In case you missed it, we are at war with China. This is not the kind of war politicians will admit happens, but it’s real for all of that. To understand what’s going on, why, and how we win this thing, I need to run a little History lesson.
After World War 2 ended, a fat psycho name of Mao Tse Tung started a revolution in China, aided by the corrupt Nationalist Government he targeted and the relaxed posture of the post-war Pacific Rim. After a mix of cunning strategy, keen understanding of Chinese culture, and more than a little luck, Fat Mao’s mob took over China and started a regime responsible for several times more atrocities than the Nazis even dreamed of doing.
In the first years after the Revolution, Mao was buddies with the Soviets, but soon realized the worst mistake he could make would be trusting Stalin. That led to in creasing tension between the leading Psychos in Beijing and Moscow, and a series of border wars over the next three decades.
Mao backed North Korea’s invasion of South Korea, but was unable to do more than fend of American forces long enough to force a stalemate. Mao’s prize for that war was stewardship of a fat psycho dictator of his own in North Korea.
After the incredibly stupid Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, the Chinese Politburo did something the Soviets never managed: They found ways to learn from mistakes, both their own and by others.
As a result, China watched the United States falter and fail in Vietnam, and later watched the Soviets do the same thing in Afghanistan. During that time, the Chinese used the opportunity offered by President Nixon and began friendly relations with the United States, first as a hedge against Soviet aggression but later as a means to gain the Americans’ trust.
If Nixon opened the door for China, Bill Clinton laid the table for a banquet of deals and special opportunity. By 1999, China had acquired the technology to build a first-rate military, which as we know is the dream for all Communist regimes. Meanwhile, as Clinton was replaced by Bush, China watched the Gulf War eat away at US resources and resolve, while Putin played front man for a new generation of Russian oligarchs.
China has learned that military power might not be enough to win all conflicts, that you can let individuals make money but the government still hold absolute power, and that control of the media makes any image possible. For three decades China has stolen all kinds of intellectual property, from weapons to technology to medicine, and has manipulated all manner of social media to make sure their desired message is the dominant communication.
This is why I say we are at war with China. China has stolen military secrets and weapons technology for a generation, and has bought or blackmailed hundreds of politicians in the United States. They are seeking to replace the US in both economic and military alliances. China sells weapons to pretty much all of America’s enemies, and has acted increasingly belligerent when called on their behavior.
But it is the nature of fools to have a blind spot, and China’s blunders start by missing the truth of American Exceptionalism. There is a reason for America’s success, but her enemies cannot accept that the US truly is unique. But that point is for another article. You either accept it, or you don’t.
On a more practical point, China has built its army and navy and air force using theory based on military theory. China has not fought a war in earnest in almost half a century, meaning they really don’t know how they would fare in a full-scale war now. Wars as spectacular as the Land War freeing Kuwait in 1991 or as recent as Russia’s troubles beating Ukraine demonstrate that China may risk more than they know in a real war. The US, on the other hand, has abundant experience in almost all forms of warfare, and while China has stolen hypersonic missile technology and aircraft avionics, the US developed their own weapons, and revolutionized warfare doctrine twice in the last 85 years. Frankly, China is gambling that they can avoid a full-scale war with the United States, which is why they are not likely to actually invade Taiwan.
China enjoys a robust economy now, and a de facto hegemony in Eastern Asia. With Russia proving its limits in almost all dimensions, and America led by a man completely unqualified for the duties of his office, China is in position to claim leadership in any venue it enters. Only the brief trade war by Trump posed a real threat to China, and that threat appeared to end when Trump left office in January 2021.
However, China lacks an effective means to close the deal in any of its campaigns. The Yuan is totally artificial, controlled by Party decisions and unable to succeed as a true Global Reserve Currency. Chinese universities are gaining in credentialed faculty, but are still at least fifteen years away from being able to produce cutting-edge research in the STEM fields. And while China has excellent Special Forces units, they lack a genuine Tier 1 ability, let alone the means to prosecute a prolonged campaign against a major opponent. Missiles are no match for a true blue-water navy, for example.
At some point, a conservative President will take office again in the White House. And when that happens, the US will create and advance a policy to deal with China’s threat to the region. That plan will involve new ways to exploit our oil and gas resources, to expose China’s lies about its plans for Africa and Europe, and to remind the world of why the US – and the US alone – is the world’s last, best hope.
