Well, they can't stick a casino inside a building obviously. Those things are too dangerous!
Posted on 01/06/2024 8:34:05 PM PST by SeekAndFind
American foreign policy experts have long argued that China has been laying the groundwork for a permanent rise as a major global power, and U.S. politicians (particularly on the Republican side) have certainly counted the ways in which China is clearly our No. 1 geopolitical foe.
However, China's ascendency isn't without its setbacks, and at times it seems possible that China is closer to declining than rising. Their economy hasn't recovered since COVID-19, and Chinese President Xi Jinping has been dealing with more internal struggles than were previously let on.
One such problem for the leader of the Chinese Communist Party is growing corruption in his military, which recently came to a head - and a major purge.
US intelligence indicates that President Xi Jinping’s sweeping military purge came after it emerged that widespread corruption undermined his efforts to modernize the armed forces and raised questions about China’s ability to fight a war, according to people familiar with the assessments.
The corruption inside China’s Rocket Force and throughout the nation’s defense industrial base is so extensive that US officials now believe Xi is less likely to contemplate major military action in the coming years than would otherwise have been the case, according to the people, who asked not to be named discussing intelligence.
The new report, which comes from Bloomberg, indicates a lot of problems for Xi as he tries to extend China's influence to counter the West.
Rampant corruption comes with the territory when it comes to having complete control over every aspect of your country, including the economy. According to U.S. intelligence, "corruption within the People’s Liberation Army has led to an erosion of confidence in its overall capabilities, particularly when it comes to the Rocket Force, and also set back some of Xi’s top modernization priorities."
The corruption, however, has resulted in some hilarious setbacks for Xi, according to the Bloomberg report, "including missiles filled with water instead of fuel and vast fields of missile silos in western China with lids that don’t function in a way that would allow the missiles to launch effectively."
U.S. think tanks and defense contractors believe that Xi aims to have a completely modernized military that is capable of taking on any global power by 2027. One such example is the rapid assembly of aircraft carriers and other naval vessels at a rate that far outpaces the U.S. Navy. But just because they can be rapidly assembled doesn't mean they're ready to go right away.
Other reports suggest China could have five aircraft carriers by 2030. However, some experts are skeptical that Beijing will use its aircraft carriers as intended for at least a decade. Instead, they think the vessels are more for propaganda purposes at this point.
“Carrier operations are a very complicated game, and China’s got to figure this out all by itself. It still has a long, long way to go,” TREVOR HOLLINGSBEE, a former British naval intelligence analyst, told Reuters in May.
But U.S. officials are frustrated by the fact that there is very little intelligence to go on when it comes to monitoring what Xi Jinping is up to. A purge of spies in China has left the U.S. blind, as we reported last week.
But is the U.S. overestimating China's rapid rise?
There is a lot of reason to believe that China is a global adversary - they've said as much in response to U.S. actions over the years - and the question often seems to be less "if" we'll go to war with China and more "when." But what little reporting we get out of China does suggest that the economic and military rise of China in the modern era may have already peaked.
It's impossible to say for sure, considering we are flying blind when it comes to gathering intelligence. But what we do know is that China isn't without its own issues, and that may benefit the U.S. in the long run.
It's a thousands year old cultural thing that not even the hardcore maoists were ever able to overcome.
The thing that stood out to me is the LACK of US intelligence:
But U.S. officials are frustrated by the fact that there is very little intelligence to go on when it comes to monitoring what Xi Jinping is up to. A purge of spies in China has left the U.S. blind, as we reported last week.
Well, they can't stick a casino inside a building obviously. Those things are too dangerous!
China is in such turmoil that it is not a presently capable adversary.
While Joe is partially right, he missed completely the fact that it is Xi and the CCP that has purposely created the turmoil that has destroyed China’s ability to exist much less project. What was, isn’t.
The Chinese have an expression. Tofu dreg. The expression was common slang describing crumbling buildings made of tofu.
It would seem that tofu dreg extends to militantly preparedness as well as the entire economy
Wonder how many Chinese are on our aircraft carriers studying how operations work? If they can infiltrate university research systems they can sure do the same to the military.
not even the average joe in China really wants a war with anyone.
War is a product of becoming an “elite”....and generally appears to be waged to prevent the domestic uprising of those the elite have abused in their own countries.
When they get uppity...cannon fodder time
That was the point.. we have no US intelligence. It’s been wrong on everything for quite awhile.
Who knows?
All war is deception
Besides, China sent tens of thousands fighting age men to cross the southern border into the US
China controlled by the Chinese Communist Party is one big scam after another ,LOL
The problem in China is that failure is punished so they do very little testing.
Muslims are also Islam’s most hated enemy. They kill each other wholesale. The Ottomans fixed the problem by killing troublemakers. When the Turks and Brits were fighting in Iraq in WW1, the Turks asked for a ceasefire so they could wipe out the local Arabs that were looting the dead.
"US intelligence indicates that President Xi Jinping’s sweeping military purge came after it emerged that widespread corruption undermined his efforts to modernize the armed forces and raised questions about China’s ability to fight a war, according to people familiar with the assessments.The corruption inside China’s Rocket Force and throughout the nation’s defense industrial base is so extensive that US officials now believe Xi is less likely to contemplate major military action in the coming years than would otherwise have been the case, according to the people, who asked not to be named discussing intelligence."
Nothing like staging your troops in the country you want to take over by taking advantage of that nation’s open border policy.
Maybe a Xi can ask for refund from The Big Guy.
Truck loads sneaking across our border.
If I remember right, Obama did. Chinese rounded them all up and liquidated them.
The original report came from bloomberg.
SERIOUS grain of salt here...
“A couple of western expats in China traveled around on motorcycles videoing life in China, until the government chased them out.”
I used to watch those guys.
Xi is less likely to contemplate major military action.
Why should he all he has to do is keep buying political leaders look at all the land China now owns around military and testing bases.
Who know what he’s learned from the Biden tribe?.
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