U.S. House blasts EU's policy shift on China

[Judi Lynn]

Thursday, February 3, 2005
U.S. House blasts EU's policy shift on China


THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON

The U.S. House strongly condemned yesterday the European Union's plans to lift a 15-year-old arms embargo on China, saying that such a move would endanger both Taiwan and American forces stationed in Asia.

The security of American forces "is directly threatened by the shortsighted and greed-driven initiative emanating from Europe," said Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif. "It shows that they have truly lost their moral compass."

The United States and the EU jointly imposed arms embargoes on China after the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square democracy movement in 1989.

The nonbinding resolution, approved 411-3, states that China has yet to make amends for the 1989 "massacre" and that 2,000 Chinese citizens remain in prison as a result of their participation in peaceful demonstrations.
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[Sandpiper]

1. The fruits of alienating our allies

The U.S. is no longer the world's indispensable nation, and the rest of the world is moving on without us.

[Spazito]

2. LOL, hmmmm, I think the bush cabal is starting to become...

concerned about the strength of China and the potential and probability of it becoming a World Power equal to the US. Seeing as China owns a good percentage of US 'paper', it is interesting to see this posturing, empty as it is.

[BR_Parkway]

3. Another reason they want to dismantle SS, it's an accounting trick - it

would show now as a debt to be paid, but the minute that they would pass any new legislation, it would be wiped right off the books. So suddenly, we arent' the big debtor nation anymore.

[Sandpiper]

4. Their concern is rather belated

We now have a trade deficit with China. American retailers would be screwed without them, and they could bring us to our knees if they ever decided to call in our debt to them.

China has the U.S. by the short and curlies economically, and consequently, there's nothing the U.S. can do to prevent them from becoming the next superpower.

[David__77]

5. Cynthia McKinney was right again, and voted NO!

This is more war hysteria from the foul likes of jingo Tom Lantos. No to US war moves against China! If US forces are "endangered" it's because of imperialist aggression, not China building its legitimate self-defense capacities.

China has not one base on foreign soil and not one soldier occupying another country.

[Wright Patman]

6. China and Iran are getting way too cozy

Yesterday it was Sen. Schumer. Today it is Rep. Lantos.

Ask yourself what they have in common.

[Tempest]

9. What do they have in common?

A U.S. administration hostile to them.

I'm personally glad to see countries like Iran, Cuba and Venezuela making friends with China.

It'll save the lives of U.S. troops in the long run.

[brainshrub]

7. Pot, meet kettle.

"The security of American forces is directly threatened by the shortsighted and greed-driven initiative emanating from Europe,"

Isn't greed the same force that is allows corporations to do business in a dictatorship... just so that we save .25 cents at Wal-Mart?

[Tempest]

8. What about Bush lifting the arms embargo on Pakistan?

Which will threaten India and surrounding countries?

This country is so Goddamn hypocritical.

[sweetheart]

10. What about the 100,000's of americans in prison for peaceful drugs taking

The House is full of shit. They imprison thousands for exercising
their freedon and liberty to ingest any chemical they see fit, an
unenumerated right granted to all from the original constitution, and
then have the gall to mouth off about galileo... as that's the issue
is it not.

Its about the satellite guidance system, because they want a US monopoly
on space guidance.... fat chance you scumbags. Shows what being
belligerant political criminals can do, eh?

[hector459]

11. Hey, antion has to do what a nation has to do to protect its own interest

The US is the only nation to have used nukes on another nation. The US and Israel are the only two nations to bomb and invade another nation in "peacetime" without a war and unprovoked. Why wouldn't other nations try to build defenses to protect themselves? I don't get it.

[Igel]

15. In the last couple of decades maybe. n/t

[Tyler Durden]

12. BBBBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKK

(sound of appropriately LARGE Bronx Cheer).

Hah!

You know, with our monetary policies, death penalty and human rights record, if the EU was given the choice of letting in TURKEY or US, Ankarra would be dancing in Brussells TOMORROW.

Every day, in every way, we find a new way to suck dick.

[DFLer4edu]

13. The other part of the story

The reason they want to lift the embargo is because China asked them to do so during negotiations for the chineese purchase of new huge airbus planes. It is an economic drivin initiative headed by Chirac. He is ignoring that China does trade arms with Iran and that neither of the two nations are exactly the EU's idea of ideal countries. They are acting solely for economic reasons and they should be called on it.

[Spazito]

14. ROFL, and the US doesn't?

I suspect, given the bush cabal's actions, the US isn't the EU's idea of and ideal country either.

[DFLer4edu]

20. I know we aren't their idea of an ideal country

I know we aren't Europe's idea of an ideal country. I hear it daily, but an arms embargo on the US wouldn't be that affective because the bombs that fall on Iraq and kill Iraqi citizens are in general US made.
You want it to be lifted just because the republicans want to keep it. I don't think anyone in this thread has given a good reason for it being lifted, they have just made fun of the republicans who think it represents a real and immediate threat to national security, as if China was going to go ballistic across the Taiwan strait if they started traded with the EU. It is easy to make fun of republicans, it's one of my pastimes, especially when they start talking about moral compasses (of course they're full of shit when they start talking about moral compasses), but no one has given a reason for lifting the embargo.

[Igel]

16. The downside is that China will use the arms, if it comes to it,

to invade Taiwan. Wouldn't be a pretty sight, and I'm sure Europe would condemn the invasion and feel bad.

Oh. My mistake. Taiwan's not a country. It would be like France invading Bretagne.

[DFLer4edu]

26. bad analogy

Bretagne is a completely integrated part of the rest of France. Taiwan is not integrated with mainland China. But Taiman isn't really where I raise an objection. Trading arms with Iran is where I raise an objection.

[natrat]

23. hmmm isnt the *ushco letting the dollar go to fuck euro companies?

[DFLer4edu]

25. Yep

A weak dollar hurts foreign investments in the Euro Zone and is one of the reasons the Euro Zone is at serious risk for stagflation. Bushco knows this damn well. But that still doesn't make lifting the embargo a good thing.

[tsuki]

17. But we gave them "favored" nation status, and ship them $$ by the boat

load?

Moral compass?

[MasonJar]

18. And just maybe the EU doesn't like it that we withdrew from the

Nonproliferation Treaty, refused to adopt the Kyoto Treaty to save the earth, would not join the International Court and initiated the "war criminal" attack on Iraq. The EU nations have grown in stature and experience; they want to preserve peace after such destructive wars on their continent. We need to join them.

[rooboy]

19. What's wrong with the EU helping China spread freedom? n/t

[Minstrel Boy]

21. "shortsighted and greed-driven"

Holy pot calling the kettle, Batman!

[shrike]

22. 'Moral compass' HAHAHAHAHAHA! n/t

[natrat]

24. china is so smart-theyre on the 1000 year plan

idiot rove on 30 year plan or whatever-douche

[annabanana]

27. This is what happens when you let the stupid people run the country..

The ducks won't "row" themselves, and chickens will come home to roost.