I think Taiwan itself.
Most modern wars have been incredibly one sided. Leaving a guerrilla warfare as only real option. This would be different.
Taiwan has a highly trained military with huge investment.It would be the equivalent of say attacking Israel. It has natural geography, huge number of military reserves and decades of preparation.
This video here (scenario analysis) shows why it might not be so one sided despite Chinas undoubted strength and resources
I fail to understand how China was create those installations in the Spratley Islands. Those are nowhere close to the mainland.
All hindsight, but:
I donât often happen to agree with Trump, but one thing I agreed with, was when he said that the production of goods should be transferred back to the US. Same applies for Europe. Who produces the goods has the actual power.
It was a folly to hand this power to China, and in my book, the Western countries are entirely responsible for the current situation. They very much created the monster China has become these days. Their regime now has the power to influence our way of life. Before we know it, we might all find ourselves with authoritative, repressive regimes, inspired by the Chinese way of doing things and controlling their citizens.
Trump is largely responsible for this mess. His policies strengthened nationalism in the Chinese government. There was a delicate balance which protected Taiwan while allowing China to save face. His lack of diplomacy destroyed it.
The West is built on free market capitalism, so the cheapest producer gets the order. Once China decided to play the game the result was inevitable.
The result now is that a totalitarian nationalist regime is on the verge of becoming the worldâs largest economy with all that that entails. The rest of the world has been very slow to recognise the danger, and even now most people in the west would rather not face the fact. Democracy is in peril, and whatever you think about it, we have enjoyed its freedoms all our lives. The very fact that we are able to have this discussion on a public forum would not be the case in the PRC.
I met a sudanese at work, he went to China to study international commerce because evrything he bought in Sudan was marked made in China. I havenât got into deep conversation with him (we are at work and our shifts hardly overlap) however he agreed the Chinese way of âbusinessâ is very different to, particularly, âusâ.
The really interesting thing is itâs not democracy that has put us in this situation itâs capitalism. Yet our democrcies are weakening due to capitalism and despite that we are reinforcing the type of capitalism thatâs killing âusâ and even heading it to even worst variations 'all for the rich) who think they can persaude China to adopt it. 
In my book, it goes back further, right to JW Bush, when they were looking for a cheap workforce in order to put pressure on their own workforce. As you rightly say, economics went ahead of any geopolitical thoughts. The situation we find ourselves in now is the rotten fruit of neoconservatism, ruthlessly applied since decades:
Instant profit >>> any other topic or consideration
Basically, a kind of g+h short-sightedness, applied to world politics.
ab-so-fucking-lutely
think global, shop local. donât buy shit made in China, because thatâs where the money ends up. I refuse to go to Walmart, big box outlets are 90% responsible for the rise in Chinese wealth in manufacturing. Iâd rather spend a few dollars more to keep my money in my country.
100% bullshit, sorry sir. this has been happening for decades. long pre-dating that idiot.
I meant the current Taiwan stand off
Not really, I mean if you have very little money you look for your cheapest option. Not that I do buy much clothing I get hand me downs from my Dad and brother and presents from my son and daughter for X-Mas and birthday. Yet if I need some pants urgently I look at the price and quality (and form) and thatâs it, I donât care where it was made. This is the system âtheyâ have imposed on me due to fucking low income, low benefits (my priority is paying my rent anything else is the cheapest I can find (for example I set limits on price/kg on food) there is then electricity and gaz that I can not control the price of). This is what others have voted for Iâm not going to be shamed into buying expensive shit when I can buy cheap shit!
Iâve just come back and browsing through the threads, never expected a China bashing thread though. Anyway, my tuppence.
What was this really all about, the cold war with USSR? Was it just the threat from USSR that they would become a super power? I mean, they werenât a technological threat, neither a resources threat at the time, no one really thought about that back then. Space race? Xenophobia or just because they didnât agree with democracy?
Better than kicking people off their own island, Diego Garcia, off the top of my head. And youâre going tell me the US hasnât occupied any country? Ever?
