The following is Via Freedom’s Zone:
Scary!
China has shown it can destroy a satellite in orbit. What could the U.S. do to stop Beijing, if it decided to attack an American orbiter next? Short answer: nothing. - Defense Tech
China has just fired the opening salvo of what is certainly to become a “Starwars” race that will reach across the entire globe. Aviation Week & Space Technology will report in its Jan. 22 issue that the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, NASA and other government organizations have a full court press underway to obtain data on the alleged test.
Details emerging from space sources indicate that the Chinese Feng Yun 1C (FY-1C) polar orbit weather satellite launched in 1999 was attacked by an asat system launched from or near the Xichang Space Center.The attack is believe to have occurred as the weather satellite flew at 530 mi. altitude 4 deg. west of Xichang located in Sichuan province. Xichang is a major Chinese space launch center.
Although intelligence agencies must complete confirmation of the test, the attack is believed to have occurred at about 5:28 p.m. EST Jan. 11. U. S. intelligence agencies had been expecting some sort of test that day, sources said.
(Click image to see larger view and source) The NYT paints a dim picture for the planet:“This is the first real escalation in the weaponization of space that we’ve seen in 20 years,” said Jonathan McDowell, a Harvard astronomer who tracks rocket launchings and space activity. “It ends a long period of restraint.”White House officials said the United States and other nations, which they did not identify, had “expressed our concern regarding this action to the Chinese.” Despite its protest, the Bush administration has long resisted a global treaty banning such tests because it says it needs freedom of action in space.
Jianhua Li, a spokesman at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said that he had heard about the antisatellite story but that he had no statement or information.
At a time when China is modernizing its nuclear weapons, expanding the reach of its navy and sending astronauts into orbit for the first time, the test appears to mark a new sphere of technical and military competition. American officials complained yesterday that China had made no public or private announcements about its test, despite repeated requests by American officials for more openness about its actions.
The weather satellite hit by the weapon had circled the globe at an altitude of roughly 500 miles. In theory, the test means that China can now hit American spy satellites, which orbit closer to Earth. The satellites presumably in range of the Chinese missile include most of the imagery satellites used for basic military reconnaissance, which are essentially the eyes of the American intelligence community for military movements, potential nuclear tests and even some counterterrorism, and commercial satellites.
Experts said the weather satellite’s speeding remnants could pose a threat to other satellites for years or even decades.
Now we know that there has been good reason for the United States to have consistently deflected Chinese advances for closer cooperation on the two nations’ space programs - owing to concerns about the involvement of China’s military. The Chinese kickoff of what amounts to now as a Starwars race, in the context of a Chinese government defense paper released last month saying that its defense expenditure had grown by more than 15 percent every year since 1990, certainly signals the likely beginings of an arms race with possible disastorous concequences for the entire planet. At a time that the world is dealing with the plague of radical Islam, we certainly didn’t need the introduction of yet another one. Of course that doesn’t matter now that we have two. Starwars has begun.
Many Sudanese are happy about the fact that China has such close relations with Sudan. They love the idea of a broken America and a new Chinese super power filling the vacuum. I don’t. Frankly, the idea worries me. I would honestly prefer for America to be the sole super power rather than it being China. I fear what I don’t understand and I don’t understand China’s intentions well (maybe I should engage Chinese bloggers more often). I do however understand America’s and the West’s much better. Therefore I don’t mistrust them much. Moreover China is no democracy. It’s a country with no real freedom and a place where human rights are not well respected. It is communist, it is against religious freedom and it is essentially God denying. That does not sit well with me.
Sure. America is no angel. America is not perfect, America has made mistakes (Iraq anyone?), America has done bad things and it still continues to (Guantanamo anyone?). However America is by far better than China when it comes to freedom, respect for human rights and democracy. I do understand that China isn’t waging any wars… for now though (see, I told you I mistrust and fear what I don’t understand) but China is profiting from its activities in Sudan without caring much about what’s happening in Darfur. It’s doing the same in other places too.
