their children will be removed. This brings administration of justice into disrepute.
Speaking of state influence, businesses are always influenced by government, especially those in the defence, space, security and natural resource industries. Their CEO often have strong connection with politicians. For instance, the Boeing Company and McDonnell Douglas whose businesses depend on government are likely to be influenced by the U.S. government.
The U.S. government not only attempts to influence its own business sector, foreign business amalgamation proposal also raises hackles in the U.S. China’s state oil company CNOOC for Canadian oil company Nexen has attracted criticism from Democratic senator Schumer. The frequent critic of China’s trade and currency policy demanded the deal be blocked and America should have a more aggressive energy policy.
Espionage exists since the beginning of time. While it is doubtful whether these two Chinese telecommunication companies collect information for China, the U.S. government has the largest number of spy satellites orbiting around the globe and state-of-art spy planes to conduct high-tech espionage on both rivalries and allies.
The Hainan Island Incident on 1 April 2001 was triggered by aggressive American espionage activities resulting in loss of lives. Lack of respect of sovereign airspace and Chinese lives heightened the tension between the two nations.
Another aggressive hostile action against the Chinese was the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade on 7 May 1999. Five U.S. guided bomb hit the embassy killing three Chinese embassy staff and 20 injured. The Americans alleged that it was an accident. Given the accuracy in U.S. military planning and sophisticated technologies, there are reasons to believe that the sneak attack is calculating and deliberate, similar to the Pearl Harbour attack in 1941. Some speculated that the attack intended to humiliate China and to test the decision making quality of the Chinese leadership. Given the minimal loss of lives, it is unlikely that this action will trigger a full scale war with a nuclear power. If China bombs a U.S. embassy, how would the American respond? Such hostile attitude could escalate conflict and is a risk to world peace.
Who Is A Bigger Threat?
Historical facts and statistics below, categorized into indicators of willingness and ability to wage war, may shed more light to determine which country is more dangerous and more aggressive (data sources are either linked in the blue text or embedded in mouse over video, photos and text below):
Attributes
The United States
China
Carrier Groups, Defence Budget, Military Hardware Stockpiled, Combat Force Deployment & Weapon Development
number of combat-ready carrier
battle groups (a power projection force)
In 2011, the Second Fleet in the Atlantic
Ocean was disestablished and merged into
United States Fleet Forces Command.
Third Fleet - in the Eastern Pacific
Fifth Fleet - in the Arabian Gulf and Indian
Ocean
Sixth Fleet - in the Mediterranean
Seventh Fleet - in the Western Pacific.
10 of which are based in the United States and one that is forward deployed in Japan as of October 2012
none as of October 2012; despite the commission of the first Chinese carrier Liaoning in September 2012, it is primarily for training and scientific research purposes, no battle group has yet been formed
defence budget
US$711 billion(4.7% of GDP, 41% of world share, US$2,141 per capita)
as of 2012
US$143 billion (2% of GDP, 8.2% of world share, US$74 per capita)
as of 2012
number of nuclear warheads stockpiled
5,113 warheads which could destroy the world many times if launched
use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones to kill targets, including Americans, worldwide
Originally, drones were designed to fly surveillance missions. Since 2004, drones are armed and programmed to kill. The disturbing facts are:
Most drones are operated by the CIA, not the U.S. Air Force. Hence, high tech weapons are used in covert ops instead of conventional military operations.
Most casualties caused by drones are innocent civilians including women and children. Only about 2% to 5% of casualties are alleged terrorists. Victims include Americans. This means the U.S. government is killing its citizens without trial.
Drone operations take place mostly overseas without the knowledge or consent of the local sovereign governments. This amounts to invasion of sovereignty.
China has its own drones designed for both military and non-military purposes.
Report of using Chinese drones to kill targets in China or overseas is not found.
nuclear weapon first use policy
The U.S. had used atomic weapon without warning. The U.S. government makes no commitment of not being the first nation to use nuclear weapons in a war.
Furthermore, the U.S. military is a strong preemptive strike believer. The doctrine of preemption was used by the George W. Bush administration to take military action against Saddam Hussein to prevent him from using alleged weapons of mass destruction (WMD). U.S. intelligence and troops found no WMD in Iraq after Hussein was defeated. It appears that allegation of WMD possession is nothing but an excuse to launch aggression.
