Eurasia And Eme Subcommittee on Europe

China's Maritime and Other Geographic Threats Eurasia And Eme Subcommittee on Europe

Red China--and I don't hesitate to call it Red China--is the threat of the 21st Century. Since its birth as a Communist country 64 years ago this month, untold misery has befallen the world's most populous nation. Today, we will look at China's external posture toward its bordering states, examining China's threatening maritime and territorial claims. China has menaced, threatened, and even attempted to absorb its neighbors, notably Tibet and Taiwan, and has clashes with virtually every bordering state. For those who attempted to dismiss the thought of a threat as being an overstatement, let's not forget that China expanded its land mass by 50 percent when it invaded and occupied Tibet in the 1950s. If China borders you or borders water that is anywhere near you, it will assert every conceivable claim to wrest your sovereignty or territory from you, including threats, provocations, stunts, protests, and gunboat diplomacy, all while whining in the international forums that are available to it about its treatment, about how they're being treated.