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| ARMED FORCES OF THE WORLD: Who Has the Most Combat Power |
| 2004-06-14 |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #11 China imports nearly all its oil, much of its food, and much of the tech toys and basic infrastructure hardware that makes a First World country Sounds like Japan circa 1938. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-06-14 7:20:46 PM |
| #10 You are seriously mistaken to think that bad debts and shutting down state run companies is going to stop Chinese modernization. I don't see anything short of a civil war stopping it. BTW, China imports a smaller percentage of its oil, than the USA, imports little food in comparison to its production, and most high tech even when designed in the USA, is actually made in Asia, and increasingly that means China. And also BTW, It looks like the Chinese have made the rational decision in response to dependence on imported oil, which is to build nuclear power stations. |
| Posted by: Phil B 2004-06-14 5:29:35 PM |
| #9 Perfect description, Chuck. Spot-on. Kudos! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-06-14 4:50:22 PM |
| #8 China is the world's biggest Ponzi scheme, waiting to collapse. It repeatedly has done so throughout its history. China imports nearly all its oil, much of its food, and much of the tech toys and basic infrastructure hardware that makes a First World country. Over 50% of the bank loans in the country are estimated to be bad. The government has been absorbing most of the price increases caused by higher oil prices and higher shipping costs. They have to keep exporting, primarily to the United States, in order to even keep their head above water. Since the yuan is tied to the dollar, as the dollar has declined, so did the yuan, and so did the billions of dollars in currancy reserves the Chinese have squirreled away. The rise in oil prices is killing them in the long run, because at some point the reserves give out and exports don't match imports and ... well, you get the idea. Tom Clancy predicted it. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2004-06-14 4:31:40 PM |
| #7 Edward, China is faced with a overheated and hyperventilating economy plus a massive bad bank debt worth some US$200,000,000,000. If we can just manage to keep advanced European arms out of their hands for another few years, they should go through a substantial melt down in the near future. This is a major task for the AMCs given that China's state owned industries are estimated to face US$ 200 billion in bad debts. The longer-term aim of the AMCs is to rehabilitate the loss making large state owned companies and eventually liquidate their stakes by selling or listing the shares of the firms. However, whether the AMCs will be able to revive the firms and find a market for their shares remains to be seen. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-06-14 4:11:49 PM |
| #6 I'm less optimistic -- China's known to support theft of US technology, and have actively followed US operations in Iraq in hopes of emulating them (psy ops, mobility, precision firepower application, increased technology, the works) ... |
| Posted by: Edward Yee 2004-06-14 3:57:25 PM |
| #5 dcreeper, Can you ellucidate please? I'm concerned that until China does become fully democratic, then it's a worry. |
| Posted by: Tony (UK) 2004-06-14 2:59:14 PM |
| #4 It's the That aside, communist doctrine troops are not taught to think independently. I'm confident that, like the Soviet Union, China's PLA considers detailed maps (like our widely available USGS topological surveys) to be classified information. Imagine trying to stage a running battle where your foot soldiers are deprived of terrain models and utterly dependent on senior officers to advise them. Add to that antiquated arms plus marginal C3 capability and the picture begins to take shape. If you have read General Sir John Hackett’s NATO scenario "World War III," you are familiar with his predicted kill ratios of 10:1. I would wager that pretty much the same applies against China, or any other nation's military. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-06-14 2:17:35 PM |
| #3 You can't sweat the Chinese as long as they have to walk where they have to fight. |
| Posted by: TopMac 2004-06-14 1:48:25 PM |
| #2 the chinese really don't concern me much.. they don't have a culture/goverment that will result in greatness.. maybe a temporary bubble, nothing that will last |
| Posted by: dcreeper 2004-06-14 1:25:39 PM |
| #1 IMNSHO Chinese power is still dictated by the number of fodder currently under arms. They will lose much of their force in an encounter with a technologically advanced force |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-06-14 12:07:27 PM |