The U.S. also supported its allies to launch preemptive strikes. For instance, the Six-Day War in 1967 and Israeli air strike on a nuclear reactor in Syria on 6 September 2007 (codenamed Operation Orchard).
Perhaps the most dangerous U.S. action is the institution of the National Defense Authorization Act (for Fiscal Year 2012) which obliges the U.S. government to launch preemptive strike against Iran, China, and Russia. This confirms the U.S. nuclear weapon first use policy. It also greatly expands government power to call military reservists and to act without restraint (such as indefinite detention without trial per Section 1021).
Preemptive strike planners may think that first strike is a smart strategy to ensure victory or at least survival. They fail to see that this could be a worse off move. Yamamoto's mistake in 1941 is a good example.
China's declared policy is that she will not be the first to use nuclear weapon in a war.
foreign policy
U.S. presidents repeatedly declared that America will remain strong and stay in Asia to retain influence.
We will persevere through this national tragedy and personal loss. In time, we will find healing and recovery; and, in the face of all this evil, we remain strong and united, "one Nation under God."
President Barack Obama: "The United States is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay."
Chinese leaders repeatedly declared that
China will not seek hegemony
Hegemony is the bullying of a weaker state(s) by the implied means of power, the threat of the threat, rather than by direct military force. War often becomes imminent if there is resistance. Napoleon and Nazi Germany sought regional hegemony and finally resorted to war to accomplish their ambition. It is one of the main causes of war.
Xi Jinping 習近平 (China's expected leader in waiting) declared that China will never seek hegemony in 2012 ASEAN Trade Fair.
On 11 February 2009, while visiting Mexico, Xi spoke in front of a group of overseas Chinese and made a rather direct accusation for "foreigners" trying to interfere in Chinese affairs, a subject that has always been sensitive in Chinese political circles. In Chinese, Xi remarked: "There are some bored foreigners, with full stomachs, who have nothing better to do than point fingers at us [China]. First, China doesn't export revolution; second, China doesn't export hunger and poverty; third, China doesn't come and cause you headaches, what more is there to be said?" (有些吃飽沒事干的外國人，對我們的事情指手畫腳。中國一不輸出革命，二不輸出飢餓和貧困，三不折騰你們，還有什麽好說的？)
China will not export revolution, hunger and poverty
China will treat all countries fairly with respect and equity.
Furthermore, China has not exported another commodity that the rest of the world hates to deal with - refugees. After the South Vietnam government was defeated in 1975, communist officials began a systematic exportation of those who wanted to leave the country and were able to pay a fee, often by way of gold or U.S. dollars. These refugees became the famous boat people that took the rest of the world many years to absorb. Given the huge Chinese population, the world would have a big problem if the Chinese government let its people leave as refugees.
overseas spy network
In addition to the powerful CIA, the Pentagon announced in late 2012 that the Defense Intelligence Agency (Pentagon's own intelligence service) will increase its spies overseas from several hundred to 1,600 focusing on emerging threats and elite military commando units
Primarily under the Ministry of State Security, Chinese overseas spy network is of course present and its size is unknown.
record of waging in wars
resulted in colonization,
lengthy military occupation
or overthrowing the opposing government
numerous, just to name a few less well-known conflicts:
Boxer Uprising (aka Boxer Rebellion), in conjunction with 7 other imperialistic nations (United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary),
Cartoon depicting foreign powers dividing up
China into their own sphere of influence.
the U.S. participated in the joint war effort suppressing the Boxer Uprising in 1900 resulting in the occupation of Beijing
U.S. troops in Beijing during the 8-nation invasion in 1900:
British sector in yellow
French in blue
U.S. in green and ivory
German in red
Japanese in light green
and its proximity about one year until 7 September 1901
Hover your mouse to pause the slide show and to view photo description.
invasion of Haiti in Operation Uphold Democracy (19 September 1994 – 31 March 1995) to remove the military regime installed by the 1991 Haitian coup d'état that overthrew the elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
none despite China's much longer documented history
evidence of state-sponsored looting
Chinese relics exhibited in American museums
Between the First Opium War in 1840 and the end of World War II in 1945, an estimated of 10 million Chinese relics had been looted and taken overseas. Some of these relics in American museums now are stolen properties. Photo on the right is a member of Chinese delegation taking a photo of Chinese relics displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) in December 2009.
