One is reminded of the Startrek where the aliens outmaneuvered the Enterprise, and Spock told the Captain: checkmate.
No, replied Captain Kirk...Poker. and he bluffed his way out of the trap.
Trump plays dumb until he changes the rules and .wins
I remember that one.
I was trying to say that China has already lost the battle, and referenced the movie (forget the name right off) where the NORAD computer started a game of thermonuclear war and gamed it out to discover there were no winners. It said, how about a nice game of chess to his programmer who it played chess with. Was a small joke with a twist.
Since China knows they can't win, they will offer to play chess instead.
Konichi wa?
Btw, if war comes you just might wind up like Christian Bale in Emperor of the Sun, if you saw that movie. And I'm not joking about that. Something to think about, Doc.