But itâs ok to use the cheap labour for manufacturing? This has been going on since I can remember, everything use to have either made in China, made in HK or made in Taiwan on it, back in the day. Now other countries are being exploited for cheap labour, Vietnam, BangladeshâŚ
By transferring I assume that you mean sell the IP to them? Or if youâre referring to technology as a whole, then best recall all those Apple products and cars, just in case they backwards engineer it.
Treating them as allies without asking them to change much more significantly in their political ways was a mistake. And that mistake canât be rectified now, because China have grown massively in an economic sense, and thus, also in all other senses.
And why do you think that they need to change politically? Is it because that youâve been taught that one way is right and another is wrong? Is it wrong if the country is booming? Which is where all of this has stemmed from, where the US were about to be overtaken as the number one economic powerhouse?
Donât get me wrong, thereâs probably a lot of things wrong with China as with any other country, but people should look on their own doorsteps first. Maybe China should just become better at PR and Marketing, would that help change the opinion of the few?
no.
as to the main point, defelection that the west isnt an angel doesnt mean we cant become more protectionist.
China doesnt need to be the enemy or âstoppedâ, it just needs to play ball better.
Itâs not only about economics. Yes, Chinaâs economy has been booming, but the concerns of people in the West are about the lack of freedom and democracy. Having better PR wonât alter the fact that China is a totalitarian state.
Pretty sure that the US accidentally crashing its submarines into stuff it canât identify will be enough to make Beijing think twice about continuing its recent military manoeuvres.
This isnât a China bashing thread any more than the US or UK politics threads bash those countries. Luckily we still live in a society where we can criticise various governments around the world for their shortcomings.
They have freedom, you just canât criticise those in charge, just like Thailand, Malaysia Singapore to name a few.
One freedom that winds me up is demonstration, blocking the m25, blocking various construction projects and general disruption to everyday people.
You donât get any of that 
Just a small correction, you can criticise the ruling party in Singapore. But do be prepared to back it up with facts, or the law will come down on you. Not sure about the other two countries though.
Moving back on topic, I try not to judge other regimes or countries without understanding the circumstances or context leading to the current situation.
China is generally (very) successful in part due to how they have chosen to run the country. You have to give the ruling party credit for using every crisis as an opportunity. They absorbed the cheap labour initially so that the world depended on them. Now, they are turning to automation and moving up the value chain.
The macro figures look good, the people are satisfied, or even happy. This is key. With a populace that is happy and trusting of the government of the day, progress and improvements can be made expeditiously. No need for endless rhetoric debates in parliament just to score political points.
Yes, not everything is perfect, but there are bound to be some segments of society that would get left behind. The key is whether the leadership of the country takes steps to address these issues when they have the resources to do so.
Now that China has opened up and become a super power, the world will be watching how it conducts itself. The government knows this and they will definitely calibrate their policies so that they can achieve a good balance between international cooperation while preserving their identity.
Demonstrating is a basic democratic right and if the price to be paid is a few traffic delays, then itâs a price worth paying. The freedoms we enjoy are the result of brave people throughout history standing up for their rights and often paying with their lives.
Open public political debate is the lifeblood of a democratic society. Every citizen should have the right to criticise and question the government. Rulers have the tendency to autocracy and thatâs why they have to be kept in check. They also have a tendency to secrecy so they have to be held accountable.
Of course democracy is not perfect. Itâs a constant struggle to stop governments from sliding into authoritarianism and thatâs why all kinds of debate is important, from demonstrations to parliament, from a free press to free speech on the streets, at home and on the internet.
Clearly, China has been economically successful since it decided to become capitalist and it has achieved prosperity for its citizens in a remarkably short time. People will generally overlook deficits in liberty as long as they are being materially rewarded. Itâs questionable how long this model is sustainable though, as growth canât continue indefinitely. In order to maintain this model, the PRC will have to extend its sphere of influence, which it has already started to do, and this will bring it into conflict with its neighbours and the rest of the world. This is a grave concern for the whole of humanity.