[War] PRC: "Things to Come"

[Michael Downey]

"Things to Come"
Foreign Minister Li Zhoau
People's Republic of China
12 May 2006
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"It is strange that such a small cluster of islands could be worth so
much to so many people, isn't it Admiral?" Minister Zhoau asked
Admiral Shen, the head of the PLAN. At the moment the two men were in
a planning room at the Navy's Beijing headquarters, looking at a
digital map of the Spratly Islands.

"Oil is the most valuable commodity on Earth," answered Shen.
"Everyone needs it, so few actually have it."

"And our American 'friends' across the Pacific and their imperialist
bungling is shrinking the available supply," said Zhoau. "Ironic isn't
it? They invade Iraq to gain control of its oil, and in the end only
make things much worse, on every level."

"I should hope we will not make the same mistake any time soon," noted
the Admiral with a frown. He knew why the Minister had called him here
today. "The President has often noted to me that the difference
between us and the Americans is that the Americans always fail to
learn from history and their past mistakes. I would not wish to prove
Comrade Wu wrong."

"We will not make any mistakes," Zhoau assured Shen. "There are no
native inhabitants to give us trouble, and we are more than capable of
dealing with any of those that might stand in our way."

"Except the Americans."

"The Americans will not become involved because they will have no
legitimate reason to do so, if we do everything correctly. I study
their politics closely. Congress would not wish to become involved in
a war with us if there is no casus beli. We cannot begin until the
peacekeeping operation in Sudan is completed, and until the SOF are
finished in Iraq. If the Americans ever get around to accepting our
help there or not."

Admiral Shen still had serious misgivings about the plan, however.
"You do of course realize that the President will never agree to this?
He wants to get what we desire through cooperation, and would not risk
a war."

"I can deal with the President," assured Zhoau. "He, like the rest of
the world, will see our actions as justified if the deception is
played properly. He will have to act, or else be removed by the
Politburo. And in that eventuality, we still win."

"Such terrible risk, all for oil."

"You yourself stated its value, Admiral Shen, it is the most valuable
commodity on Earth. We cannot rely upon the Western powers to
guarantee the security of the Middle Eastern supplies. If anything
they are making it worse. How long until the Americans invade Iran? Or
Venezuela? We have the second highest energy demands in the world. And
once this plan is completed, we will have enough oil and natural gas
to end our dependence on the Middle East, the Taiwanese bandits will
be dealt a terrible blow, and we will be the new dominant power in the
Eastern Pacific. For now, all we must do is wait."
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