David G.

People in China aren't given news critical of the government. Liu Xiaobo dared to propose a model of government with a separation of powers. He was jailed for 11 years.

Say what you will about America, but Fox news is free to criticise the government. For better or for worse.
The Tea Party would be brutally snuffed out if a Chinese incarnation dared arise.

In the US, people openly debate the government. I've lived in China. People don't discuss such matters.

And, the final proof in the pudding is you yourself. You're free to criticise the US. In China, such comments are blocked.

Corruption runs free, the separation of powers don't exist and the disparity in wealth is far worse than in the US.

Yes, the US has done shady things. But democratic governments and authoritarian ones are still two different beasts.

And when people like yourself fail to see that, you give ammunition for the thugs in the CCP to crack down on dissidents. It is this that makes me angry.

Honestly. If you actually lived in China for a significant amount of time and experienced the two different models, you wouldn't be so cavalier.

As for 'staying within their borders' China has recently announced that the South China Sea is their own territory and nobody else's. Damn shame for a country like Vietnam which has this sea as their shoreline. Or perhaps we should go back to the Yuan Dynasty which ruled most of Asia.

They haven't branched beyond that, because by and large, there have always been huge internal struggles. Internal struggles caused by the corrupt imperial governments and their unwillingness to share power.

Funny that.

Though enjoy your freedom to comment about how evil the US is compared to China. Shame that the Chinese people aren't free to propose alternatives to their own government.

Well, unless they're willing to face an 11 year jail sentence.

Dear TRTL,
several points if I may:
1. You say that the Chinese people are not given news critical of the Government. Neither are the Americans. Their MSM is an arm of the government and most American citizens are ignorant of what their Government is doing.
2. You say that Fox News is free to criticize the American Government. Fox News is an arm of the Republican Party.
3. You say that government corruption runs free in China. There is no more corrupt government in the world than that in America. Politicians there are bought and sold like slaves by the corporations.
4. You say, if I lived in China.... My wife was born in China and experienced Mao. I do not see the Chinese Government as the epitome of liberalism and freedom but neither do I see the American Government as faultless. Its quest to dominate the world by military force while pretending to advance the cause of democracy and human rights is disgusting and evil!

America, and its sidekick, Israel, is a real danger to the world. Perceptive people who do their homework can see it.

Most don't!

http://www.dangerouscreation.com

China is pumping lots of money into defence with good reason.Corporatism has now taken control of the USA and most of the West.Our Govts no longer act in our best interests.911 and the war on terror is a lie.I can prove it with a short video on youtube and a few basic scientific facts.

Currently the USA is antagonising China by being in Afghanistan,conducting military exercises off it's coast and threatening to invade Iran which provides 10% of China's oil.The USA/Israel are the prime aggressors.No country comes close to the USA in terms of weaponry and nuke capacity.

The neo-cons in Israel/USA are now pushing for war as a means of escape from their treachery of 911.see the evidence http://ae911truth.org/ http://patriotsquestion911.com/

The scientific evidence is absolute and over whelming.Anyone care to debate the evidence?

David G,

I agree with 'TurnRightThenLeft' in regard to China's expansion. The idea that China has historically remained within its borders is perhaps based on its isolationist policies during modern times. The Chinese have invaded neighbouring countries throughout their history and behaved as badly as any other superpower. For example what is now NW China was once inhabited by Indo-European speaking Caucasians, a rather unfortunate historical fact for Chinese nationalists. China certainly never developed an overseas colonial empire on the European model, this was partly due to one Emperor's decision in the 15th century to abandon his predecessor's policy of maritime expansion.

Hegemony was, indeed, the policy of the Imperial Chinese, they had little idea of the Western notion of 'diplomacy' between equals,the 'outer barbarians' were expected to show subservience to the Middle Kingdom and play by China's rules. The modern mandarins in Beijing seem to have a similar attitude to the rest of the world. So there's no reason to believe that China has some long-term cultural imperative to 'stay within its borders'.

Quick lesson: China are not expansionist. They just want all of what they believe is historically the real China to be part of China again. This included Tibet and includes Taiwan.

Sure, they use their economic might to influence their neighbours, allies and adversaries to get their own way. And they have some serious human rights issues that need addressing. But, you may ask, is this paragraph about China or the US?

And they do need a significant military as an insurance policy. And the more wealth you have, the more you need to spend on insurance. This is particularly the case when a greedy neighbour over the road/ocean is rapidly losing his wealth and power.

Personally, I like China. I think the world will actually be a more peaceful place when they gain ascendency over the US.

I've posted on the forum recently about the currency skirmish taking place between the U.S. and China.
The U.S. voted recently in the House of Reps to allow for the possibility of tariffs to be imposed on Chinese goods in response to what the U.S. sees as China artificially devaluing its currency.
Many commentators, however, have pointed out that access to cheap Chinese manufacturing by ordinary Americans is helping to keep interests rates low and also to assist the economy to keep ticking over during America's faltering recovery in the wake of the GFC.

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/10/06/the_enemy_is_not_cheap_goods/