Wednesday, July 06, 2005
China launches game of Go
In polite company, the word "oil" is rarely mentioned around words like "Afghanistan" and "Iraq." But the link is as undeniable as "babies" and "sex."
For the past months, economists have been wondering why China just keeps letting the its U.S. balance of payments get more and more lopsided.
Now it is becoming clear. China is launching a game of Go. The prize is control of mideast oil. The recent bid by CNOOC for Unocal, which has large reserves in and near Iraq, is the opening salvo. Then, mere days later, this:
Is nobody impressed with China's ability to tank the U.S. economy simply by calling its U.S. paper?
Now this:
The current U.S. administration has not evidenced much ability to think strategically -- just look at Iraq's internal state. Nor has it shown much ability to act cooperatively -- check the current state of the "coalition." Now what?
For the past months, economists have been wondering why China just keeps letting the its U.S. balance of payments get more and more lopsided.
Now it is becoming clear. China is launching a game of Go. The prize is control of mideast oil. The recent bid by CNOOC for Unocal, which has large reserves in and near Iraq, is the opening salvo. Then, mere days later, this:
"We demand that the U.S. Congress correct its mistaken ways of politicizing economic and trade issues and stop interfering in the normal commercial exchanges between enterprises of two countries."Is nobody struck by the irony of China lecturing the U.S. Congress on free markets?
Is nobody impressed with China's ability to tank the U.S. economy simply by calling its U.S. paper?
Now this:
Meeting in the Kazakh capital of Astana, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) - which includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China, and Russia - issued a joint statement saying the active military phase of the Afghan operation was coming to an end and calling on the US-led coalition to agree to a deadline for ending the temporary use of bases and air space in member countries.This could get ugly. The Shanghai Six couldn't be too enthusiastic about permanent U.S. bases in Iraq either. For now, U.S. military efforts in the mideast are not too antithetical to Chinese interests. But this will change. Hear the sabres.
The current U.S. administration has not evidenced much ability to think strategically -- just look at Iraq's internal state. Nor has it shown much ability to act cooperatively -- check the current state of the "coalition." Now what?
Technorati Tags: Afghanistan, HubbertsPeak, Iraq, Oil, China
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