China versus the USA: How do they stack up?

I joined the Army in October 1956. During that period I experienced the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the NATO Forces. President Nikita Khrushchev pounded his shoe on his delegate-desk in protest at a speech by Philippine delegate Lorenzo Sumulong during the 902nd Plenary Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly held in New York City on 12 October 1960. Khrushchev was also at the helm when the Soviets and the USA found themselves staring each other down following the Bay of Pigs incident in Cuba during the Cuban missile crisis. These were dangerous days.

Today once again it is getting increasingly bellicose as political leaders ‘paint’ themselves into a corner from which they will find it increasingly difficult to extricate themselves.

Pres. Biden announced in the last few days that America will go to war in defence of Taiwan (LINK China vows no concessions on Taiwan after Biden comments – Independent.ie). Although it seems his “handlers’ are trying to back out of that position.

“Taiwan’s president confirms the US military is training troops on the island as the threat from China grows”. (LINK Taiwan President Says China Threat Growing, US Has Military Presence (businessinsider.com). To borrow a line for the new American Century.. As to what it would take to galvanize the American people into supporting such conflict… We first the directing minds have to create ‘a Pearl Harbor’ type of event. In South Korea currently there are US 50,000 troops… An impediment to use of any weapons of mass destruction by North Korea and its allies. If more “trainers” are deployed to Taiwan similar to the trainers I witnessed in the transition of Vietnam war where eventually over half of million soldiers were deployed. Certainly troubling.

Pres. Xi has made it clear that the Republic of China (ROC Taiwan) is a sovereign part of The People’s Republic of China and RoC will become once again a part of the Middle Kingdom.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin commented:  “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan issue is purely an internal affair of China that allows no foreign intervention. (LINK China vows no concessions on Taiwan after Biden comments – Independent.ie )”

Hard to see any centre ground.

Increasingly the traditional domains of war … land, sea and air reflect increased activity designed to support these two polarizing positions. The frequency of the military activities are increasing and so is the risk.

Recently for example the much-publicized rocket testing report of:  “… TWO hypersonic orbital nukes capable of breaching missile defences’ …. Panicked analysts say it ‘defies the laws of physics’ and is unlike any weapon the US has…” (LINK China ‘tested a SECOND hypersonic orbital nuke; | Daily Mail Online).  The article goes on: “… analysts believe the craft can actually be tipped with a nuclear warhead which would be able to evade missile defences”. “Observers believe the ‘weapon’ is an updated version of a Soviet concept called a ‘Fractional Orbital Bombardment System’, or FOBS. It is designed to evade powerful US radar systems and anti-missile defences designed to shoot down traditional ICBMs by flying in low-Earth orbit, making it harder to spot, track and destroy. .

Certainly, it seems America is prepared to admit the science behind this weapon is something they don’t quite understand.

FYI – There are reports from the Kremlin’s, the Avangard hypersonic missile reached a staggering Mach 27. The Avangard missile was adopted in 2019 as part of their arsenal.

Source for following 4 Figures:

The Daily Mail By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 10:00 EDT, 21 October 2021 | UPDATED: 14:04 EDT, 21 October 2021

(China ‘tested a SECOND hypersonic orbital nuke; | Daily Mail Online)

There might be value in this post to look briefly at the weapons both sides have available.

China, the US and Russia are engaged in a global arms race that now includes the development of hypersonic missile technology. Here, the MailOnline has compared (from left) each country’s main nuclear weapon, the latest hypersonic technology they have tested, their most up-to-date aircraft carriers, main battle tanks, and cutting-edge jets

China vs Taiwan (Russia has been omitted)

14 silos are currently under construction at the site (in yellow) while land has been cleared for 19 more (in green). But analysts who looked at the site believe it could eventually expand to house 110 silos, each of which can hold a nuclear missile

This figure does not fairly represent the strength of either side. The Chinese are anchor tenant of the Shanghai Cooperative Association (LINK Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) MCQs and CSS Notes (cssexaminations.com).. With the Bamboo Curtain and Iron Curtain falling over the past several decades slowly at first on economic grounds but increasingly now on defensive grounds there emerges a new ‘curtain’ that stretches from Russia through the ‘Stans’ to China. A new wall.

Source Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO): Here’s everything you should know (jagranjosh.com)

There are nine members- Note 17 September 2021 Iran became a full member of SCO.

SCO is not a military defense organization per se, but it offers strategic defense assistance and advice – and as such is a solidifying force for member countries. SCO with the current membership covers close to 50% of the world population and accounts for about one third of the world’s GDP.

These are allies of the Chinese:

• The Iranians hunger for Chinese military equipment.
• Saudi Arabia was a long time “partner” with America since the agreement in 1973 to buy oil with US dollars. Increasingly today Iran is buying military equipment from the Chinese.
• Turkey a strong and the large military member of NATO but having been shunned on four occasions while attempting to become a member of the European Union is now increasingly looking EAST rather than WEST. The tension with European Union and US grows daily. There is evidence Turkey seeks closer ties to China.

Both sides and their allies are building their military. China with its long-term strategy has had a number of years head started.

But recall for a moment the three other domains of war: economic, cyber and space … we are witness aggressive moves of the pieces on the grand chessboard.

More on these initiatives in future posts.

Economic. On the economic front China is actively looking for ways to strengthen its currency and become the  alternative or find a substitute for the US dollar as the global vehicle currency. The SOC as a policy do not use the US currency unless absolutely necessary, This reduces the demand supply curve to the detriment of the world vehicle currency.

Key terrain (pharmaceutical):  China’s strategy includes capturing the pole position on research and development of medical pharmaceutical supplies. Their goal is to control the global medical (for example drug) supply  (LINK https://www.americanmanufacturing.org/blog/china-is-quietly-becoming-the-worlds-pharmacy-and-there-are-big-risks/ )_. Recall the difficulty Canada experienced attempting to obtain masks at the outbreak of the current flu epidemic in North America. None available until they could be procured from China. Raises another question for Canada and America as to how much off shoring can be permitted?

Cyber warfare. All nations with the capacity are actively ‘hacking’ each other. One recent initiative caught my eye — the Chinese are underway in documenting every persons DNA in their database. Watch live hack attacks… (1) New Messages! (imperva.com)

Space warfare. Notwithstanding Pres. Trump’s initiative to establish a US Space Force (LINK Space Force: Trump officially launches new US military service – BBC News)  as we speak the Chinese are capturing the key terrain (the moon) and setting up bases on the far side —out of sight —as well as announcing plans for major settlement bases in the near-term.

We will drill down on some of these events in the next few posts on the topic.

Let me close with…

See:  Did Albert Einstein Say World War IV Will be fought ‘With Sticks and Stones’? | Snopes.com