Posted on 04/06/2012 3:33:01 PM PDT by neverdem
There are ways to reduce the threat to stability that an emerging superpower poses
NO MATTER how often China has emphasised the idea of a peaceful rise, the pace and nature of its military modernisation inevitably cause alarm. As America and the big European powers reduce their defence spending, China looks likely to maintain the past decade’s increases of about 12% a year. Even though its defence budget is less than a quarter the size of America’s today, China’s generals are ambitious. The country is on course to become the world’s largest military spender in just 20 years or so (see article).
Much of its effort is aimed at deterring America from intervening in a future crisis over Taiwan. China is investing heavily in “asymmetric capabilities” designed to blunt America’s once-overwhelming capacity to project power in the region. This “anti-access/area denial” approach includes thousands of accurate land-based ballistic and cruise missiles, modern jets with anti-ship missiles, a fleet of submarines (both conventionally and nuclear-powered), long-range radars and surveillance satellites, and cyber and space weapons intended to “blind” American forces. Most talked about is a new ballistic missile said to be able to put a manoeuvrable warhead onto the deck of an aircraft-carrier 2,700km (1,700 miles) out at sea.
In this section »China’s military rise
China says all this is defensive, but its tactical doctrines emphasise striking first if it must. Accordingly, China aims to be able to launch disabling attacks on American bases in the western Pacific and push America’s carrier groups beyond what it calls the “first island chain”, sealing off the Yellow Sea, South China Sea and East China Sea inside an arc running from the Aleutians in the north to Borneo in the south. Were Taiwan to attempt formal secession from the mainland, China could launch a...
(Excerpt) Read more at economist.com ...
Well, all those Asians and Europeans who blasted America for decades, shouting “Yankee go home” and burning our flag - - let’s see how they like it under Chinese dominance.
Aw, com’on China’s our friend!!!
I almost wish China would launch a sneak attack on the USA. If anything would wake us up from our complacency it would be this.
I once had a liberal tell me that “china would destroy us in a war because of their vast superiority in numbers”
My reply was...”They will never make it off the boats or airplanes”..
the blank stare was priceless...
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