Some may think that these relics were acquired by lawful means such as purchase, gift and partage. Some may believe that these relics are better to stay abroad in good hands. No sovereign power will voluntarily give up its national treasures in such great quantity. If staying in good hands is a legitimate excuse of looting, then every theft can be justified.
Many of these stolen properties now exhibited in U.S. museums were looted by American troops during the occupation of Beijing in 1900. That said, the United States is not the largest looter of Chinese relics in the 19th century. The United Kingdom and France are. Since 1840, imperialist European powers had begun state-sponsored exploitation of Chinese resources (including manual labour) much earlier than the Americans.
On March 7, 1997, the Chinese government acceded to the UN-signed Unidroit Convention on Stolen and Illegally Exported Cultural Objects and demanded that stolen or illegally excavated cultural relics shall be returned to the original owners. On 10 December, 2002, 18 major museums and research institutes of Europe and America, including the British Museum and the Louvre Museum, jointly signed a Declaration on the Importance and Value of Universal Museums (the Declaration) and opposed returning art works, especially ancient ones, to their original owners.
Most western criminal code outlaws procession of stolen properties and obliges the return of these properties to their rightful owners without time limit. The Declaration attempted to justify the modus operandi of its signatories and to legalize the procession of stolen properties from other nations through flawed thinking. In essence, the Declaration is a perverted way of saying while we respect law and oppose illegal trafficking of stolen relics, those in our possession are ours and repatriation is out of question. It defied the spirit of law, created a double standard in assessing ownership and indirectly encouraged bullying. Despite western powers ardently speak of the noble value of law and order, it is difficult to expect them to cough up treasures looted by their ancestors. These relics are not only priceless themselves, they also generate handsome revenue from museum admission fees and tourism. Above all, procession of these stolen properties is a pride to the victorious nations who preyed on the weak in the past. It appears that ownership of cultural relics can be changed by looting resulted from aggression, intimidation and superior military power. Law can be ignored or conveniently change to accommodate such oppressive means.
none;
News footage on the auction of stolen relics from the
Old Summer Palace
(圓明園) by British and French looters in 1860.
on the contrary, relics in Chinese museum bear testimony of foreign invasion and looting
Originally, this relic in Forbidden Palace was gold plated. Bayonet marks all over its surface bear testimony that gold was removed by foreign looters.
incidents using military might or
secret intelligence service to capture and/or
to kill foreign nationals
(including those of inconvenient
or disobedient allies)
incidents of non-military
intervention of internal affairs
of another nation for
mudslinging, destablising or
division purposes
support Dalai Lama (達賴喇嘛) to separate Tibet and gain independence from China
use Falun Gong 法輪功 (a quasi-religious cult outlawed in China for advocating superstition and spreading fallacies) to mudsling China as an oppressive power that allows no religious freedom, while its police and child protection agencies target Wicca believers and their children
continuously sell obsolete military equipment to Taiwan to prevent unification
criticize China's capital punishment and one-child policy as acts against human rights, while its child removal regime continues to oppress marginalized citizens under the pretext of child protection
impose economic sanctions on Iran and North Korea when these nations develop nuclear weapon
not found
Some may think that the United States is perfect and leaves no room for its rivalries to criticize. Not quite. Just the inhumane, barbaric, oppressive and hypocritical state-sponsored child removal racket alone is already a good international laugh stock.
cultural acceptance of using firearm to solve conflicts
In 2014, a 9-year old American girl accidentally killed her instructor with an Uzi submachine gun. Why her parents allowed a 9-year girl to learn how to use a combat weapon? It reflects on the pro gun culture in the U.S.
The right to keep and bear firearms is enshrined in the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. One may argue that bearing firearms could be used for hunting and sport. But the legislative intention of the Second Amendment is certainly not to enshrine firearm ownership for hunting and sport reason. It is to ensure that Americans have the means to protect themselves, namely, firearms are means to solve conflicts.
Firearms is a big business in America. Even children are brought up in a pro-firearm culture that encourages resolving conflicts by force.
A 5-year-old Kentucky boy accidentally shot dead his 2-year-old sister at home
He had received the rifle, specially made for children, as a gift last year.
