Comments on: China raising its stakes in N. Korea: MUST READ!!!

By: Daehan Miguk

Daehan Miguk — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 17:34:56 +0000

The nation of Tibet was not a vassal state of China by choice historically, and is certainly not one now despite efforts at forced Hanification and genocide. The Vietnamese in particular have historically shown their ‘willingness’ to be governed directly or otherwise by any foreign power, whether French, American, or Chinese. The Chinese military learned this the hard way most recently, in 1979.

Indian states as vassals of the Chinese? Your message may as well be titled How to Piss of the World’s Most Populous Democracy (and by 2030 the world’s most populous nation and an economic giant). Don’t go there.

By: Katz

Katz — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 15:10:02 +0000

It’s funny how these Chinese covet other lands being so disgusting wanting to make others like them. I know you have better things to worry about.

By: Zhang Fei

Zhang Fei — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 12:31:34 +0000

snow: It does seem to be a possibility that the Chinese could turn the North into a sort of protectorate by supporting a puppet regime of Juche-ists, while deepening their control over the region (perhaps the way the Chinese treated Korean kingdoms in the past as vassal states). What will the unifiers in the South say to this when it becomes apparent that with growing Chinese influence, their dreams of unification will be blowing in the wind? Will they find some way to blame the US for it all?

The historical pattern of Chinese territorial expansion has been to turn vassal states into provinces. Tibet, for example, used to be a vassal state. If Japan had not conquered Korea in 1895, Korea would today be part of China. Ditto with Nepal, Burma, Vietnam, and a couple of Indian states. South Koreans shouldn’t worry about problems with unification - it is distinctly possible that North Korea will be reunified with China sometime during the 21st century.

By: snow

snow — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 09:33:30 +0000

It does seem to be a possibility that the Chinese could turn the North into a sort of protectorate by supporting a puppet regime of Juche-ists, while deepening their control over the region (perhaps the way the Chinese treated Korean kingdoms in the past as vassal states). What will the unifiers in the South say to this when it becomes apparent that with growing Chinese influence, their dreams of unification will be blowing in the wind? Will they find some way to blame the US for it all?

By: Juggertha

Juggertha — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 06:27:26 +0000

I like what Gerry Bevers had to say about the gradual dissapearance of the sino-nork border. With China already “recreating” the region’s history (as it lays claim to tombs that could refute their historical aspirations) it really seems to me that somewhere in the great Communist collective hive there stems a plan of absorbsion… and it’s working.

By: R. Elgin

R. Elgin — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 18:22:16 +0000

Kushibo, considering the nature of the Chinese Communist Party, the bird flu is my friend.

By: kushibo

kushibo — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 17:23:38 +0000

Zhang Fei wrote:
North Korea as a Chinese Autonomous Region makes perfect sense.

To the Chinese, occupying and controlling any bit of land touching it “makes perfect sense.”

Korean is essentially a Chinese dialect.

Grammatically, no. Tonally, no. In terms of usage of Chinese characters, there is a relationship, but that makes Korean no more a dialect of Chinese than Japanese is (an argument that Korean and Japanese are distant dialects of each other is far less of a nonstarter).

But in terms of the overridingly important category–languages that most English speakers don’t understand–Chinese and Korean would seem to be very close.

When Korean dramas are dubbed into Mandarin, not only are there no weird gaps between lip movements and dialogue, even the lip movements are consistent with the ones for Mandarin-speakers mouthing the same dialogue.

And national conquests have occurred with far less justification than that.

The one thing that is different is that Korean appears to be atonal and lacking the sing-song quality apparent in Chinese.

Also, Koreans don’t sound like seals begging for fish when they say the number 2 several times in a row.

The addition of North Korea to the Chinese empire is not particularly earth-shaking - China has absorbed vassal states into the empire proper for millenia. North Korea is merely the latest candidate.

Again I say to every person in South Korea who can hear and heed my words: China is not our friend.

By: slim

slim — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 14:09:08 +0000

I’ve always doubted that North Korea is reformable and strongly questioned the DPRK leadership’s political will or even ability to change. Instead, they have found a new set of patrons to make juche possible for another generation! With a combination of Chinese and South Korean sponsorship — and perhaps a rehash of the Cold War scenario of competition for North Korean favor — the North Koreans won’t need to change.

By: Zhang Fei

Zhang Fei — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 13:44:23 +0000

North Korea as a Chinese Autonomous Region makes perfect sense. Korean is essentially a Chinese dialect. When Korean dramas are dubbed into Mandarin, not only are there no weird gaps between lip movements and dialogue, even the lip movements are consistent with the ones for Mandarin-speakers mouthing the same dialogue. The one thing that is different is that Korean appears to be atonal and lacking the sing-song quality apparent in Chinese.

The addition of North Korea to the Chinese empire is not particularly earth-shaking - China has absorbed vassal states into the empire proper for millenia. North Korea is merely the latest candidate.

By: Mi-Hwa

Mi-Hwa — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 09:26:07 +0000

South Korea is not headed for tragedy. It is the North Koreans and Chinese who are experiencing tragedy under communism. Democracy will come to NK via SK. The same thing will happen to China via Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Outer Mongolia. Communism is on the retreat from the advances of democracy.