[Jim Noble]

Jeff, I agree completely that the PRC wants no part of this mess.

What I object to is the opinion that China will secretly be on our side, because they so value the "world economy".

They may or may not value it, but I firmly believe that if they could bring about our demise by trashing the world economy, they would not think twice.

[Jeff Head]

I am not sure that the PRC wants no part...just that the timing may be off. I believe they will use economic or military assets, whichever fits their aims the best, to do exactly as you state...bring about our demise as a world superpower.

If this thing gets going and we get heavily engaged and occupied...I would not be surprised to see them try something, first through their surrogates the N. Koreans, and then, depending on how that went, they themselves. I just would have thought such a scenario would develop sometime after the Olympics though.

[sam_paine]

They may or may not value it, but I firmly believe that if they could bring about our demise by trashing the world economy, they would not think twice.

I agree that the Chinese would not "think twice" about the consequences of having the US fall.... However, culturally, there is no more 'conservative' society in the world. Chinese DO NOT like sudden change. They DO NOT like sudden economic disruptions, even if it were to eventually put them on top.

They like the status quo in Taiwan and North Korea. If it's gaining in their favor over decades, they're cool with that.

If you think our economy will be jolted by a Persian Gulf jolt, you can't imagine how precarious the Chinese economy is with a major disruption in oil supply right now.

The CCP cannot survive 1/2 a billion angry chinese middle classers in gas lines right now. (/my humble opinion)