Reports say the weapon had been kept in a corner and the family had not realised it still contained a bullet.
The tragedy happened in Cumberland County - a rural area where it is common for children to own guns for hunting and target practice.
"The whole community is absolutely devastated from this. You know, I hope the outcome of this, you know, what we can learn from this tragic situation is, you know, is gun safety," said Cumberland County Coroner, Gary White.
US gun manufacturers market weapons for children specifically. The company which makes the gun involved in the accidental shooting has a "kids' corner" on its website with the slogan "my first rifle". There are photos of young girls firing pink guns.
The shooting has highlighted the cultural divide in the US over guns. The American countryside has seen little of the recent efforts in cities and suburban areas to curb gun use and tighten regulations on ownership.
"It's a normal way of life. I mean, folks - and it's not just rural Kentucky, it's rural America. I mean folks hunting and fishing, it's sports shooting - it's just a way of life. You know, you begin at an early age, learning to use and respect a gun," said Joe Phelps, Cumberland County Judge Executive, whose position has been described as similar to that of a local mayor.
President Obama's proposed gun control measures after the Newtown school shooting have largely failed so far in Congress.
Although several states have tightened laws, safety campaigners say ten states have actually eased gun controls. One of them is Kentucky.
Consequently, shootings in American schools resulting in loss of young lives is common. The first recorded incident occurred on 26 July 1764 when four Lenape American Indians entered the schoolhouse near present-day Greencastle, Pennsylvania, shot and killed schoolmaster Enoch Brown, and several students. Only three children survived. There is a noticeable increase in school shooting incidents since 2000.
Firearms are restricted. Ordinary citizens are not allowed to bear arms unless licensed. Most Chinese parents will not allow their young children to have access to firearms.
According to UNODC. 2011. "Homicide in 207 Countries - China." Global Study on Homicide 2011: Trends, Context, Data; Statistical Annex (with online datasets), pp. 103-125. Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime dated 6 October 2011, the number of firearm-related death due to homicide in China is 14,811 in 2008 or 1.12 per 100,000 people (in a total population of 1,328,020,000 in 2008).
Economic and Other Intangible Aggression Inducing or Warmongering Factors
The balance of trade is the difference between the monetary value of exports and imports in an economy over a certain period of time. A positive balance of trade is known as a trade surplus and consists of exporting more than is imported, whereas a negative balance of trade is known as a trade deficit or, informally, a trade gap.
The balance of trade forms part of the current account, which also includes other transactions such as income from the international investment position as well as international aid. If the current account is in surplus, the country's net international asset position increases correspondingly. Equally, a deficit decreases the net international asset position.
Balance of Trade is identical to the difference between a country's output and its domestic demand - the difference between what goods a country produces and how many goods it buys from abroad; this does not include money respent on foreign stocks, nor does it factor the concept of importing goods to produce for the domestic market.
Persistent trade deficit had caused war before. For instance, the First Opium War (1839–42) between the United Kingdom and China was caused by the banning of British opium sale in China. The British sold opium grown in India (under British control at that time) to reduce the trade deficit between the two nations as the British bought more from the Chinese (primarily tea, china, spices and silk) before many Chinese became addicted to the British opium. From the British perspective, banning opium trade in China will revert the balance of trade to a deficit.
British opium was chemically destroyed in the pool above in Humen 虎門鎮, Guangdong by General Lin Zexu 林則徐 in 1839. Confiscation of opium gave the British an excuse to commence hostility. Endorsed by Queen Victoria, the British government resorted to war in resolving the trade conflict. The British won the war and seized Hong Kong as a Crown colony as one of the terms under the Treaty of Nanking.
about 25% of the U.S. trade deficit in 2005 arose from trading with China
Bilateral trade deficit in 2005 was $202 billion, or about a quarter of America’s total deficit in merchandise trade. Deficit with China was up from $10 billion in 1990, and $84 billion in 2000. China’s portion of the trade deficit was less than 5% as recently as the late 1980s. Many people see China’s large bilateral surplus on trade with the United States as a smoking gun—clear evidence that China is trading in a way that is unfair. In fact, China’s rapid GDP growth has been accompanied by very high rates of import as well as export growth. In 2005, China was the second-largest source of U.S. imports (after Canada) but also the fourth-largest market for U.S. exports (after Canada, Mexico, and Japan).
