Andrewmc wrote:
Over a liquid lunch we have been reviewing the mental midgets visit to China.
My colleague thinks this was the long time coming, proverbial bitch slap from China.
China is pissed about the midgets behavior, has had the capability to give him a permanent headache being sat on his border for a long time, and wanted to make clear exactly what is expected of him in advance of his discussions with the other midget.
My friend has said since I have first visited that at the first time of a real problem from NK, he thinks China would roll on in and sort the shit out but its useful to have NK between them and SK. (not that I really understand why given how little seperates Hong Kong or Macau from SK in terms of politics, markets and freedom)
Strategically, having North Korea as a puppet state of theirs gives China a solid defense in depth that the US and its partners would have to roll through, taking a great deal of time (China believes) in order to invade them. It also gives the Chinese a surrogate through which they can commit mischief (such as funneling arms to the NorKs who would in turn move them on to China's actual clients, such as national liberation groups in other countries) without seeming to dirty their own hands by doing so. It's similar to what the Soviet Union used to do with Cuba in that regard, where the Cubans used to send troops to Angola. You don't get that ability with Macau and HK.
Look back at the Korean War. The Chinese didn't send in their own troops until it looked like US forces were going to cross the Yalu River, at which point the Chinese poured in troops and set the conditions that led to years-long fighting and eventual stalemate and armistice (not true peace terms, because the US/UN forces are still technically at war with North Korea all these decades later).
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