Just picture a world with a broken America and China as a sole super power instead. For most in the Middle East that would mean: Yaaay, broken America means broken Israel. Yaaay, death to the filthy Jews! Woohooooooo! 
By the way Americans… aren’t YOU worried? The actions of your country and the good relations you have with China say you’re not.
SudaneseThinker
SudaneseThinker
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My first thought after reading about this is that Bush is going to get that Orbital Battle Station after all. Heck, they can even keep the “scary” name, right now no one in his right mind will block funding for the project.
Watch out folks, looks like the Cold War is coming back bit by bit.
Dude this shit is really scary… I’m freaking 20. I still have a long life ahead of me inshallah… I don’t wana have to live in a world worse than this one…
global warming, influence of extremist Muslims growing and now THIS?!
Drima dude, I’m 21, soon to turn 22. I feel much the same way you do.
Humanity is one insane group. I’m just grateful for the little sanity I can find.
Also, I think we were both caught in the illusion of tranquility that was the post-Cold War era. Both of our countries had their own issues, but it seemed for a while that the world was becoming a better and more stable place…
And then piece by painful piece, that illusion was broken apart.
lol.
funny.
well, America really likes being hypocritical.
but to be honest, no need to painic mates,
im 24, still got plenty of life to live on.
there is always a third solution, a bi-co-operative super power alliance.
While it makes people cringe to co-operate with china, if you want to neturalise china in the most peaceful matter, we have to invade them economically and culturally.
an alliance, where we will have the chance to instigate change will be a tough deal but not impossible.
unfortuntely, the US doesn’t have a good track record in these sort of political methods.
oh, well we still got a good few decades until the power difference shift to China to make any noticable negative (if ever) impact on the world, hopefully i’ll be dead and buried by then. :p
It is actually something I have been thinking about quite a bit. Iran and Muslim extremism gets a lot of headline, but I think China is the biggest potential danger in the world.
Right now they seem to be pretty content with getting very rich and don’t seem to have highly imperialistic notions. But they are a pretty silent group and real hard to predict where they are headed. But in terms of the resources to cause huge problems, without need for alliances etc…well China is your man.
By-the-way…something else to chew on…
China just killed about 18 “Muslim extremists” in one of their western providences. I don’t think folks know that China has a huge Muslim poplulation out west.
Anyhow…did not make much news (wow…what if the USA or Israel blasted 18 Muslims within their own borders…like in Tel Aviv or Detroit, would that make some news?)…
But you see, China could not give a SHIT what the world has to say about the way it treats its citizens…it is more like:
“Organs…organs for sale”.
“But they are a pretty silent group and real hard to predict where they are headed.”
EXACTLY!!
I know about the “Muslim extremists” it blasted. Too bad all the attention is focused on America even though Muslims in America have more rights than Muslims in Arab countries.
“even though Muslims in America have more rights than Muslims in Arab countries”
Ironically…the same could be said about Israel…
Which is why writers like you are so critical…there is a gap in understanding and THINKING…certainly both sides are guilty…but you see Muslims flocking to the USA, Canada, England, Austrilia, work, study, freedom (occasional planning of terror
Yet these are the most hated and targeted countries by extremists with the reasoning that we are killing Muslims. Help me here Drima…but if you apply that logic…the main targets should be:
Sudan
Iraq
Iran
Russia
And endless revenge and payback in old Yugosolvia. Sudan alone has killed more Muslims in the past 3 years than the Israel has in her entire history…and you could probably throw in the USA and STILL not beat Sudan.
It is a screwy thing…again…the West is not without fault…but something here is WAY out of whack.
That is because there is no logic here, Howie. The IQ of a crowd is the square root of the IQ of its dumbest member, and so the crowd will buy every bit of propoganda thrown at it.
And individuals, those pesky little people who think on everything… Well, they’re why the secret police in places like Iran is so well funded.
As for China, last time I bothered to read up on them they were keeping their religious “extremists” alive in concentration camps, where they get… harvested.