Data source: Question & Answer: The Trade Deficit The Online Magazine of the American Enterprise Institute, January/February 2007 Issue by Chad P. Bown and Rachel McCulloch
China reported a trade surplus equivalent to US$27.7 billion in September of 2012. China major exports are: office machines & data processing equipment, telecommunications equipment, electrical machinery and apparel & clothing. China imports mainly commodities: iron and steel, oil and mineral fuels; machinery and equipment, plastics, optical and medical equipment and organic chemicals. Its main trading partners are: European Union, the United States, Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea.
national debt
heavily indebted
US national debt 1981-2010
to finance its domestic welfare policy and expansion/war effort abroad
Reserve currency (or anchor currency) of the U.S. dollar allows the U.S. government to repay debt by printing paper money as the demand of the dollar is guaranteed when international trades are settled in the currency and when other nations purchase U.S. dollar as currency reserves.
This permits the U.S. government to:
levy a transaction fee
borrow at a lower interest rate as the international money markets for that currency are always larger than those for other currencies
Attempts to weaken, challenge or replace the U.S. dollar reserve currency status will attract the strongest American resistance, including war.
Credit rating is monopolized by the Big Three U.S.-based credit rating agencies (Standard & Poor's, Moody's, and Fitch Group). These companies could change the credit ratings of other countries and companies at will according to their own standards, misguide investors and affect the influx of capital, cost of borrowing and seriously disrupt the economy of a nation and a region. For instance, deteriorating Greek economy prompted a rapid downgrade of its credit rating. This expedited and deepened the country's financial crisis in 2012 and had substantially weakened the Euro dollar as a challenge or substitute of the reserve currency status of the U.S. dollar.
Export of democracy and American self-centered values is subtly contemplated via CIA covert operations and influences through the U.N. and the media (such as movies,
Movies are a very powerful tool to influence public opinions. When the Walt Disney cartoon "Bambi" was released in 1941, the sales of hunting rifle drastically dropped shortly after. Direct and indirect characterizations are common in Hollywood movies, which often subtly tainted perceived American enemies as tyrannic, stupid and evil.
For instance,
"The Campaign" (2012) suggested that Chinese businessmen exploit workers and engage in sharp practice and illegal dealings
"The Patriot" (2000) characterized the British colonial army brutal and inhumane as they killed surrendered and injured Continental soldiers
"Lethal Weapon 4" (1998) disparaged American Chinese are related to the Triad Society, violent and a threat to a lawful society, this is evident in the twice repeated dialogue of Jet Li (who played a mafia in his first American film debut) that "If you are in Hong Kong, you are already dead."
"Crimson Tide" (1995) suggested that Russian leaders are dangerous warmongering fanatics prepared to use nuclear weapons to destroy America
various James Bond movies, most notably "You Only Live Twice" (1967) suggested that Red China is a warmongering state provoking war between the superpowers.
newspaper, news TV, internet and books) to materialize or indoctrinate a U.S.-led political ideology.
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resources consumption per capita
(an indicator of aggregate demands of vital resources)
energy: 5% of the world's population consumed 20% of its energy in 2007
Data Source: Population and Energy Consumption
Population data source:
Population Reference Bureau; 2007 World Population Data Sheet.
Energy data source:
U.S. Energy Information Administration 2007.
In 2007, consumption of
grain (includes flour and by conversion to alcohol): 1,046 kg per year
milk: 78 kg per year
beef: 42.6 per year
energy: 20% of the world's population consumed about 16% of its energy in 2007
Data Source: Population and Energy Consumption
Population data source:
Population Reference Bureau; 2007 World Population Data Sheet.
Energy data source:
U.S. Energy Information Administration 2007.
In 2007, consumption of
grain (includes flour and by conversion to alcohol): 348 kg per year
milk: 11 kg per year
beef: 5.9 per year
A 2-party democracy under the leadership (more like a dictatorship) of a
president
The Most Powerful Persons in the World
Photo taken in the Grand Foyer of the White House on 26 July 2012.
The tradition of the U.S. Cabinet dates back to the beginnings of the Presidency itself. Established in
Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, the Cabinet's role is to advise the President on any subject
he may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office.
and a cabinet with a self-ordained world police mission motivated by a strong imperialistic desire to preserve a single superpower hegemony.
