Chinese threats

[SB]

I am worried about China but not overly worried. All we have to do is refuse to buy from them for a couple weeks, and they have a problem.

[canuck1]

For the last twenty years Hong Kong money has fed the Lower Mainland in BC
Renaissance Energy is only one player in a field of many
Husky rumors have run forever
Canada is a huge, resource rich country. It takes big cash to develope these resources, When Japan was booming they put money here, the US has put its money here, Europe has put its money here, now China is putting its money here as others have pulled back.
Honestly...who cares, the US and Canada have used others money to develope our countries for 400 years. Now China might make a few dollars on their investment but we will gain in the long run.
Look at the history of the West, England and others, put their money here,in ranches,coal,oil,etc., took the profits and left us with towns, roads and the infastructure that is what we know today.
So are they using us or are we using them?

[spectratoad]

I think it is true that China is just sabre rattling and trying to flex muscle but I think we could, as Americans always do, pull through if they tried the economic war.
It would hurt us in the short run but I do believe that we would have to buy more American made products again and Wal-Mart would have to struggle to restock its shelves with products other than Chinese made.
I think the world would rally and in the long run China would be pushed back to the emerging third world they probably really are.
The one positive is that we would buy more American products.

[Seadog]

If you look at what is going on today, the rise in oil prices and metals are all due to the Chinese willing to pay whatever it takes to fuel their needs. They are fast approaching a point where they can ruin the US financially. You may have noticed that they are not interested in US companies. They are buying up controlling interests in a lot of areas that could be a disaster for America in a conflict.
We are already being assaulted by efforts to devalue the dollar and China flexed its muscle as did OPEC. We could find out the hard way that we have been gelded. If the Chinese alliance with Venuzuela causes the Citgo refineries to close, our fuel prices could triple or more. We have an economy built on transportation that would crumble.
It is one thing to have companies from another country investing heavily in these areas, but to have a government controlling companies which can control the fate of a nation is dangerous. Worse case scenario, they attack Taiwan and South Korea. If the US responds, our oil supply is cut in half. China has the means to choke any current and future oil coming from Alaska. They can control the supplies of electronics coming from Asia. To regain control of some resources would require countries like Canada to overthrow the Chinese ownership of those companies. If that was to happen (unlikely), China could keep things in limbo for years. The latest numbers show that most of our imported oil comes from Canada 15.8%, Add Russia, Venezuela, Mexico and Russia and you have a total of 43.6% of our imports.
No one thought that Japan would go to war with us. It seemed insane before 1941. Right now we appear vulnerable to China and we are spread out in several fronts, relying too much on reservists in Iraq and other places.
I want to be wrong, but I am not the only one that has concerns. I just was talking with a PhD in business that says that it is a concern in many quarters.

[canuck1]

Paranoid thinking?
How could China or anyone stop Alaska exports?
A de-valued dollar isn't a bad thing, exports go up, imports go down

[Seadog]

IF we went to war with China, we would rely heavily on oil from Alaska. This oil supply is very vulnerable to attack from something like a cruise missile. If the oil stops pumping during the winter month for more than a couple of days, it will never flow again according to the experts. It is not paranoid to recognize our weaknesses and see how those weaknesses are threatened by (a) hostile government(s). If China decides to get aggressive and take over other nations, the only country capable of interceding is America. We have them beaten technology wise, but they have manpower and the manufacturing capacity. In a war, they have the oil, the computer chips and factories. We would take 3-4 months to get ramped up to go to war and only after a major event to unite the people. Look how long Germany and Japan ran amoke while we did nothing. It took Pearl Harbor to get us off our butts. Even then, if Japan had gone from Pearl to Midway right then and set it up as a launch base, we would have abandoned Hawaii. If Hitler had ignored Russia and concentrated on England, we may have never won.

[Steve 1]

Paranoid thinking?
How could China or anyone stop Alaska exports?
A de-valued dollar isn't a bad thing, exports go up, imports go down
Simple Arco was sold to BP during the sink kings rule.along with Amoco and another small oil company. We do not own the Oil any more!

[Seadog]

We used to be a major steel producer. Not so any more. Steel was running $270/ton buying it from Asia. China wanted more steel, so they got the producing companies to break existing contracts with American suppliers, driving the price to $780/ton. It is now running about $640/ton with no relief possible. At $270/ton US manufacturers could not compete and meet the EPA regs. With the competition out of business, they find an excuse to jack the price up. If the price had been over $400/ton, or if more manufacturers would buy US steel, the companies would still be producing.
We have reasons to be concerned. We have become a nation of white collar wannabes. Kids do not want blue collar jobs. We are running short of machinists, mechanics, tradesmen and laborers. The world is moving to a global economy, but that means that we face increased chances of economic problems when control of key industries is taken over by organizations we cannot control. I personally believe that the day may come when we are force to dictated that a percentage of certain goods must be produced by US controlled or owned companies in order to maintain the infrastructure needed. Maybe then we won't be having the Presidential helicopter being built by a foreign company. What will be next? Air Force one being built by Airbus.

[Blown 472]

We used to be a major steel producer. Not so any more. Steel was running $270/ton buying it from Asia. China wanted more steel, so they got the producing companies to break existing contracts with American suppliers, driving the price to $780/ton. It is now running about $640/ton with no relief possible. At $270/ton US manufacturers could not compete and meet the EPA regs. With the competition out of business, they find an excuse to jack the price up. If the price had been over $400/ton, or if more manufacturers would buy US steel, the companies would still be producing.
We have reasons to be concerned. We have become a nation of white collar wannabes. Kids do not want blue collar jobs. We are running short of machinists, mechanics, tradesmen and laborers. The world is moving to a global economy, but that means that we face increased chances of economic problems when control of key industries is taken over by organizations we cannot control. I personally believe that the day may come when we are force to dictated that a percentage of certain goods must be produced by US controlled or owned companies in order to maintain the infrastructure needed. Maybe then we won't be having the Presidential helicopter being built by a foreign company. What will be next? Air Force one being built by Airbus.
So, outsourcing is bad????

[mickeyfinn]

So, outsourcing is bad????
Not sure where you read that but I don't see outsourcing specifically mentioned anywhere. If you are referring to moving jobs overseas, I would say damn right that is bad. It is gonna be hard enough to compete in the global economy without us voluntarily giving the jobs that we have.