“This information brought to mind, Steven, what I thought I recalled about Xi Jinping telling the Chinese military to prepare for war.”
After watching that video, what if Xi means “civil war”. If there are 2 factions fighting for control in China, both are going to have their hooks into the military.
Your comment, Larry, “what if Xi means ‘civil war,’” spurred me to rewatch the video again.
At the 2:17 mark, the translation reads, “A fellow fighter of our Whistleblowers’ Movement,” but I cannot determine if his reference is to a fellow countryman, presuming the speaker is Chinese, or not.
Your observation seems plausible and preferrable to war with US.