It is no joke…I have a close friend who was a ethnic Chinese from Vietnam…he has some terrible stories…
Few people know that the man responsible for the most human deaths in history was Mao. From what I understand, he is credited with about 200 million deaths…but that is another story.
But yes…I will keep saying it…the biggest recent killer of Muslims was Saddam…Iran has contributed many (mostly defending themselves against Iraq) and of course Sudan has killed 10’s of thousands.
But let’s blow up people in Austrelia, London, USA
Indeed, it isn’t a joke. A human life is worth very little in China, and those camps are a very horrible reality.
Why, a hunam life is worth quite a lot in China! On 100g of food per day, a human life can work for 18 hours in “re-education camps”. And if this hunam happens to lose this oh-so-valuable life, why, sometimes it’s worth even more - a nice healthy kidney can fetch up to half a million dollars.
BTW, it is an exhibition of insanity, Arabs wanting USA to break down. This will mean 1% GDP loss for Israel - mostly cuts in the military budget. Which means no more spending 1.5 million dollars on killing some terrorist with precision-guided missile that kills him and only him. It’s much cheaper to spend 15K$ on old artillery shells that will kill him along with all the ‘hood he’s in. Or even cheaper is to change the RoE and send the troops in after him without high-tech surveillance - just shoot evething and everyone in sight. A bullet costs around .5$ - let’s say 10K bullets (700 or so dead Arabs, a few millions dollars worth property loss) is only 5K$. Cheap and effective.
And something like the recent war with Hizballah? No more 2 billion dollars on jet fuel, laser-guided precision missiles, expensive drones… just send in a couple of sub-orbital bombers and napalm the whole place into oblivion. 2 million dollars, no more HA (or Lebanon).
The worst thing for Arabs would be the loss of American political support of Israel. A cornered Israel means no more pulling punches. So if Egypt, say, gets a nice little Ikhwan revolution and declares war on Israel… another 2 million dollars will mean the destruction of the Nile dams, and the subsequent death of some 20 million Egyptians.
If some nice fellow (like Saddam, for instance) decided to shoot missiles into Israel while threatening to make them chemical, it’ll mean nuclear retaliation. No more Iran, or Saudi Arabia, or Lybia, or whichever Arab state will decide to go wild next.
A falling empire means no more stability. So far the Arab world has been able to pull the sort of tricks it’s pulling without getting utterly crushed only because of this stability.
Hunams are mind-numbingly stupid.
I’ve no fear of China: they’re simply not prepared at all for the new economy, which will be information-based. The complete lack of trustworthy information in China means that they will continue to be dependent on those societies that are poised to trade and thrive on information.
The Muslim world, of course, is even more set back, as they haven’t even mastered the rudiments of corporate organization, which is the first step in the economic exploitation of information.
China will be an emulative society. It will never really innovate. What’s more, the fact that most of you think of China as some sort of a puzzle is really indicative of something else: the doltishness of China. China is a puzzle because China has nothing interesting to say. It has nothing to offer the world in terms of good ideas, emulation, or insight. It is a bore, in that sense, and a bore will never really succeed in a contest for leadership in the world.
The republican right wing Christian Zionist politicians are too busy fighting Israel war, too busy fighting Saddam (oops I forgot he was slaughtered like a sheep on Adha day) Bin Laden, Oil etc…. while their household items are all made in China.
Americans are too busy to do dirty Jobs they would prefer to be on social assistance and eat with Government coupons. Let the Hispanic do the job, let the Chinese manufacture everything for us and let us out source the jobs to India.
Americans are not worried Drima Babe they are just busy with the super bowl, the Apprentice, the Bachelorette, American Idol and sex and the city.
And if they decide to hash politics they won’t even know how to point where Iraq is on the map.
****The reference to Americans above is not to generalize of course.
Raccoon-
It is an interesting viewpoint and not without logic…albeit a horrible logic.
Americans are not worried Drima Babe they are just busy with the super bowl, the Apprentice, the Bachelorette, American Idol and sex and the city.
