rather powerless. As for the People’s Liberation Army,American fears must not solely be concentrated on Beijing’s ability to modernize itstechnology due to a rising economy. Rather, there is the possibility of the PLA mobilizingits forces in a sub-systemic attempt to keep any political or social uprisings from occurringduring times of high unemployment. Far more dangerous than that would be an “attemptto divert public attention from international problems through military adventures abroad.”(Weidenbaum 224) This could be just as great a threat as any or as William Shakespearewrote in Henry V, “To fill idle minds with foreign quarrel.”Another obstacle to China’s joining the FTO is their contribution to thepollution of the environment. The double standard created in Kyoto, when China wasexempted from environmental provisions the U.S. must now abide by, has causedSino-American tension. China is the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide. China relies on coal-- the prime emitter of CO[sub 2] andkey concern of ecologists-- for 75 percent its energy. Projections show that, during the time period covered bythe Kyoto proposals, China is likely to become the world’slargest emitter of CO[sub 2], thanks to its inordinatedependence on bituminous coal and vigorous economicgrowth rate (Weidenbaum 223).Yet another environmental issue brought to the forefront is that of China’suse of cholorofluorcarbons (CFCs) in aerosols that deplete the ozone layer. The UnitedStates and other industrialized nations have provisions in the U.N.- sponsored treaty onozone layer protection. “China’s consumption of CFC’s, however, has soared since 1986from 3 percent to 18 percent of the world total” (Weidenbaum 223). However, regardlessof its antipollution laws, there are still many loopholes available to Chinese owners offactories who are members of the Communist Party. Th...
