[RockinRight]

Pre-emptive strike, anyone??

[Altair333]

They are confusing capability with intent.

It's obvious that China wants a superpower-level military to go along with what is rapidly becoming a superpower-level economy. It'd be surprising if they were not using all these hundreds of billions of dollars to build up their military.

That doesn't mean they are going to risk all their economic progress by going to war. China right now is just experiencing the great benefits of peaceful capatalism. Sure, it's possible they will decide for war, but they strike me as a pretty rational lot, for all their lack of democracy. This isn't some whacko middle eastern regime like Iran or a nutcase government like North Korea.

[Strategerist]

At times I wonder if Gertz's unnamed Pentagon sources are the same janitors that Farah uses.

[pabianice]

China is, as one senior Indian Navy officer put it, "buying submarines and warships like groceries".

[So Cal Rocket]

China will do nothing until after the 2008 Olympics.

[JamesP81]

Any of you ever read that Clancy book, The Bear and the Dragon?

If China's Navy has increased it's combat power by 1000%, then that means it would last a day against the United States Navy, as opposed to an hour. And I suspect Air Force and Navy fighter pilots could quickly inflict helacious damage to their air forces as well.

[mlo]

The U.S. should not got to war with China to defend Taiwan. It is not our job to defend everyone who is threatened.

[conserv13]

Beijing is hosting the Olympics then. They will wait until after that if they invade at all. I don't think they will.

[Desecrated]

The obvious choice is to equip Taiwan with nukes. And a lot of 'em. An amphibious assualt won't mean squat as Beijing is vaporized.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

2007 or so?

That sounds about right.

Just before a US presidential election and they'd do anything to make the Republicans look bad so that they can get their friends and compatriots the Democrats back in the White House. I'm sure they're already working out deals with Hillary.

[American Vet Repairman]

This war brought to you by cheaper prices and American jobs-thank you for shopping Wal Mart.

[GarySpFc]

Ping

U.S. officials have said two likely targets for China are the Russian Far East, which has vast oil and gas deposits, and Southeast Asia, which also has oil and gas resources.

[malia]

bttt

[Texas_Jarhead]

""There's a growing consensus that at some point in the mid-to-late '90s, there was a fundamental shift in the sophistication, breadth and re-sorting of Chinese defense planning,""

I wonder how that came about? NOT!

[RightWhale]

according to one Pentagon study

We need a Pentagon study to tell us this? China has been all over Asia more than once and will be again. SSDD

[WestVirginiaRebel]

If there is a war before or even in 2008-what does happen to the Olympics?

[Plutarch]

For China to conduct an amphibious assault against land, air and Naval resistance, now that would be an impressive battle. There would be a lot of good fish habitat offshore.

[wideminded]

A former co-worker of mine was a Chinese citizen with a Ph.D. One time we were discussing Taiwan and I asked her by what right China could justify taking over Taiwan and why this was considered a national priority. Her answer was that this was justified because the people in Taiwan are of the same race (Han nationality). She agreed that, by the same token, China did not have any right to annex Tibet because the Tibetans are a different race.

[SirAllen]

Great read. I've been saying this for years, I hope others and this administration start waking up before it's too late.

[Gritty]

"There's a growing consensus that at some point in the mid-to-late '90s, there was a fundamental shift in the sophistication, breadth and re-sorting of Chinese defense planning," said Richard Lawless

Let's stop and review history a bit before everyone forgets and blames this dangerous state of affairs on Bushitler and the GOP...

Who was President at that time the entire effort changed direction and speed? And who was selling missile and satillite technologies to China for campaign contributions? And who purposely opened the nuclear secrets of Los Alamos up to the Chinese and who allowed them to steal our nuclear warhead technologies?

These chickens have been coming home to roost for a long time. Let's not forget who hatched them in the first place! The same crew is planning on coming back for the third and fourth acts (the final ones) in 2008 and 2012.