The Ungentle Giant

The world's giant of manufacturing and trade has made incredible inroads into the world economy.  China, it certainly appears, is determined to eventually creep up behind all other advanced and enterprising countries of the world to overtake them and outdistance them.  And it means to do so by fair means or foul.

One can only suppose that it's fair enough in business to have a gigantic workforce willing to work for a pittance using inferior-grade materials to produce cheap goods the world is clamouring for.

That the foul part is the destruction of the environment in the process appears acceptable enough to China more concerned by far in their progress on the economic front than the environmental one which the rest of the world can worry about.  As for foul means in prosecuting their agenda for eventual trade and manufacturing domination, not their fault if their cheaply produced products often laced with deadly metals have spelled the ruin of manufacturing throughout the world.

Foul too is the country's growing reliance and expertise on cyber-subterfuge and -espionage.  The country has become extremely skilled at ingress into other nations' government, business, scientific and military computers to extract vital data meant to be shielded from the scrutiny and possession of cyber-thieves.

In the process availing themselves of secret military data, government departmental documents, and manufacturing formulae.

China is in the process of developing its own fifth-generation stealth fighter - the Chengdu J-20 - greatly resembling the American-built F-35 stealth bomber, thanks to cyber-theft-enabled blueprints.  Iran, one of China's great good friends will make available to it the secret data behind American-built drones.  China is on track to increase its military spending to the point where it will overtake the U.S. in defence spending.

Canada, an Arctic and a Pacific nation, has long laid claim to much of the Arctic along with Norway, the United States, Denmark, Sweden and Russia through exploration and heritage 'possession'.  But China considers that area an "international lake", whose vast mineral resources are available for the taking by anyone who wishes to lay claim to them. 

They have sent an icebreaker, the Xue Long - into Canadian waters of the Arctic Ocean.

The Xue Long, understand, along with its four sister ships, highly specialized icebreakers, are to be viewed as scientific "research" vessels.  Canada's long-touted plans to build new icebreakers appear to have been put on hold.  The Royal Canadian Navy is still nursing those 'hot deal' submarines bought second-hand from Britain.

Anti-ship missiles?  China has them.  A Chinese warship has sailed into the Mediterranean.  Sea trials of its first carrier were initiated in the South China Sea.  A new Chinese missile launcher was presented in a military parade in Pyongyang recently, another of China's very good friends.

And while North Korea and Iran are counted among China's good friends, South Korea and the Philippines evidently are not; China does not recognize their internationally legal claims to their maritime territory.  China is belligerently facing off against the two neighbours, flexing its muscles, claiming the undersea resources for its own possession.

A Chinese surveillance ship is seen off Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea (AFP/HO/File, Philippine Navy)

Might makes right, for China.  Does Canada need those F-35 stealth fighter jets?  Canada's Defence Department seeks them and seems to think so.  And so does the Government of Canada.  Much as the Philippines is anxious to be in possession of advanced jets and ocean-going vessels to maintain the integrity of their own claims to what they legally possess.