What are those examples of but the excellent exploitation of information bases? The Apprentice provides superb insights into what it takes to succeed in an information society; The Bachelorette provides training for the rigorous mating rituals that are sure to come; American Idol provides training for artistic exploitation; and Sex And The City provides advice on how to cope with all the stress of all those expectations.
American culture is massively loaded with educational and indoctrinal information on how to achieve individual success. Additionally, all of this is freely available to everyone who feels like listening in. It is this freedom to choose which winds up standing as the more important kind of freedom, compared to freedom of speech or freedom of religion.
Travel to Europe, and you’ll find a dearth of these kinds of freedoms. Instead, the welfare states will spout some bromides about social responsibilities, which will only cause consternation more that inspiration, simply because they devalue information in favor of ideological certitude.
And the Chinese are still trying to understand how tv shows could be an economic force with the power to change economic behavior on more than just a consumerist scale They have yet to understand mass media.
Finnpundit-very,very interesting & insightful observations.
Finnpundit -
Alas, in a world of barbarism, free information will quickly lose its value. The sole reason China is even an issue is because the West is losing its will to live - as a society, it is growing suicidal. The Arab society is even more suicidal, of course, but it has much less to lose - and different reasons for not trying to survive.
China needs global chaos to rise. A nuclear war, a paralyzing intifada in Europe, an isolationist USA - all of these are the factors which will enable China to simply take over. They don’t need freedom of information for this - all they need is millions of troops (check), total disrespect for hunam life (check) and the desire/need to expand and rule (check).
Howie - this is the logic of war. You were a soldier, no? You know how it goes.
Finnpundit, while you and I don’t always agree, you still certainly do post some of the most thought provoking comments I ever come across.
It seems that you’ve got a lot of rare and valuable insights about issues dealing with economics. What books are you reading dude?
And Finnpundit you should be worried… at least a little.
Twosret, reread your post please. Specifically the first part. Now, ask yourself just why I see you as a very biased individual. Intelligent, yet still biased.
By the way, interesting theory there Finnpundit. One thing though… In China, the information is in the firm control of the government. This may mean regressive thought, but it may also mean the Chinese government is very good at being secretive.
Maybe they’re silent simply because they don’t want us to hear.
“Americans are not worried Drima Babe they are just busy with the super bowl, the Apprentice, the Bachelorette, American Idol and sex and the city.”
Well, this American, sure as hell, primarily interested in the Super Bowl (and 24, Heroes, Survivor and some other gems)
———————————————–
Bear Down, Chicago Bears
Make every play, clear the way to victory!
Bear Down, Chicago Bears
Put up a fight with a might so fearlessly!
We’ll never forget the way you thrilled the nation
With your T-formation
Bear Down, Chicago Bears
And let them know why you’re wearing the crown!
You’re the pride and joy of Illinois,
Chicago Bears, Bear Down!!
Here’s an American who is scared. I know what they do to Christians, don’t think Muslims are immune. The US economy is dependent on China. There enough Chinese at the top who do understand an info-based society, who do creatively think. And they will force the uninformed masses to create copies of innovative Western ideas. Business Week had an excellent article abut that last year.
Twosret, although you say it isn’t a generalization, it is. I’ll give you the Superbowl, but the rest could be said about the same percentage of Jordanians “Muslims” as American “Christians”.
Hmm, first it was the Freemasons being the fore runners of ” Al Maseeh Al Dajjal)-Drima, plz translate.(Shadows documentary,anyone?).
Now, it is the fear that the Chinese may take over the world.Aren’t there rumours that the tribes of Yaajouj & Maajouj may originate from China????!!!
Why does this sound freaky???!!! Doesn’t it seem like the big signs of Judgement Day are already underway or is it just me???
Hipster, is it about Judgement Day or that without satellites we can’t blog?
Yaajouj & Maajouj? As in Gog and Magog? Heh, I always understood references to them as being a metaphor for the great nations of the time.
Anyways, we *can* blog without satellites. There enough cables through most of the world. Take down the comm sats and the net would just be much slower for users as the cable routes become much more congested.
