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juanvasco... juanvasco...
 
M$2 June 09, 2009 09:06 PM

Who would win in a war between the U.S and China?

Assuming that the U.S ended the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, who would win if a war were to start today between China and the U.S? I suppose for the sake of discussion, we could assume the war started on the Chinese mainland as opposed to an invasion by the Chinese on U.S soil. Would there be clear winners, is it too hard to say, or do you think this is simply a case of mutually assured destruction?
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bossman bossman
 
 June 09, 2009 10:30 PM
China would win that war hands down for many reasons. Most notably, the Chinese have a long history of fighting smarter wars than the US. Take our most recent escapades in the middle east and southeast Asia for example. We're fighting attrition wars, similar to the Vietnam saga. China, on the other hand, would not do something as stupid. Next, many governments, both developed and emerging, in my opinion, would favor Chinese victory, thereby securing either cheap labor and/or a redistribution of wealth and competition. These countries may align with the Chinese. Lastly, lets not forget that China boasts over a 4:1 population advantage over the US (1.33 Billion: 304 Million). Hardly favorable numbers for the US. Of course, I don't really think either country wants to go to war with one another. Both have much more to gain by cooperating, as is almost always the case.
Source(s):
The Art of War, Game Theory, political science background

Asker's Rating:
• This was a great answer. You took into consideration tactics, the involvement of other countries, and resources to answer the question. I really liked how you managed to close on an optimistic note.


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bossman bossman
 
June 11, 2009 09:21 PM
Thanks Juanvasconez. Much appreciated.

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aaeeiioouu... aaeeiioouu...
 
June 09, 2009 09:10 PM
That depends on your definition of "win." The U.S. economy would be shredded, as we rely on China for such a large percentage of our goods. They would probably suffer more casualties, as you said the war would take place on their soil, and they have over a billion targets.

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misterpink misterpink
 
June 09, 2009 11:27 PM
now who's to say that won't happen over here?.....don't think that we are not vulnerable....have you every seen red dawn? it would be just like that, they would come parachuting out of the sky right in front of our schools

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spoon spoon
 
June 09, 2009 09:33 PM
Along with what @aaeeiioouu13 mentioned this would also depend on the type of war we are talking about. If both parties were to go full into war the US would have the advantage with military technology (and amount of bombs that could be deployed). However, you mentioned the war would be on the Chinese mainland, so if combat was attempted the Chinese, with their vast numbers, would have a clear advantage.

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irishsteph... irishsteph...
 
June 09, 2009 09:35 PM
I would think pretty much total collapse of both societies.
It's sad to say, but both cultures aren't known for backing down or quitting - both also have the latest greatest weapons and arms, both have massive armies, both have the supplies and industry.

I believe that if it were to go down, both countries would slug it out until the bitter end - so much so that neither would ever be able to recover - and possibly even the rest of the world would be thrown into a serious power struggle for "top dog" which would lead to more war....

War... it never changes....

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bowlofchil... bowlofchil...
 
June 09, 2009 09:42 PM
Reality is that if China wanted to destroy the United States, or win a war, it wouldn't need weapons. China holds so much of our debt that it could destroy our economy simply by demanding repayment.

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cacarr cacarr
 
June 10, 2009 06:12 AM
If China demands repayment, we can slap enormous tariffs on Chinese goods -- the US and China have each other by the gonads.

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bomae bomae
 
June 10, 2009 12:25 AM
Wow, tough question. A few years ago I would have had an easy answer for
you. But today, I honestly do not know. In my heart I feel it would be a total
devastation for the whole world. The Chinese government has built and
achieved things that scare me. They are a strong and regimented nation.
I do not see them backing down from anything, no matter what the outcome
would be.
Source(s):
Just my opinion


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seventwooh seventwooh
 
June 10, 2009 04:28 AM
Where is this war fought. If its in USA then how will China send its massive amount of people over here to fight? Population has no advantage if it were in the USA.

If this ever did go down, then both USA and China will lose. WW3 and yeah lets hope it does not happen, or ends quick.

I think where the war occurs will determine its winner. Also, i dont think China can feed all of its people during a war time. Food goes to army, population gets pissed and revolts. Then they would be fighting 2 wars. Similar situation could occur USA (not food).

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davepamn davepamn
 
June 10, 2009 05:11 AM
United States

The US has more naval destroyers.

The conflict will never happen because of the doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction. Nuclear superpower countries don't attack other nuclear countries.
Source(s):
American Lake : Nuclear Peril in the Pacific


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cacarr cacarr
 
June 10, 2009 06:09 AM
Certainly the answer depends on one's definition of "win." Were there to be full nuclear exchange, every single major city in China would be completely destroyed. The reverse is not the case as China's nuclear arsenal is much smaller and less advanced than the United State's. The certain complete destruction of Honolulu, Anchorage, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, and San Diego surely is a sufficient deterrent, however.

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firebase firebase
 
June 26, 2009 04:47 PM
The Chinese are completely incapable of launching any invasion a few hundred miles beyond its shores, they simply lack the infrastructure and the logistics to accomplish it. So a full scale invasion to the US mainland is impossible. In the event of a land war starting say from the Korean penninsula, in my opinion, would quickly escalate into the use of tactical nuclear weapons after American airpower literally decapitates the Chinese infrastructure finally resulting in a full nuclear exchange most likely involving Russia then Britain, France and spreading to regional nuclear exchanges in the mid east. You know, Armageddon.

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