A short while ago, I raised the spectre of China lashing out against an old enemy - Japan - if things got tough for its own leadership and economy. Could the trouble over the Senkaku Islands be a lead up to such a worrying event?

[iBu[/i

Nah. The US have an alliance with Japan. Despite China's large military the Americans could blow them to pieces and the Chinese know this. They don't want a conflict with the US for both economic and military reasons.

But haven't China got close to Russia recently? The only way the USA could deal with China is via nuclear weapons. That would be an extremely poor option for everyone.

I hope not, not until after the weekend anyway.



I've just ordered an in-car mp3 transmitter thingy for £4 thats coming from China.

£4 !!!



the child labour that actually made your 'thingy' probably only got paid about 5p in wages !!!



don't you have a conscience JC ?

Not close enough to warrant a 3rd world war no. And no it's not the only way at all. The US Navy is monumentally huge and incredibly powerful. They could quite easily IMO destroy the PLAN and hold the waters around China, which rules out an attack against Japan.



But it's massively unlikely anyway because politically and economically the Chinese are coming closer to, and are dependent on the West and especially the US.

Yes but you can buy a Big Mac supersized with giant Coke and a McFluury for 5p in China, those kids dine out well on my extravagence.

Complete economic melt down to the point of anarchy didn't quite happen so now we've moved onto thermonuclear war?

Close? They actually are touching, in the Manchuria area. But I don't think it's moved much lately.

If it's owt like the last one I had, you've just wasted four quid.

yes, there is that I suppose.....



thanks on their behalf, the world needs more caring folk such as yourself