China has become a hot topic since NATO mistakenly bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade a few weeks ago. After the incident, Chinese citizens staged massive protests outside the United States embassy, forcing its closure.

I find it laughable that such a protest was allowed by that government given the very authoritarian control of their society. This protest against the U.S. seemed a carefully orchestrated maneuver by their government, as only ten years ago, a similar protest was met with tanks and gunfire. I guess freedom of expression extends only to unfriendly nations when the ruling government sees fit.

A peaceful demonstration over the deaths of two journalists killed in the embassy is understandable. However, the outrage and indignation the Chinese people exuded seemed very out of place. Before you rush to their defense, think for a moment and remember that China is not our friend. Their goals and our goals are divergent, and their actions of late seem to indicate that they are unafraid of risking our wrath.

China has been around for a long time, and for much of its history the Chinese people have lived in splendid isolation. Because of their long and storied history they arrogantly believed themselves the center of civilization and treated other nations and races with a degree of contempt. Never before have I appreciated the relative youthfulness of America, as it seems every nation with a “long and storied history” becomes downright snooty and arrogant. Has-beens that still consider themselves powerhouses exist across the world and are not solely limited to France and Portugal.

Though China has existed for thousands of years, communist rule has only been around for the past fifty. And since its inception, the People’s Republic of China has been at odds with us. During Korea and Vietnam they provided not only supplies but front-line troops. In Korea, there was a clear-cut case of Northern aggression against the South despite U.N. resolutions and the presence of international peacekeepers. For reasons unknown, China saw fit to become involved as an aggressor.

As a communist nation they have backed unfriendly nations with a consistency matching that of the Soviet Union. While economic concerns are more important to the average citizen than foreign policy decisions, it should be recognized that an erosion of power by our nation will have an impact on our lives. If anything, our arrogance will become unfounded!

The truth is, China has seen fit to take on the role of the old Soviet Union. Though I dislike the comparison between nations and corporations because nations are rarely in direct competition, I must conclude that China has positioned itself as a rival to U.S. power and influence. That nation, unlike others, is determined to counter our every move and has gone out of its way to undermine our position of leadership and authority.

That is what makes the Chinese embassy demonstrations and apparent indignation at our bombing attack so pathetic. This is not some harmless little nation exporting chocolate and Legos we are dealing with, though. Instead, China has an enormous population that is incredibly ambitious. Only recently have their attempts at subverting U.S. power and influence come to light.

While most Americans know China for producing cheap goods at low prices, it also produces military armaments for export. Their buyers are primarily states that intensely dislike America. While machine guns and silkworm missiles are not a threat to national security because they do not have the capability to kill a farmer in Iowa, they are a threat to U.S. theater security.

If tensions between us and another nation flare up in some foreign land, our troops will be inconvenienced. I say inconvenienced because Chinese weapons will allow rogue nations to inflict more casualties on us than they would have otherwise, but not to a degree in which we risk losing a conflict. But a lessened military edge means that other states will feel more empowered to confront us. Given the breakdown of Cold War alliances that kept other nations in check, U.S. theater security is probably at a greater risk than before.

However, economic considerations and theater security are not the only issues on the table. It has come to light that China has stolen U.S. nuclear technology. This is not the huge threat it once was because our arsenal is sufficiently large. China’s arrogance, in trying to steal military technology from us, is disturbing. The denial that they have no use for our technology is proof of their arrogance, considering how far behind us they are technologically.

While a conclusion has yet to be drawn from the Democratic National Committee fundraising probe, all the arrows point to Chinese intervention. Their goal was probably nothing less than favorable trade policies that allow our companies to export critical weapons technology for the sake of the bottom line. But once again it comes at our expense.

The stolen missile technology and foreign fundraising issues do constitute a national security threat. With the former, they can more easily kill the American citizen, and with the latter, they can direct U.S. policy to their liking. I don’t like the thought, and neither should you. At the very least, we should be concerned, but more than that, we should be demanding an explanation from our congressmen. Ultimately, we will pay the price for our lack of vision, and you and I both know the price will be high.

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Aaron Woell is a senior in political science from Bolingbrook, Ill. He has opening night tickets