China's strategy in Korean peninsula

Blackstone said:

The reemergence of China today is unique, even compared with what historians know of ancient China. Previous falls didn't lay China so low as to be substantially below the world's average, because past falls were mainly government changes, while the common folks lived pretty much as before. Only their overlords changed.

Contemporary China suffered immense body blows from westerners to the point where central government basically lost sovereignty of many of its coastal cities. Westerners forced Unequal Treaties down China's throat with right by might. Those people robbed, looted, raped, and murdered with glee, and Chinese public became second-class citizens in their own country.

As the Qing Dynasty struggled to recover from the white scourge, Imperial Japan attacked in 1894. Losing to Japan did as much to end the Qing Dynasty as Sun Yat Sen, because no Chinese government can rule if it can't secure Chinese civilization and sovereign territory. The Mandate of Heaven was withdrawn.

Republic of China went all out to rebuild the government, put down warlords, initiate Sino industrial revolution, unite the country, and prepare for the Japanese invasion ROC leaders knew was coming. But, before China could make much headway, Japan attacked with full fury. Tojo said there would be no more China in 3 months, and Westerners agreed. The thought China could take on Japan alone for nearly 8 years didn't occur to those people. But fight China did, and long before Winston Churchill made his inspired speech "we shall fight on the beaches...; we shall never surrender," China showed you only surrender after you die.

The end of WWII brought no peace and recovery, as KMT and CPC continued its prewar struggle. Other countries in the world busied themselves recovering from the WW, and America created and lead a new world order at Bretton Woods. CPC won the civil war in 1949, established the PRC, and Mao said the Chinese people have stood up. Westerners were given the boot, and America lead the full containment of the PRC. Within a year, China fought US-lead UN forces in Korea, and missed another chance to recover from the ravages Britain started in 1820.

The armistice in 1953 did little to help China recover, as Mao's "Great Leap Forward" (1957-1960) failed to produce desired social and industrialization results. A great famine swept through China, and tens of millions died. The Cultural Revolution followed the GLF in 1966, and the country went backwards in development till Deng Xiaoping was brought back following Mao's death. But, before Mao died, he did China a great deed by accepting US primacy in Asia in return for support against the Soviet Union and end to isolation. There was also that bit about the Gang of Four, but it was minor inconvenience compared to what China has suffered from 1820 to 1979.

Taking advantage of America's offer to assist China, Deng finally opened China to the world in late 1979, and the country went on a three decade economic development and expansion the world has never seen before. No other country has come so far, so quick. China not only developed economically into the world's second largest economy by market exchange rates, it also lifted about a billion people out of abject poverty. The World Bank recently said China still has around 100 million people in abject poverty, and that's the bad news. The good news is 1.24 billion Chinese are no longer abjectly poor.

So, Taxiya, my apologies for such a long-winded reply, but I stand by my original statement: the world has never seen the reemergence of a great power like of China.

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Blackstone said:

The reemergence of China today is unique, even compared with what historians know of ancient China. Previous falls didn't lay China so low as to be substantially below the world's average, because past falls were mainly government changes, while the common folks lived pretty much as before. Only their overlords changed.

Contemporary China suffered immense body blows from westerners to the point where central government basically lost sovereignty of many of its coastal cities. Westerners forced Unequal Treaties down China's throat with right by might. Those people robbed, looted, raped, and murdered with glee, and Chinese public became second-class citizens in their own country.

As the Qing Dynasty struggled to recover from the white scourge, Imperial Japan attacked in 1894. Losing to Japan did as much to end the Qing Dynasty as Sun Yat Sen, because no Chinese government can rule if it can't secure Chinese civilization and sovereign territory. The Mandate of Heaven was withdrawn.

Republic of China went all out to rebuild the government, put down warlords, initiate Sino industrial revolution, unite the country, and prepare for the Japanese invasion ROC leaders knew was coming. But, before China could make much headway, Japan attacked with full fury. Tojo said there would be no more China in 3 months, and Westerners agreed. The thought China could take on Japan alone for nearly 8 years didn't occur to those people. But fight China did, and long before Winston Churchill made his inspired speech "we shall fight on the beaches...; we shall never surrender," China showed you only surrender after you die.

The end of WWII brought no peace and recovery, as KMT and CPC continued its prewar struggle. Other countries in the world busied themselves recovering from the WW, and America created and lead a new world order at Bretton Woods. CPC won the civil war in 1949, established the PRC, and Mao said the Chinese people have stood up. Westerners were given the boot, and America lead the full containment of the PRC. Within a year, China fought US-lead UN forces in Korea, and missed another chance to recover from the ravages Britain started in 1820.

The armistice in 1953 did little to help China recover, as Mao's "Great Leap Forward" (1957-1960) failed to produce desired social and industrialization results. A great famine swept through China, and tens of millions died. The Cultural Revolution followed the GLF in 1966, and the country went backwards in development till Deng Xiaoping was brought back following Mao's death. But, before Mao died, he did China a great deed by accepting US primacy in Asia in return for support against the Soviet Union and end to isolation. There was also that bit about the Gang of Four, but it was minor inconvenience compared to what China has suffered from 1820 to 1979.

Taking advantage of America's offer to assist China, Deng finally opened China to the world in late 1979, and the country went on a three decade economic development and expansion the world has never seen before. No other country has come so far, so quick. China not only developed economically into the world's second largest economy by market exchange rates, it also lifted about a billion people out of abject poverty. The World Bank recently said China still has around 100 million people in abject poverty, and that's the bad news. The good news is 1.24 billion Chinese are no longer abjectly poor.

