When they have no markets after hosing the third world with predatory debt and giving the Covid as a bonus? China has to buy coal, where are they going to get it?
Nuclear weapons are essentially obsolete, except as a last resort.
Which is why everyone who doesn't have them are actively working to change that. New high tech weapons, great. What do you think they're gonna be used on first?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coal, oil and everything else.
This is why the center of the geopolitical intrigue right now is the South China Sea to the Strait of Malacca. Arguably, China's military-strategic focus for the last 20 years has been to free itself from this choke point.
I do not believe they have yet succeeded; but, if a RAT government comes to power here, it may not take long.
At least Americans appear to be starting to wake up to the horrible dictatorship of the Chinese communists, and the danger they pose to our way of life.
FWIW there is a coal fire in China that releases the equivalent of the entire vehicle load of the US in CO2 daily...