In a strategic plan titled "Joint Vision 2020" published by the U.S. military, the focus of the nation is to attain full spectrum dominance through interdependent application of dominant maneuver, precision engagement, focused logistics and full dimensional protection. Although this plan is largely military in nature, the strategic concepts of power projection and overseas presence are of equal importance.
In his book "“Full Spectrum Dominance: Totalitarian Democracy in the New World Order”, F. William Engdahl discussed controlling China with synthetic democracy (Chapter 3). Using a different political ideology that implies people are in charge to destabilize a nation is a very powerful weapon. The incident "Occupy Central with Love and Peace (佔領中環 or in short 佔中)" occurred on 28 September 2014 in Hong Kong, China is a classic application of this ruse. With no chance of incurring American casualty, spending some money on pro-democracy leaders to induce division and potentially a replica of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 serve the U.S. extremely well. Some naive Chinese citizens are indoctrinated to believe that western democracy is a better political system that would bring a better future. They fail to see that an elected assembly could trample a man's right as much as a tyranny. Many participants of the movement are pursuing "totalitarian democracy" that permits no different views or positions.
Export of synthetic democracy (or more precisely totalitarian democracy) is a ruse often used, such as the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, Iraq and the revolutionary wave known as Arab Spring (2012-13).
Officially, China practises socialism with Chinese characteristics ruled by one party comprising of 82 million members (as of 2012). Practically, it is a capitalist state (or at least less socialist than some political parties in the West) deeply influenced by Confucianism with a strong belief in "Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire" 己所不欲勿施於人 《論語》.
In the Yalta Summit (1945), Churchill and Roosevelt gave away Chinese territory (today's Mongolia) in exchange for Stalin's declaration of war against Japan in the Pacific.
Ethnic Mongols in China reached a population size of 5.8 million, which is higher than that in Mongolia (3,179,997 according to the 2012 census). Most of them live in Inner Mongolia, Northeast China and Xinjiang.
to become an independent state under Soviet influence after the War to obtain Soviet's declaration of war on Japan in the Far East. China lost a territory larger than the size of England and France combined. Soviet invasion of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo lasted only a week before Japan unconditionally surrendered. The Soviets looted all heavy industry equipment before returning occupied territory to China.
gradual face-saving troop withdrawal from South Vietnam after Henry Kissenger's secret negotiation with China from 1971 and refused to support its government which eventually collapsed in 1975
failure to provide continuous support to the CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles in the
Bay of Pigs Invasion (April 1961)
not found, on the contrary, the Chinese government provided unwavering support to its allies even in difficult times, like:
sheltered downed American airmen after the Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942 and helped them to safety at the expense of having an estimated 250,000 Chinese civilians killed by Japanese troops in retaliation for helping the Doolittle's men
Lt. Col. Doolittle with members of his flight crew and Chinese officials in China after the attack and the map of the flight route
the provisions of food and ammunitions to North Vietnam during the carpet bombing (Operation Rolling Thunder from 2 March 1965 until 2 November 1968) and the Tet Offensive (the height of the Vietnam War in 1968) while China was in the midst of the unprecedented socio-politically turmoil of Cultural Revolution (文化大革命) and its people starving and engaging in non-productive political movement
actions that induced conflict and destabilized regional security
After Chinese Nationalist troops retreated to Taiwan in 1949, U.S. President Truman
Statement of President Truman on 27 June 1950
The attack upon Korea makes it plain beyond all doubt that communism has passed beyond the use of subversion to conquer independent nations and will now use armed invasion and war. It has defied the orders of the Security Council of the United Nations issued to preserve international peace and security. In these circumstances the occupation of Formosa by Communist forces would be a direct threat to the security of the Pacific area and to United States forces performing their lawful and necessary functions in that area. Accordingly I have ordered the 7th Fleet to prevent any attack on Formosa. As a corollary of this action I am calling upon the Chinese Government on Formosa to cease all air and sea operations against the mainland. The 7th Fleet will see that this is done. The determination of the future status of Formosa must await the restoration of security in the Pacific, a peace settlement with Japan, or consideration by the United Nations.
