Canberra gets nervous as US and China start playing chicken

[dArKeR]

It has been obvious to Canberra watchers for several months that there is one issue on which conservative Prime Minister John Howard doesn't see eye-to-eye with US President George W Bush. And that is the US willingness to go to war with China, if need be, to protect the independence of Taiwan.

Canberra's view is that China will inevitably become capable of equalling or surpassing the US in economic strength and that a conflict would have disastrous and long term historic consequences for Australia.

Washington's view is China is a clear and emerging threat to the dominant power status of the US, and that it must be contained, by diplomacy, by trade or even by armed conflict.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2005/04/13/2003250299

[cliss]

1. I think the prevailing view of China....

is that it will be the World's #1 Superpower in the current century. Also India and Iran will be holding all the aces. Venezuela, as well. So Australia is not alone in that regard.

The US is sinking into the quicksand, as we speak.

The rest of the world knows it. And our struggle to claw our way to the top ain't gonna depend on stealing other people's oil, by the way.
We're gonna have to do better than that.