I’m judging Russia.
In the present context, having ships does not necessarily imply a naval capability capable of existing after an encounter with other navies.
Russia has very effectively demonstrated inability to deploy weapons as capable as the opposition.
In the present context, having ships does not necessarily imply a naval capability capable of existing after an encounter with other navies.
that was my point.
China could trick them into a first strike, resulting in the Pacific fleet being wiped out in the response. Thus, allowing China to take the Russian Far East easily.
The Pacific fleet is all that stands guard on the Port of Vladivostok; Russia’s land forces having been destroyed in Ukraine. China has already replaced Russian names with the original Chinese ones on their maps.
Its a 4 for 1:
1 China gets the Russian Far East;
2 Makes Taiwan politically worthless to defend with the destruction of the TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) fabs;
3 Ends Western access to high end chips, especially AI chips;
4 Leaves China all the high end chip manufacturing market.