[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

IMO, China and Russia want the S to hit the fan as far as before January of 2025 as it can.

I suspect that China would like a dem to "elected" POTUS in 2024 rather than Trump or DeSantis. Wouldn't they want that to happen after the election? Maybe they predict dem election cheating will be overwhelming.

[DoughtyOne]

It’s entirely possible that I am reading the tea leaves wrong,
but I think China wants the Taiwan issue over.

It thinks it can benefit from more five year plans, to get
the Southwest Pacific to how it wants it to shape up.

IMO, if we were to battle over Taiwan, I think the U. S.
would rectify the Spratley Island situation during the
hostilities.

I think the neighbors in the region would appreciate it,
and that might bring them on board as allies over the
long haul.

China is not very popular with some of the players in
the region.

China had about four million people in the armed services,
but traditionally that was more for intimidation that some-
thing based on reality. They are not all decently trained
or armed.

That may have changed, but those are the dynamics as they
were a decade or so ago, from what I’ve read.