China's version of the military-market nexus

■"U.S.-China Tensions Resurface: Beijing Legislation on Taiwan, Defense Build-up Fuel Criticism," by Murray Herbert, Jason Dean and Charles Hutzler, Wall Street Journal, 25 February 2005, p. A16.

■"A Shell Game in the Arms Race: China sells, and the U.S. ignores," op-ed by Matthew Godsey and Gary Milhollin, New York Times, 25 February 2005, p. A33.

Another scary article about China becoming more frightening to us: as al Qaeda fades to the background, China must rise to fill its place in the imagination of threat planners. It's almost enough to make you wonder if China doesn't secretly hope for another al Qaeda strike somewhere prominent in the Core.

Of course, all the blame here is on China, for contemplating the passage of an "antisecession" law, perhaps next month. Taiwan's recent noises about similarly symbolic acts designed to piss off the Chinese notwithstanding. The U.S. coaxing Japan to declare itself part of our defense package for Taiwan notwithstanding. Our plans for missile shields both at home and in east Asia notwithstanding. Our opposition to the EU selling arms to China notwithstanding. Our long-time supplying of military technology to Taiwan notwithstanding.

No, China is the only bad guy in this process.

And yet it and Taiwan just recently agree on direct flights.

But the bigger threat is the U.S. Congress hot to go after China now that it's "fixed" U.S. national security with a Department of Homeland Security and a National Intelligence Director (don't new offices and titles fix everything?). Watch here for the most salient overreaction to any "law" passed by China.

And then there's China's reaching for new oil supplies around the world, dispensing military support as part of the process to states we don't like, like Iran.

Can you imagine the United States ever being accused of only getting involved militarily with another state simply because it has oil? Really! Who do those sneaky Chinese think they are?