I totally forgot about this post, sorry for late reply. When I read my post I realized it might be misunderstood as generalization, I added that it wasn’t meant to generalize.
Sometimes I write in haste which is my problem not the readers problem so this is to clarify again that it was not intended to generalize. Next time I will either not post or take the time to re-write.
Kinzi,lol, it’s way beyond blogging:)
RK, thankx for the English names(Sry, I’m lousy with translations).
“Heh, I always understood references to them as being a metaphor for the great nations of the time. ”
Their appearance & destruction of our world will be a definite sign of Judgement Day.They are even mentioned in the Quran, specifically in Surat Al Kahf(The Cave). However, there are allegations that these tribes may be of Chinese origin.I’m not sure if this is another conspiracy theory or if it’s a fact.
Allah knows best
Twosret, no problem, make sure you call me on it when I generalize, too!
Hipster, those are the Hebrew names actually. Not sure if they’re the same names in English.
Getting back to the original thread, here’s a very insightful assessment from the brilliant British-African mathematician, Abiola Lapite, on the subject of state-sponsored tech competition, albeit as applied to South Korea:
http://foreigndispatches.typepad.com/dispatches/2007/01/the_problem_wit.html#trackback
I tend to think that these points can be paralleled with any assessment on threat posed by Chinese tech ascendancy.
Kinzi,
Thanks for understanding
Of course I’m worried. Not panicked like a scared-of-my-own-shadow neo-con but it’s a worry definitely.
Have to look at it from the Chinese POV though. The US has quite a track record of overthrowing or at least helping to overthrow, any governments we do not like. We also have a pretty good record of demonizing any group of people we are afraid of. If I were Chinese this would make me nervous.
They are sitting in a world with only one current “superpower” and that one having clearly established that it’s going to be “my way or the highway”. We’ve brought this on ourselves.
I have to comment on this comment:
What are those examples of but the excellent exploitation of information bases? The Apprentice provides superb insights into what it takes to succeed in an information society; The Bachelorette provides training for the rigorous mating rituals that are sure to come; American Idol provides training for artistic exploitation; and Sex And The City provides advice on how to cope with all the stress of all those expectations.
The Apprentice provides nothing but insight into what it takes to be a superb self-serving buttmonkey. The Bachelorette and related shows take human relationships and debase them to the level of of a shopping transaction. If that is the best of what we are then we truly are pathetic creatures.
Radio Free Asia has a commentary on Hu Jintao’s trip and China’s activities in Africa today.
I come from PRC.I’m very confused why most American people distrust China at all. Why?
All the people around world believe that there’s no democracy in China?
Didn’t you see the performances of chinese people and goverment when the terrible seism happend in Sichun province?
Didn’t you see an OPEN CHINA during the Olympic Games held in Bejing,the capital city of China
Didn’t you see that China prevent Russia from futher invasion?
Dind’t you see that Chinese people come to rescue the rest of world when the super financial crisis occured?
What’s democracy?That’s it.You got the answer?
Welcome to PRC ,and i’m sure you’ll find your answer.
We can’t forget the deep sorrow these countries,including Japan ,UK ,Russia,USA,France,Germany,Italy, brougth us since 1840.
What we want now isn’t revenge but a peaceful world.
China will surely be a “superpower” in the coming decades,but it won’t be superpower like U.S.S.R
All the chinese people are good mannered,if you respect them ,they will respet u more.
But why USA can’t stand a Reunited China?why? Those rude actions(i don’t wanna mention it anymore) hurt the feelings of all the chinese people.
All the friends around world ,please remember,we’re seeking for peace not war or cold war.And please trust China.
Actully,China is not a lamb,but an armed super military power with nuclear weapon!
You konw?If she is cornered,she will release her agony just like a volcano without any sympathy.Then the real world becomes even worse than the hell. It all depends on you!
God bless us!
China ought to be your friend not enemy.Let’s construct a beatiful world together.
SO SAY WE ALL!
ps. Maybe you shoud listen to song called WHAT I’VE DONE by Linkin Park
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