xTYBALTx

A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be pretty tough. While Chinese ballistic missiles might be able to push back or defang much of the USN in the area, actually flying or shipping troops from the mainland to the island would be quite a task.

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Switch

This is one of those rare occasions where I agree with switchcraft... shudder... They've been doing more than cultivating rice and killing falongong followers. China is in it to be a credible space threat, taking out space based assets and warships with missiles stationed all around china and probably a few from satellites disguised as weather monitoring or telecom structures.

We're doomed.

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Requital

The biggest threat that China posses is what the US had in WW1 WW2. We could out produce every other nation. That is one of the key factors in our success. We can no longer do that. China can. All China has to do is put all our money into mass production of naval units. China wins. They are a huge threat if that is their purpose. The fact that their economic funds have moved into increasing their naval fleet and military in general, already should give you pause. Don't underestimate the power of slave labor. They have a lot of it.

Kerostasis

Um...the US had another notable advantage in World Wars 1 and 2 -- the war was not fought on our homeground. Yes, homeground can confer some advantages, but it also carries collateral damage. We absorbed essentially zero collateral damage during the wars, meaning our production capactity at the end of the war was just as strong as it was at the beginning of the war, if not stronger due to increased investment.

By contrast, Japan and especially Germany saw their centers of production bombed out, so the production strength they had at the beginning was no longer available by the end. Out-producing someone who's factories are regularly wiped out by bombing runs turns out to be a relatively simple task.

The short range nature of China's military might suggests a similar scenario would work in our favor if we went to war with them. China could put up an impressive fight off their own coastline, but couldn't even hope to win a fight on our coastline. And that means our factories, however many or few we had of them, would continue to run unimpeded, while the Chinese factories would be within range of strategic counterstrikes.

Of course the whole picture changes if you throw nukes into the equation, but I don't think either of us wants to go there.

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Beatnik

That's what she said.

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INSUNABULA

You guys make very valid points about the interaction between the US and China and I would like to comment on that:

China is not stupid - they are not about to attack America.

If they do it sucessfully then it wont happen for a couple of decades and then it will happen only because America (as it's chief exporter) gave them so much money that they could fund exceptional research and development at a fraction of the costs that America could fund over those years to come.

It's only a matter of time ladies and gentlemen that China will eventally reach the same technological state as America - there is no "If" anymore, and they are advancing at an alarming rate thanks to your (and the rest of the world's) money.

The steriotypes of your two countries are the American as the rather heavy and upper middle-class nation and China as the slightly starved and skittish nation (you may have seen enough political parody cartoons to identify with this). No matter what you think of steriotypes - they become steriotypes for a REASON - China needs very little to pay its people and let me tell you - they have people to spare and who are flexible enough to do whatever needs to be done, the only thing that was holding them back was funding.

Their educational system (or what you would identify as one) is actually geared more towards mathematics and physics (that, as I'm sure you already know is the general asian mindset - not a steriotype but a fact) - not so with America that is more (but not completely) balanced.

China is a soverign nation that has and will bully its neighbouring countries and in the future to come you should get used to "goosing" until, perhaps, China gets as "heavy & upper middle-class" as you guys.

Don't get me wrong, I like America as a nation, or infact I should say it's people (your government has done things in your name that have been questionable even by your own strongest advocates) and I would hate for you all to get embroiled in yet another conflict.

It is my sincerest wish that relations between your two nations becomes stronger over time and not deteriorate into a second cold war.

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CingularDuality

Agreed. I just wanted to chime in that if/when it happens, it will start in Taiwan.

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xTYBALTx

Even if there were a war over Taiwan, it'd be hard for me to imagine China attacking the US.

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CingularDuality

Can you imagine the United States coming to Taiwan's defense?

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Trooper

Dint china recently threaten Australia about that?

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that sounds like a good idea trooper.
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xTYBALTx

Of course. But I'd expect that war to be fought over there, nowhere near the US.

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CingularDuality

Ah, I see. Yes, I think it will be another "proxy" war, like Vietnam and Korea.

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El_Gringo_Grande

Can you imagine what the world markets would do if US and China where to face off? And we are so dependent on their exports.

Lets just hope it never happens?

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xTYBALTx

No, a direct war, with US and Chinese forces engaging each other. But that's not the same as China attacking the US.

I'm saying that I doubt such a conflict would spill beyond the region.

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Zephyr

PRC entering a conflict with the USA = PRC economic collapse = No war due to dissent at home.

*yawn*

I don't feel like speculating about the 2020's just yet...

Good tech they got there though, they'll be prepared.

-Zephyr

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