From the "Are You Freaking Kidding Me?" file:
China has denounced Japan's plans to boost military purchases, accusing it of playing up regional tensions as an 'excuse' to ramp up defence spending.
I mean, why would Japan even need more military hardware?
China has been boosting its defence budget for decades, and last year was the world's second biggest military spender with an outlay of $US166 billion ($A187.88 billion), according to Sweden-based think-tank the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Sure, there is that ...
But that's it!
Oh, wait. China has been pretty aggressive of late in the East China Sea:
China has sent ships and aircraft into the area on scores of occasions, prompting counter deployments by Japan.
Tensions were ratcheted up last month when China abruptly declared a new Air Defence Identification Zone over the East China Sea, including over disputed Tokyo-controlled islands called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.
Oh, so China has been on a decades-long arms build up even as Japan's spending declined, and China is increasingly aggressive in demanding territory that Japan has owned for quite some time?
Still. You know, shut up. We're freaking China. The Middle-effing kingdom between Heaven and Earth. That century of humiliation is over, and we're back, baby!
Who are you? Japan? World War II, and stuff!!! So accept your place and stay out of our way.
China keeps pushing--a little at a time--all their neighbors. And pushing our forces. Each incident China provokes has a small chance of escalating to a war. War had not broken out so far, after all. So this must be true despite some armed clashes in the past.
But keep on provoking incidents and the likelihood of an accidental war shoots up tremendously.
I know, I know. Nobody wants war. There's too much trade at risk.
But if shooting starts, explain to me how the Chinese government tells their people--who China increasingly rile up with nationalistic furies--that going to war with one (or more) of those evil foreigners is unwise?
