[jriemer]

The last time a country put a very large investment into coal-to-liquid fuel was Hitler's Germany. They knew that military aggession would interrupt imports of natural oil.

Perhaps, someone has learned from history and / or has something on the drawing boards?

[SunkenCiv]

I think the Chinese gov't does intend to launch attacks (to Taiwan, among other places) but mostly this move is due to worries about the increased fuel prices and its reliance on the oh-so-stable Middle East.

The Chinese gov't will fall apart when it tries to move on Taiwan. It has a huge propaganda investment in so-called reunification, and its invasion will fail.

The US should be (and probably is) building a sub-killer fleet (also of subs) to keep up a war of attrition against all Chinese subs. Trail 'em all the time, and randomly send them to the bottom. We must not let them acquire a sub fleet capable of nuclear attacks on the US.

George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent