Why is China afraid of the Louisiana Purchase?
China Digital Times posts the following leaked government directive which was sent to media companies covering the ongoing anti-Japan protests:
State Council Information Office: All websites are requested to inspect and clear every forum, blog, Weibo post and other form of interactive content of material concerning “mobilizing anti-Japan demonstrations, stirring up excitement, rioting and looting” and “the U.S. history of purchasing territory.” (September 15, 2012)That last one seems a bit out of place. Why are authorities worried about Chinese netizens reading about Seward's icebox and and the Gadsden Purchase? Is there a fear that these purchases are somehow a precedent for the Japanese government's purchase of three of the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands?
The two situations aren't quite comparable. The United States has, on several occasions in its history, paid to acquire territory previously held by foreign powers....MORE
