[MR2]

While Dusty is right, that deserves it's own thread.

The Chinese army remains pretty much untested since Korea. Two minor dustups along the Vietnamese and Soviet/Mongolian borders were mere skirmishes. But is also a far different force today then it ever was. More professionally led, equipped, and manned. And yes their knock-offs look menacing and they are still first gen, but they are getting better with every iteration.

It is not your papasans Buick.

They remain a regional sea power and it will decades for them to achieve true blue water status. But then with the 1340 mile range of the DF-21D ASBM they can be regionally aggressive and keep every carrier out of air strike range.

Their Achilles heel is the POL supply line from the Middle East through the GIO and the Malaccian Straight. If they secure a pipeline that is not easily interdicted, the only thing that would prevent them from taking Taiwan, Philippines, S.Korea, or even Japan would be nukes.

But what keeps China's leaders up at night is figuring out how to create 25 million new jobs every year... That and keeping all those people employed is why they are buying up world debt and devaluating the Yaun.

Of course MOO YMMV