Direct war is a losing bet for both China and the U.S.A. We will indirectly support proxies with weapons and intelligence."
What if China wants to get rid of a couple of million men between the ages of 17-35 that are unemployed or underemployed unable to find wives because of prior policies discouraging multiple children and have gaining a common enemy that the country can unite against?
What if there are American "intellectuals", corporate boards and policy makers that think we have an over-population problem and wouldn't mind getting rid of a couple of million patriotic American men in order to consolidate their power and control over the proles/sheep here in the US?
In 2006 a Chinese general said just what you did about their one child policy. Said they needed a war to clear out lots of them.
We won’t be sending armies to fight the Chinese, but our air and sea forces could remove their offensive naval capability in short order. Same for coastal air defenses...
Regarding China: it takes money, equipment and resources to move millions of soldiers across the Pacific to the U.S.A.
Regarding the U.S.A.: it takes money, equipment and resources to move millions of soldiers across the Pacific to China.
Wars are cheaper to run with proxies. China really doesn't have many proxies, while the U.S.A. does in the Pacific region. China would lose, and they know that.
No direct war with China (for now).