So, Taxiya, my apologies for such a long-winded reply, but I stand by my original statement: the world has never seen the reemergence of a great power like of China.

Click to expand...

Blackstone said:

The reemergence of China today is unique, even compared with what historians know of ancient China. Previous falls didn't lay China so low as to be substantially below the world's average, because past falls were mainly government changes, while the common folks lived pretty much as before. Only their overlords changed.

Click to expand...

Shaolian said:

Reading these words brought tears to my eyes. As an etnic minority born and raised outside of China, I only know too well, the feelings of helplessness, and the constant reminders that I'm a second class citizen, as though nothIng that I do would ever endear myself to be considered truly part of the local culture.

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China had been truly wronged during the last 150 odd years. But she was wronged mostly by her own government, and by extension, the Chinese themselves, who shirked their duty of being the protector of civilization, and failed to respond to the great challenges posed by the outside world.

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manqiangrexue said:

I think one of the biggest problems with Korea is that they don't dream of reunification; they don't have any dreams at all. I actually have many Korean friends and none of them have any vision for their country; they are all just selfish and will go wherever offers the best deal and do whatever pays the most. I think I saw a survey where most Koreans don't even want to pay a reunification tax (it was an easily affordable amount, $300-$1000 I think) to absorb the North. That's absurd to me! They'd rather buy a new iphone than have a unified country! Most Koreans have just given up completely and don't care where their country is headed. They laugh when their own president is impeached. When I had a (drinking) conversation with a few guys, I told them I wanted my talents to do something to build my country, not just to earn as much money as possible for my enjoyment and they at first looked at me like I was too drunk to know what I was saying, and then, they started a clap, telling me that that is a heroic gesture that they could never commit themselves to! That's why they aren't proactive about working with China to reunify their country. They don't care. It's easier to just lie there and watch the US military hop around their country. It's easier to just keep the status quo with American "leadership" than to get up and tackle the problem.

The only time I've seen Koreans gassed up and gun-ho is when they compete against Japan. Boy they can get some energy from that hate!

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Blackstone said:

The reemergence of China today is unique, even compared with what historians know of ancient China. Previous falls didn't lay China so low as to be substantially below the world's average, because past falls were mainly government changes, while the common folks lived pretty much as before. Only their overlords changed.

Contemporary China suffered immense body blows from westerners to the point where central government basically lost sovereignty of many of its coastal cities. Westerners forced Unequal Treaties down China's throat with right by might. Those people robbed, looted, raped, and murdered with glee, and Chinese public became second-class citizens in their own country.

As the Qing Dynasty struggled to recover from the white scourge, Imperial Japan attacked in 1894. Losing to Japan did as much to end the Qing Dynasty as Sun Yat Sen, because no Chinese government can rule if it can't secure Chinese civilization and sovereign territory. The Mandate of Heaven was withdrawn.

Republic of China went all out to rebuild the government, put down warlords, initiate Sino industrial revolution, unite the country, and prepare for the Japanese invasion ROC leaders knew was coming. But, before China could make much headway, Japan attacked with full fury. Tojo said there would be no more China in 3 months, and Westerners agreed. The thought China could take on Japan alone for nearly 8 years didn't occur to those people. But fight China did, and long before Winston Churchill made his inspired speech "we shall fight on the beaches...; we shall never surrender," China showed you only surrender after you die.

The end of WWII brought no peace and recovery, as KMT and CPC continued its prewar struggle. Other countries in the world busied themselves recovering from the WW, and America created and lead a new world order at Bretton Woods. CPC won the civil war in 1949, established the PRC, and Mao said the Chinese people have stood up. Westerners were given the boot, and America lead the full containment of the PRC. Within a year, China fought US-lead UN forces in Korea, and missed another chance to recover from the ravages Britain started in 1820.

The armistice in 1953 did little to help China recover, as Mao's "Great Leap Forward" (1957-1960) failed to produce desired social and industrialization results. A great famine swept through China, and tens of millions died. The Cultural Revolution followed the GLF in 1966, and the country went backwards in development till Deng Xiaoping was brought back following Mao's death. But, before Mao died, he did China a great deed by accepting US primacy in Asia in return for support against the Soviet Union and end to isolation. There was also that bit about the Gang of Four, but it was minor inconvenience compared to what China has suffered from 1820 to 1979.

Taking advantage of America's offer to assist China, Deng finally opened China to the world in late 1979, and the country went on a three decade economic development and expansion the world has never seen before. No other country has come so far, so quick. China not only developed economically into the world's second largest economy by market exchange rates, it also lifted about a billion people out of abject poverty. The World Bank recently said China still has around 100 million people in abject poverty, and that's the bad news. The good news is 1.24 billion Chinese are no longer abjectly poor.

So, Taxiya, my apologies for such a long-winded reply, but I stand by my original statement: the world has never seen the reemergence of a great power like of China.

Click to expand...

taxiya said:

It is a very well written piece from you and there are many points in your writing that I agree. No apology needed as I enjoyed reading it even though we are carrying away from Korean peninsular.

However I think this has expanded to a far more complicated discussion into China's history and bit away from Korea, so I will stop the discussion from my side and keep your words in mind.

I do look forward in learning from your insight in the future and in appropriate topics.

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dingyibvs said:

It would've taken them quite a few years to extract significant amount of oil from Daqing even if they found it, similar to how the Germans never had the time to take advantage of the resources they had within the brief empire they built during WWII. By then the Americans and the Russians would be done with Germany and their sights would be set on Japan.

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