World News and Trends: China's growing naval ambitions
While it is currently far from matching or surpassing U.S. naval power, China has a much longer history and the historic patience to pursue a long-term strategy with the view to eventually surpassing American dominance of the sea. (Sources: Stratfor Today, Le Monde diplomatique.)
The Chinese would well understand the following summary statement in a report by Stratfor Today (Aug. 5, 2008). It said: "The geographic position of the United States, situated comfortably between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, is a critical dynamic in its fundamental security, and U.S. naval dominance in the world's oceans is a key dynamic of the international system."
A recent feature article in the September 2008 issue of Le Monde diplomatique stated: "Five hundred years ago the obvious contender for dominance of the world's oceans was the Chinese imperial exploration fleet, which was technologically centuries ahead of all its rivals. But the emperor decided to turn the nation's back on the sea. The Chinese will not make the same mistake twice."
China is now the world's second-largest oil importer. It seeks to protect its energy corridors by sea. It seeks free access to vast areas of Southeast Asian sea lanes far beyond the Indochinese peninsula. In short the Chinese want "a second chance at command of the oceans" (ibid.).
The U.S. Seventh Fleet is worried by Chinese naval challenges. According to Le Monde diplomatique, "The Chinese fleet is reported to have five fast-attack nuclear powered submarines (SSNs) and one ballistic submarine (SLBN) reputed to carry between 12 and 16 nuclear missiles with a range of 3,500 km. It has 30 diesel-electric submarines and more than 20 other submersibles are under construction."
The Seventh Fleet fears that the Chinese submarine fleet will be in a position to challenge or even exceed the number of U.S. ships in the Pacific Ocean as early as the year 2020. While it is currently far from matching or surpassing U.S. naval power, China has a much longer history and the historic patience to pursue a long-term strategy with the view to eventually surpassing American dominance of the sea. (Sources: Stratfor Today, Le Monde diplomatique.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: November - December 2008
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Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