sent the 7th Fleet to blockade the Taiwan Strait on 27 June 1950 and committed U.S. forces to prevent the union of China. China remains divided since then. Crisis in the Taiwan Strait could lead to world war when the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff recommended the use of nuclear weapons against mainland China on 12 September 1954 which was veto by President Eisenhower. Tension heightened again in 1958 when Mao Zedong ordered the bombardment of Jinmen Island
Jinmen Island 金門 locates no more than 2 kilometers off
the coast of Xiamen in the Fujian Province, China. During the First
and Second Taiwan Strait Crises in the 1950s, the United States
threatened to use nuclear weapons against China if it attacked
the island. In 1958, Mao Zedong ordered a bombardment with
470,000 cannon shells in 44 days.
off the coast of Xiamen, China, which also deepened the existing rifts between the Soviet Union and China as Khrushchev viewed the bombardment unnecessarily jeopardizing his attempts at achieving US-Soviet détente.
political double talk for self-serving purposes at the expense of inducing war between other nations
In September 2012, Japanese government under Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda nationalized three of the islets of Diaoyutai Islands 釣魚台列嶼 (aka Senkaku Islands 尖閣群島) by buying them from the alleged owner, a Saitama businessman. The act intensified territorial dispute of these islands with China.
Shortly after, Washington reaffirmed its commitment to Japan and declared that these Islands are covered under the National Defense Authorization Bill, while noting that the United States "takes no position" on the ultimate sovereignty of the territory. It merely "acknowledges the administration of Japan over the Senkaku Islands".
The transfer of these Islands to Japanese control in 1972 and this double talk fare very well with the American divide and conquer strategy. These Islands bait an ambitious Japan to compete for sovereignty claim against China and hijack patriotism of both nations. Hostility between China and Japan serves the United States well by using Japan to curb a rising China. Above all, tension in Sino-Japanese relationship will generate the following advantages to the United States:
reduces the likelihood of abolishing U.S. dollars in settling trades between the two countries, hence continues to allow the U.S. to print money to repay its national debt;
provokes mutual economic sanctions that will hurt the economy of both nations which may benefit American businesses (for instance, the sales of Toyota vehicles dropped 40% in China shortly after the crisis began, some Chinese consumers may purchase American vehicles instead);
allows more opportunities to mudsling China as an aggressive nation with territorial ambition and a thug who fails to be abide by international laws, if China toughens its stance.
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Citing the cases above is for the purpose of providing factual illustrations. Unless otherwise stated, it does not imply our position on actions or policies mentioned therein.
Remarks from our Editors
During our research on this topic, we found many Youtube videos and materials in the internet that portray China as corrupt, oppressive and a dangerous threat to the world. On the other hand, few negative materials on the U.S. can be found. These extremes are noteworthy.
The U.S. has undertaken a self-ordained world police role since World War II and claimed to be a protector of freedom, justice and democracy. Facts and history above are probably foreign to most Canadians, who generally learn very little history (especially history outside Europe and North America) in school. Furthermore, China claims that it is a communist state. In the West, communism is a synonym for tyranny, oppression, dictatorship, enemy of freedom who will impose its radical thinkings on others by force or subversion and is necessarily an evil. Many, if not most, of us fear, reject or hate communism. We are brought up to support and believe in democracy. This is evident in our law that overthrowing a democratically elected government is a crime. Preaching in our public schools and media also lend support to this subtle political indoctrination. Since the U.S. is a democratic country and China is not, we instinctively incline to believe that China is more dangerous. Let's not forget that the United States had also invaded Canada in 1812 before Canada was established.
History and facts are more reliable than propaganda and indoctrination. They have already spoken loud and clear. There are more reasons to believe that the United States is a bigger threat to world peace. Threat often appears as protector with a noble cause of improving human welfare and safety to garner support. Countries of different political orientations and cultural backgrounds are tainted as a threat to peace and security. Like service providers in the child protection industry, real perpetrators in international politics are extremely powerful, ruthless, cunning and deceitful. They are also motivated by money, power, resources and fame.
A Chinese Response in the Cyberspace
Written by an unknown author, the inspiring essay below gives us food for thought. The essay was reproduced without editing. Historical photos were added to echo the events mentioned therein.
Return to "Lessons From History".
[This page was conceptualized on 25 September 2012, published on 4 October 2012, last revised 17 December 2020.]
