China’s military seeks bigger budget amid growing threat of US conflict

The South China Morning Post ^ | May 20, 2020 | by Minnie Chan

[Oldeconomybuyer]

China’s military leaders are fighting for a substantial increase in their budget to be announced at the National People’s Congress that starts on Friday, arguing that the world’s largest standing army needs more resources to cope with volatile challenges at home and overseas. But top of the list is the growing confrontation with the US.

China-US relations have hit a low point amid a trade war, spats over civil liberties and Taiwan, and conflicts over Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. Add to that accusations flying between Washington and Beijing about the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic and it is a toxic brew.

From Beijing’s viewpoint, the military threats are surfacing on its doorstep with US bombers running about 40 flights over contested areas of the South China and East China seas so far this year, or more than three times the number in the same period of 2019. US Navy warships have sailed four “freedom of navigation operations” in the area in the same period, compared with eight in all of last year.

Lu Li-shih, a former instructor at the naval academy in Taiwan, said the suspicion between Beijing and Washington was the worst since the resumption of diplomatic relations in the 1970s, but he rated the chance of a military conflict as low.

Still, President Xi Jinping, who chairs the all-powerful Central Military Commission, ordered the PLA on January 2 to boost its combat capacity as relations worsened with Washington. That was a repeat of Xi’s “be ready to win wars” order when he laid out his military expansion plan to the Communist Party’s national congress in 2017. The message has not changed.

[sergeantdave]

“If there is a conflict China will most certainly begin in North Korea forcing the US into two front war on top of a relatively long supply chain in the South China Sea, vulnerable to China’s attack submarines.”

And how will China deal with 10 million Indians attacking their southern flank while Russia pours in tank battalions from the north and Japan sinks the entire chicomm navy ?

[Gen.Blather]

The reduction in world trade will slow down their conquest plans. Trump sees that, but the rest of the world is ignoring it.

[Georgia Girl 2]

The South China Morning Post is constantly pushing this false war meme.

[jmacusa]

This isn't 80 years ago. China has the same problem the old Soviet Union had-restless minorities and a generation that has become enamored of Western style materialist freedoms. What I mean is an ownership class. Computers, cars, nice clothes, education and travel in the West and America. I don't see that generation having a zeal to die for the murdering butchers in the Central Committee.

[PIF]

What if both India and Russia sit it out, as they likely would?

This war game is just in the western pacific between the US an China - any other country coming in changes the scenario beyond any predictions.