26-Sep-10 News -- China turns the screws on a humiliated Japan - 26-Sep-2010 - Generational Dynamics

Generational Dynamics Web Log for 26-Sep-2010

26-Sep-10 News -- China turns the screws on a humiliated Japan

Mideast peace talks may collapse Sunday over moratorium issue

China turns the screws on a humiliated Japan

China gloated and sought to consolidate and enhance its diplomatic victory over Japan, after Japan's capitulation on Friday, saying they would accede to China's demand that the fishing trawler captain be released and sent back to China.

China is demanding that the Japanese issue a formal apology and pay compensation for the arrest. This demand has infuriated the Japanese, according to the NY Times, and Japan has firmly rejected the demand.

China is holding four Japanese nationals that it seized on Thursday, probably in retaliation for the Japanese arrest of the boat captain. It's not known whether the release of the boat captain will have any effect on the status of the Japanese nationals, according to the Japan Times.

China is taking another form of revenge as well. China has unofficially begun an embargo on shipments of rare earth minerals to Japan, needed in the manufacture of electronic gadgets, according to Reuters.

An analysis by the Chinese government publication Global Times indicates that China's foreign policy is becoming less conciliatory and more nationalistic, and that this incident is an example of that change. The article quotes a Chinese international expert as saying,

"A tougher stance would deter other countries from jeopardizing the nation's maritime interests. China's demand for an apology and compensation is to make it clear that China will never compromise on sovereignty. "China has sufficient military capabilities to secure its maritime territory, but resorting to war is absolutely not the optimal solution to maritime territorial disputes with Japan or Southeast Asian nations."

This increasingly belligerent Chinese attitude is occurring as the survivors of Mao's Communist Revolution all die off, and are replaced by young officers who feel completely unrestrained, and correspond to America's Generation-X. I included the following in yesterday's posting, but it's worth repeating here:

"China’s military spending is growing so fast that it has overtaken strategy," says a China expert from Singapore. "The young officers are taking control of strategy and it is like young officers in Japan in the 1930s. They are thinking what they can do, not what they should do. This is very dangerous. They are on a collision course with a US-dominated system." Presumably, the 'young officers' correspond to America's Generation-X. Telegraph

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Israel's moratorium on building West Bank settlements is due to expire on Sunday, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has taken a hard line, saying that negotiations will end unless the moratorium is extended. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also taken a hard line, saying that the moratorium will not be extended. The Americans are frantically running around, trying to get everyone to compromise on some kind of partial moratorium, so far without success. Haaretz

India's prime minister Manmoham Singh has announced an eight-point initiative to quell the violence in Indian-held Kashmir, which has a majority Muslim population. This will "begin the process of sustained dialogue" with the Kashmiris. Prisoners will be freed, and schools will be reopened. The Hindu

This week, the North Korean Workers' party will hold its first conference since 1980. North Korean élites are jostling for power, and analysts outside of Korea are trying to figure out what's going on. It's possible that the increasingly frail president Kim Jong-il will announce that his successor will be his youngest son, Kim Jong-un. This transition of power into the hands of a young boy will certainly cause a powerful struggle with uncertain outcome. Guardian

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 26-Sep-10 News -- China turns the screws on a humiliated Japan thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (26-Sep-2010) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 26-Sep-2010 26-Sep-10 News -- China turns the screws on a humiliated Japan

China turns the screws on a humiliated Japan

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 26-Sep-2010
26-Sep-10 News -- China turns the screws on a humiliated Japan