The inevitable war with China

I don't think you understand that China rolling out vehicles with laser systems on them doesn't mean that those systems are effective. While there have been limited instances of Chinese equipment being used in combat, those instances have been more in line with the performance of Russian equipment, than Western equipment.

Now, admittedly, the amount of money that Chinese has thrown at their military has exploded in the last decade plus, so that should mean the quality of their equipment has also increased. However, while the amount of money they paid on the military has exploded, so has the corruption within the Chinese military. So, again... We really have no idea how effective those systems are. Are they in line with the Russian history of over-promising and under-delivering on those promises, or are they more in line with Western militaries of under-promising and over-delivering.

 

Oh, man. On the one hand, the Commander in Chief needs to be briefed on this. On the other hand, Trump really shouldn’t see that parade.

 

What do dictators talk about at military parades? Life expectancy, of course.

Xi - "there's been great strides made in life expectancy over the years"

Putey - "unless you stride out a 10th floor window, amirite?"

Both burst out laughing.

As they ascended the rostrum at Tiananmen Square to watch the parade, Putin and Xi, who are both 72, appeared to be discussing the world’s strides in life expectancy.

While it used to be rare for people to reach age 70, “now they say that at 70 you are only a child,” a translator for Xi can be heard telling Putin in Russian.

With advances in biotechnology, people will be able to “transplant human organs continuously, grow younger with age, and perhaps even achieve immortality,” Putin’s translator responds in Mandarin.

Xi, who at that point was off-camera, can then be heard saying, “Some have predicted that by the end of this century, humans could potentially live up to 150 years.”

It was unclear whether the conversation was also being translated for Kim, believed to be 41, who was smiling and looking toward the older leaders.

Though they may have just been making conversation, the exchange holds extra weight because both Putin and Xi have indicated an interest in staying in office as long as possible.

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/...s-immortality-hot-mic-china-parade-rcna228996

 

All the speculation about the parade and what China’s showing off. No one's talking about the stuff they aren't willing to show...

 

Instead of projecting a Western mindset onto China, it’s important to consider how their own mindset heavily influenced by Confucian values might explain some of their actions.

China isn’t seeking hegemony but actively advocating for a global governance reform which is perceived as a direct threat to the US.

At the same time, China is prioritizing military innovation and self-defense capabilities to ensure it can protect itself against powerful foes like the US. I'm not sure this isn’t about dominance but more about sovereignty and security. It's not like the US didn't gave them enough reasons to choose that path over the decades.

 

China is showing off pretty much everything because that's what expansionary powers do. They want to be seen as crushingly powerful, inexorable and inevitable. They want to use this wide array of world leading military technology to take over Taiwan without firing a shot. Because while building this force is very expensive, it isn't even close to how expensive it is to actually use it.

 

China might be a lot of things - stupid ain't one of them with regards to showing "everything" they have.

Are they an expansionary powers? In influence - yes but in the traditionally military sense...historically not really and recently, not since Vietnam in 79.

As projecting the image of being crushingly powerful, inexorable and inevitable - that is indeed deterrence psychology. China’s preference is achieving unification with Taiwan without war which is in line with both Confucian values and Sun Tzu's philosophy.

The US tend to make the dangerous mistake of projecting their own psychology onto their adversaries. It's unwise to do so with China, a civilization that is over two 2500 years old or Iran for that matter (even older) with strong links to their old Persian identity and values despite Islam and the Islamic Republic Ideology

 

They have been explicit about wanting to take over Taiwan and the nature of the expansion of the military is clearly designed for that purpose.

There's also a danger in projecting some ancient and inscrutable motives on people that are, after all, just people.

 

Yes they have explicitly said that they are seeking reunification without war.

The nature of the expansion of its military is designed to deter Taiwan from declaring its independence unilaterally and deter the US from getting involved if reunification cannot be achieved peacefully.

You don't have to believe them but they aren't the ones randomly killing people by blowing up thwir boat without due process under dubious pretext just to make a point

I would say that assuming that all countries think like the US or use US-style risk calculations is kind of ethnocentric. That's just another form of projection, mainly projecting specific historical and cultural lens onto others who's history and identity was forged under vastly different sets of circumstances over a much longer period of time.

 

Frankly your naïveté is comical.

 

They have yet to prove us wrong on Taiwan. I find the projecting quite comical though

 

The Chinese regime have permitted rampant corruption, their population is shrinking, they have removed all constraints on an aging leader, and they were responsible for covering up the widespread extent of a pandemic for sat least three months. A pandemic where thirty million people ********ing died.

Course they're ********ing stupid.

 

I did say...

I don't disagree with all of your assessment but if they are stupid...what does that make the US?

 

"If one person does a bad thing, it then makes it okay for everyone else to do that bad thing." - You

My kids know this lesson already! How don't you???

 

You teach your kids that double standards are ok? Good to know

 

Straight from the Art of War by Sun Tzu and with the US blowing up their relationship with India - Taiwan knows their on their own. They even managed to piss off Japan

"Never interrupt an enemy who is making a mistake"
-Napoleon Bonaparte

 

Yep - 1000D Chess. We are not worthy