>> [China] CAN produce weapons, lots of weapons.
Yep.
China 2023 is America 1941 — industrial might, easily converted to war materiel production.
Is Chinese war materiel inferior to our best? Perhaps, but “Quantity has a quality all its own.” Think Iranian drone swarms (not a problem for China to replicate; they probably already have). Think hypersonic shore-to-ship missiles, individually unreliable but launched in VAST quantities that render the mighty US Navy dead in the water.
Meanwhile, all WE produce are queer and tranny and feminist Tik-Tok influencers, and “entertainment”. We’re thirty trillion dollars in debt, much of it funding stupid sh!t like “green energy” (while China is using reliable coal). Our military is woke to the max but otherwise flabby and inferior. Our industrial prowess is gone.
This is NOT!!! a good time to squander in Ukraine what weapons systems we have in our inventory!
“Think hypersonic shore-to-ship missiles, individually unreliable but launched in VAST quantities that render the mighty US Navy dead in the water”.
That’s an excellent point. There is no way ships could last for very long under that kind of assault.
The US military has a good first punch but cannot go the full 15 rounds. No chance.
Which systems are being squandered in Ukraine?
Its best to be specific.
IMHO China CAN out-manufacture the US, if it gets the chance to do that. But an East Asian Naval-Air war this year will leave China with no Navy. China can’t protect its assets, either warships or shipyards. And it will instantly lose nearly all its trade, through distant blockade, seizure and “freezing”. China can’t protect its trade.
US Naval losses aren’t likely to be enormous. The USN just needs to stay a certain distance off the China coast. The US still has a great strategic recon advantage.
In return China can cause great trade losses to its neighbors, from Singapore to Japan.
The outcome is probably going to be a stalemate - China won’t be able to land a hit, while losing its fleet, in harbor or at sea, while taking severe economic damage, while in turn inflicting great economic damage. A quick ceasefire is the likely outcome.
The interesting part will be what happens during the resulting “peace”. There will be a period of intense military buildup, a real arms race.