Why China Would Lose A War Against America

The People's Republic of China flag and the U.S. Stars and Stripes fly along Pennsylvania Avenue near the U.S. Capitol in Washington during Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit, January 18, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Hyungwon Kang

Harry J. Kazianis, National Interest: Revealed: Why China Would Lose a War against America

Chinese military might has grown considerably. However, Beijing's weaknesses abound.

Let’s not mince words: a U.S.-China war would be hell on earth. It would likely start World War III. Millions— maybe billions— of people would die if nuclear weapons were ever used in such a conflict. The global economy would likely face ruin— that’s what happens when the world’s biggest economic powers start shooting at each other. Thankfully the chances are remote it will ever happen. Yet, the threat of such a conflict remains thanks to the many different pressure points in the U.S.-China relationship. Forget the challenge of ISIS, Ukraine, Syria or whatever the flavor of the moment is. The U.S.-China relationship— and whether it remains peaceful or not— is the most important challenge of our time. Period.

WNU Editor: I do not see anyone actually sitting down and signing papers that would say that they have surrendered unconditionally .... both sides would rather use nuclear weapons before it reached that level. But in the event of a war (without the use of nuclear weapons) .... I can easily see huge engagements and the expenditures of literally trillions of dollars and millions of lives to set the table for ceasefires/negotiations/talks .... especially since no one is capable of completely subduing and occupying the other. Would China be on top .... I doubt it. Asia is a continent made up of multiple alliances and spheres of cooperation, and in that world China will have a problem since all of these states enjoy their independence, and many of them look at the U.S. as a guarantor of this independence. In any conflict these factors will come into play .... and as hard as it is to be believed .... China will always be a minority in that mix.