*https://www.thebalance.com/cost-of-afghanistan-war-timeline-...
Conversely, any land war in North Korea I feel would end disastrously for them - as it arguably did the first time around.
According to a former US State department official (I heard on a recent podcast interview), China never cared to take Taiwan. If they wanted to, all they need to do is cut off access to fresh water from the Chinese mainland.
The US might be able to prevent a ground invasion or counter-attack missile batteries, but the island will fall quickly if China put it's mind to the task.
Well other than the 'carrier killer' missiles like the DF-21D.
https://www.thebalance.com/u-s-military-budget-components-ch...
For a fraction of that I'm pretty sure we could be well under way of self-sustaining colonization of other Solar System bodies.
They've made 3 posts here, all of which are quoting pro-chinese military articles with minimal contributions of their own.
https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=wrg91237
Not the first time I've seen stuff like this.
> "Please don't impute astroturfing or shillage. It degrades discussion and is usually mistaken. If you're worried about it, email us and we'll look at the data."
This has a much longer range than America’s new F-35 fighter and will be a serious threat to American warships in the Pacific."
In the 21st century, serious threats to warships abound. However, when it comes to China, the real question for the US is how well the US can keep China contained, curtailing China's projection of power towards Taiwan, Japan, and other parts of the region. Superior weapons can help, but distance and logistics are still huge factors, which can work to China's advantage sometimes, and against it other times.
In other words, the issue is a lot more complex than who has the "best" stealth fighter.
In some technologies, it has surpassed it"
https://www.economist.com/news/china/21737074-some-technolog...
"in two years’ time, if not before, America is likely to lose its monopoly of radar-beating stealth combat aircraft with the introduction into service of China’s Chengdu J-20. This has a much longer range than America’s new F-35 fighter and will be a serious threat to American warships in the Pacific."
"At least as worrying for American commanders in the region is the dramatic upgrading of China’s inventory of air-to-air missiles (AAMs). The short-range PL-10, which was introduced in 2015, is regarded by military analysts as comparable in performance to Western equivalents, such as the Sidewinder II. This year, the PL-15, a radar-guided “beyond visual range” missile (BVRAAM), should enter service. Carried by a J-20, the PL-15 can destroy an aircraft 50km away that is trying to evade it. “The Military Balance” believes that a version of the missile is in the works that will have a cruise speed of Mach 3. "