To worry about war with China

[Sassenach85]

I am not political and I don’t mind admitting my knowledge about international affairs and the ins and outs and details is pretty low. Humour me - what would happen if we went to war with China? If America did? I’m no expert but it feels like we are in a dangerous point in history right now.

Trumo?? TRUMP!

It’s one of those things that feels like a real threat but your brain says nahhhhhhh forget it! Go cut the grass. Yet it persists and grows each day for me. Would China want to take over our country? Remove democracy from the planet?? I think because of the pandemic we are in it has made other things seem more possible if that makes sense?

If there was a war between the us and China I think we'd be in trouble and not know who we need to suck up to. I think if we stayed out of it both sides would punish us (no trade agreement) for not taking their side. I think the EU would stay out of it and would be more easily able to as not desperate for new trade deals.

I agree KenDodd I feel we are in a very vulnerable position with weak leadership and a country under huge stress. China seems to hold all the cards and the way they run their own country it wouldn’t surprise me if they took it upon themselves to put the rest of the world right. I guess I am a bit unreasonable and it is far fetched I just have a feeling of doom about it all at the minute.

After recent developments it’s plain to see our govt would sail us all up the river to save their own skin - as someone else said there’s really nothing we can do.

Well, we get what we vote for.

It's true we have a country under huge stress with weak leadership, and Trump in the US etc, but war is not about to happen in the next fortnight. Trump almost certainly will be out in November (please, USA, do the right thing) and anything could happen here before we got to the point of war. These things always rumble, they've been rumbling all my life and I'm 65. You're especially worried because you've only just started looking. I suggest you keep reading, reliable sources, and try and educate yourself. It looks bad but it's not especially worse now than it has been before, in many ways the pandemic is encouraging more cooperation between countries and the WHO is a force for good and not, I think, under anyone's thumb. They are diplomatic and they manage to be outspoken without blaming, which is quite the art.

In the last two years China has built the largest network of internment camps in the world, to house the Uygher Muslims, 1,000 camps in Xinjiang with 1 million Muslims.
There are many reports of torture there.
Half a million Uygher children have been separated from their parents and sent to state boarding schools.
China is now aggressively expansionist and keeps laying claim to land on it's borders.
I think there is a lot of reason to worry about China.

I was going to say that China would not want to deal with the people who live in the West. They’d make sure the people were gone and take the land. Why do you think everyone do scared about the next big pandemic that will absolutely take us out.

I agree but then I’m not sure if I’m way off the mark or what to expect either way. The world seems a scarier place right now

Your post is very timely as just this week I have had a publication through my door called The Epoch Times with a front cover that declares how the Chinese Communist Party endangered the world. This magazine claims that lies kill and truth saves and that this independent newspaper aims to restore accuracy and integrity of media. All good so far. However, further research into the Epoch Times reveals that its agenda is to promote far right politicians across the globe and that it is the second largest funder of pro-Trump Facebook advertising. Furthermore, it is active in promoting conspiracy theories, fake news and fear mongering.The awards that it claims to have received for its 'independent' reporting, for instance from the New York Press Association, were for its advertising not its journalistic integrity. Unfortunately, decades of under investment in education coupled with the rise of passive news consumption has contributed to an increasingly diminishing pool of critical thinkers across the globe. Add a good dose of fear into the equation and you are left with swathes of people easy to manipulate and influence by those who only have their own vested interests to protect. Donald Trump has not ended up in charge by accident. You are right, these are dangerous times. When people suffer it is natural to look for someone to blame; for someone to direct your anger at. It means you stop looking inwards at what is wrong within your own borders, while those who are really responsible for the suffering in the world deflect your attention and wrath safely away from themselves. Ask yourself who is really going to suffer most from this crisis and who is going to benefit? The stage is set, the cast of characters have taken their places and the play will unfold in its usual predictable way; the winners and losers were determined long before any of this.

I posted a very similar thread yesterday. I always worried about war with Russia but now it’s China causing me worry. As if the virus isn’t enough to worry about. I trust neither China or the US. Both have expansionist policies. But if it was a nuclear war there’d be no winners so what would be the point.

Determined by whom?

People have currently got quite enough to worry about without you raising non-issues like this. Why not go and do something more positive?

China never really won a war in the past centuries, but has "overcome" the Century of humiliation (tight or wrong). They have ultra nationalists feeding bullish internal and external politics, and some would like nothing more than try out all the new cool toys they have been developing and show that they actually are a superpower, especially against the US and India. Taiwan and Hong Kong would be the first pawns moved. Also, they have an excess of more than 30millions men, useless as unlikely to have a bride, dangerous because they are frustrated and with not a lot to lose, and would be perfect canon fodder. Best way to use them would be on a war front, to die or to set roots in a previously foreign country.

On the other hand, they are hated, or rather the CCP is (but blurred lines) They are the useful bad guy with shaky foundations. Rich, developed, hiding a multitude of sins, they would be hard pressed to have a powerful and enduring Alliance with other countries. Their neighboors want to neuter a bit the awkward but overbearing big brother, their colonies in Africa need them but hate them, Europe dislike them, US has a distasteful co-dependency with them, Autralia and NZ are miffed by their bellow the belt insults and predatory investments.... It's not easy being China right now.

I’m doing lots of positive things thanks for that helpful suggestion.... I was pondering. Is commenting on this thread YOUR positive thing for today??

So I would not worry about open conflict at the moment. Just keep in mind that this security may come at the price of our so valued principles in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the likes.

Doing something positive does not mean only do things that keep us in blissful ignorance or just contentment. It can also mean, like OP is doing right now, learning, debating, and expanding their mind.

Thank you OfaFrenchmind2

I don’t worry about it all day ... I just can’t seem to completely push the concern from my mind

OfaFrenchmind2

So which do you think the most likely?

Why would you bother with a traditional war when all you need to do is develop a bio weapon that your people are already vaccinated against abs let it go. So simple.

I think we are heading toward conflict throughout the world. The major powers of China / Russia/ USA all have unstable leaders/ dictators and are increasingly antagonistic and isolationist. 2021 is going to be a difficult year. Economic downturn as a result of Covid19 and the necessary lockdowns will cause a rise in fascism and the lurch further towards populist parties and the far right throughout the world.

At home in the U.K. influence of foreign powers in our telecommunications gives them easy access to hostile activities.
Add in the Brexit chaos as we plunge off a cliff edge in January, our useless government and the fact that Covid isn’t going anywhere.. I feel extremely concerned about the future both here and worldwide.

From all of the things I have read recently I definitely would not Expect the Chinese to entertain a traditional war. Find ways to weaken the other countries and then take over?

Oh I’m sick of all this worry and dread. Why can’t we all get on.

That’s a big question