Hahaha, you really think that the Middle East's oil is some kind of "choice" that the US can choose to have or choose not to
? Do you know why the US made the compromise to make friendly relations with the Saudi Arabian "regime"? Do you know why it was so important for the US to keep the terrorists at bay in Iraq? Do you know why the US hates the fact that it has to make "alliances" with oil-rich countries that have poor human rights records? The answer? OIL.
No doubt that the US import a lot of oil from the ME, but look at the chart again -- closely. It is a matter of public record that Europe and Asia are far much more dependent upon ME oil than we are. Global economic stability is pragmatically more urgent than the odious relationships that we must maintain. I guess considering China's own sorry human rights records you have no problems with such alliances?
Buddy, the world doesn't need to cut all of its exports of oil to the US. Cutting off the Middle Eastern oil supply is enough to make such an impact on the US that American politics won't be able to handle it. Loss of profit? Hello? China has set its eyes on the Middle East for decades now. With current state of China's economy, I have no doubt that China can offer better deals on Middle Eastern oil.
Talk about delusions. If that is true, China would have used that leverage towards the Taiwan issue, the North Korea issue, the Dalai Lama issue, and many more. Buddy...The world is not so enamored of China as you have deluded yourself.
If you really think that China has no influence over the Middle East, then you clearly don't understand politics' current state of affairs. If conflict is to break out, the Middle East would feel threatened, especially with US presence in Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern countries. Conflict would probably lead the US to poke its nose deeper into the Middle East in search for resources, which would spark massive protests in countries like Iran. Then they would be faced with a decision: (1) continue to fuel the source of the aggression, or (2) temporarily divert fuel trade and weaken the aggressor. I doubt they would choose the first choice.
That is a good laugh considering that we overthrew two ME regimes under one President. And what did the rest do? Continued to sell more oil.
NATO, once a necessity, is now viewed globally as a source of conflict (I may disagree, but hey, read some damn newspapers). China needs not to convince any of them. If conflict occurs, they would feel the need of more security themselves. Do you really think that countries like Russia would feel "safe" with an US carrier steaming in the region?
There is
NOTHING Russia can do about it. What are the Russians doing now with the USS George Washington battle group heading over that part of the world? Does it matter if it is off Korea or China?
Saudi Arabia, if your reports are even accurate, is concerned about Iran because a US invasion of Iran would destabilize the region. Much like how China is concerned about North Korea right now. If conflict is to occur, the US is likely to search for oil in the Middle East, and if they feel threatened, the Saudis would simply valve down the pipelines so the aggressor won't have any resources to continue the war.
Again...If what you deluded yourself about is true, that would have happened with Desert Storm. For the ME, your ego will have to be bruised but China means nothing to them as far as security goes. If China goes down in a shooting fight against US, they can still sell as much oil as they want to put out.
Perhaps you have heard about SCO? The US calls it the "NATO of the East", and it controls 25% of the world's landmass, including Russia's gas-rich Siberia region. Hey, by the way, the US also depends on Russia for natural gas (maybe I should explain the importance of natural gas to you?). China and Russia have leading roles in the SCO. Oh by the way, Afghanistan is also part of the SCO!
So if the SCO is pitted against the US, there's going to be a big impact.
Egad...There goes that 'if' fantasy again. I guess it is true that in Mandarin, 'if' means certainty.
Come to China's aid? Seriously, are you that terrible at reading comprehension? I never said anything about "coming to China's aid". First of all, these countries have their own security to worry about, and if the US starts ending its military around, yes, they're gonna worry about it. If their security is threatened, their reflex action is going to cut supplies to the country's that doing the threatening. They will do it on their own behalf, not China's.
Of course you did...Here...
China has closer ties to the Middle East than you think. If the US is to openly attack China, then the Middle East would be faced with the decision to either support a country that is belligerent towards the Middle East and their ally China (and has a military presence there), or support a country that currently has no military presence anywhere. It's obvious which side the Middle East will choose.
You clearly stated so without using the exact words. If it is so 'obvious', where is your evidence? No wonder you are a joke even amongst your pals.
You know, there's a quote that goes like this:
"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt"
So have a nice cruise
Correct...And it is
YOU who are in the 'denial' river. The DF-21 has been debated to death and not a single Chinese member of this place have managed to adequately explain how it works. Sorry...But Photochop does not count any more than citing someone else's quotes.