China is becoming more of a threat

[Liquid Blue]

I'm sure you all know that the addition of nuclear capabilities has boosted China into an even bigger threat then before..but now countries close to it are saying that the US could not win a war with them.

http://www.insightmag.com/Media/Medi...eastasia_1.htm

Now this isn't a "US-only" thread. With a huge army and nukes under it's belt, do you think China will set it's sights on any specific country? Japan maybe, or even some part of Europe? Do you think that if people are saying even the USA can't stop them, that China will get overconfident and lash out and attack someone? In the article the Tokyo governor said that China would not hesitate to use the nukes on American or Asian cities. Does it sound like war is on the horizion soon, be it China vs. whoever? Opinions please.

[404 Not Found]

The Chinese are not that stupid to start a war of such.

The power you describe is a theme on world domination. If they play their cards rite, all they have to do is use the cheap labor, control their exports properly and undermine the economies of the world.

Object is to be in control as a world power. Blow it all up and what are you in control of?

Economic strategies and fiscal strength will be there power! JMHO Only idiots like those in N. Korea would blow up the world...not China!

[Barton]

IF China is so stupid to attack USA then it will be USA & Europe (NATO) vs Chine. The outcome of that fight will be a V for NATO (USA is a part of nato to for thoes ppl who did not know that)

[Galleleo]

China won't be that stupid.. I mean if China would attack someone, it wouldn't just be the US they got after them, it would be the whole damn world, Europe, Canada, US, they are not gonna not react to something like that. They would jump on it. I just think it would be a Cold War kinda threat all over again. IF China would attack, everyone would dive on China.. when the nukes start flying the world is gone.

[BleakFuture]

I was gonna say, N.Korea had Nuclear weapons.. or still does I dunno.
Nuke's are interesting and all, but just how they work, not when they do.

[PaulOakenfold]

The last thing China, or any country in their position, would want to do is start a war... "Hey, we're projected to be THE superpower in just a manner of a couple of years, and we're pumping out loads of EVERYTHING... soon we'll have total control over the world markets, let's start a war for the hell of it and risk losing everything!"

[Epinephrine]

In case you didn't know, China has had nuclear weapons for over 30 years now, and has had ICBMs capable of hitting the US for almost as long. This is hardly a 'new development'.

Either way, there's absolutely no way that China or any other country in the world could defeat the US in a non-nuclear conventional war. I don't know what that article thinks it's claming but I've never seen any report by the US saying that they would lose to China in a war. In fact a major report released by the pentagon last year named China as a 'strategic competitor' but nothing too serious that the US can't handle. It's doubtful even that China has the military power to take over US-backed Taiwan even if they really wanted to because they don't have the navy, air force or missles necessary.

Regardless, there's absolutely no reason why China would be nuking or attacking any countries in the near future. If an article has to go as far as to quote Tokyo governor Ishihara then they're really grasping for straws. That guy is nothing more than an ultra-right wing hack, who'll say anything to try and revive Japanese nationalism. Do a search for him, listening to that guy makes George Bush sound like Ralph Nader.

For a much better analysis of the US-Chinese relationship read the excellent articles in the Jan-Feb issue of Foreign Policy magazine (you can find it free on the website http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/files/story2754.php ).

[Capital Knockers]

If China actually declared war, it would rip the world apart. They know this, and they use the looming threat of it to keep its cheap labour and abusive government stable. If they keep along this road, they won't have to attack anyone anyhow.

Besides, they've had a better military then the States for a while. They're just better trained. Just look at the friendly-fire ratio, and the innocents that die because of the States' training. The States are powerful, because of numbers, and technology - on their current path, it's only a matter of time until they can't afford to maintain their military dominance.

Edit - Good points Epi, it's true, the States could take them. It's their technology that makes them strong + their Navy/Air Force. The land battle would be gruesome though.

[Arikel]

-_-

Really you guys talk like all countries goal is to assimilate it's neighbors...
I mean not all countries goals consist on conquering nations and stripping them from their natural resources...
If we should be afraid of something i think it should be from our own actions that might turn this lil globe into a desert.
Nowadays all countries that have nuclear weapons do it because their neighbors have them or because they feel threatned by someone... it's a state called Pax Armada, wich means that as long as both factions have enough firepower to anhihilate eachother they wont make a wide threatening move keeping their actions more constrained. Or do you think that if the iraquians had the means to deploy a nuclear weapon in DC the americans would have gone into war with them??? why do you think North Korea is still comunist?? or China?? no one would win in a war between China and US or any other country with nuclear weapons... they would just devastate everything .
Most americans talk about China like if they were going to invade US in the next morning... i really thing you guys should worry more about yourselfs then about the other countries, if China can win in any field it would be in economy.

[Subjugation]

It's no doubt that China is a domianant power, and that power is only growing stronger. However, I doubt there would be much of a threat of war between US v China for the simple fact that they are our biggest lender of monies with our record national debt.

That would be like borrowing $10,000 from your neighbor, and then you guys have an argument and and he kills you. Even if you pissed him off for a good reason, it's still stupid because he can't get his money from a dead guy. Even if he just kicks your ass, there's still going to be drama and he's not going to get his money back as fast.

It sounds like a stupid analogy, but when you consider how much trade we have going back-and-forth between our two countries, it's a small example of how unavoidably connected our economies are. It is neither in China's nor the United States' best interests to engage in a hostile conflict with us.

Oakenfold said it best: They're projected to be the next global superpower. The last thing they want to do is start an expensive war that depletes their resources, and creates economic and diplomatic uncertainty right before they sieze the crown.

[Kolar]

The wars of the 21 century are digital and economic. I watched a bunch of kids go at it in this public last night about this so I had to explain to them that it's not about killing or dominating land these days, it's all about the money, seriously. With the nice position China has fallen into with the US it would be stupid to start a war essically since in a situation like that the US would use its nuclear capibilities. Even if they could invade and take over the US it's still smarter to let the culture rot, its economy piss its self into the wind and its people play with corrupt politicians while China setups up shop and start exporting cheap peices of shit back home.

There are some wild cards like Iran, NK... but it's unlikely these countries could pull us into a world war, much less another massive war but it's hard to predict where these radicals will turn next.

There's some strong feelings between Japan and China going back to WW2 so I wouldn't put much stock in what either of them have to say about each other or their allies.

[Dealt]

give it 20 years.

[Epinephrine]

Well honestly I think that there will always be a role for force of arms, but I don't think China will even bother trying to surpass the US militarily for a very long time. Even by 2025, the best projections say that the US will still have a larger economy (with a far smaller population too mind you), not to mention the US is lightyears beyond the rest of the world in terms of higher education, R&D, and global corporations.

As much as many of you want to say that the future is all about money though, force will always have a role. If the US and China are both competing for the same natural resources for instance, alll the US has to do is send in the army and take over the country where the resources are and China would lose out no matter how strong their economy is. Similarily, the US navy basically is in charge of the entire Pacific. If they really wanted to for whatever reason, they could instantly stop China's trade by a significant amount by blocking the oceans.

There will always be a role for the military, but it will be a very long time before China can realistically challenge the US.

[BleakFuture]

Naval Blockades are fun. All we need now is a good ol' fashioned standoff with nuclear weapons on both sides.

[Squeezer]

Old News.

China wont attack the US, because we can blow the world up 30 some times over. So no, China will not attack the US, nor will they attack anyone that means anything to the US.

Don't worry.