NOW I’m quite worried re CHINA (no politics!)
 

China has been a considerable threat to the West and USA for decades now. Of course we have totally lost so much manufacturing power in our country and much of our allies. I recall history of early WWll when our auto/truck mfg plants had to retool in order to make airplanes, tanks, ships, army vehicles, guns, ammo etc etc. but we had much of the plants and fabrication -and willing citizens to engineer and make all this.

Of course over these past decades most was transferred to Asia for their low cost labor et al.

This said China has gained much of this within their country. And they have dramatically built their military power esp the last ten years.

Now, the very serious threats from top China gvt re the Speaker and other diplomats expected to visit Taiwan.

But the main reason for my post is how China could just about strangle the West with electronics. Taiwan makes 70% of the world’s Chips. China 10%. We are woefully behind in that capability and others. and much of the worlds raw materials for making solar panels, batteries etc. comes from them.

If China’s threats become reality and they take over Taiwan as they desire, and WILL, are we ready? Nope. Are we ready to push back and take the consequences. Nope.

I’m very frightened…

Again NO politics.

This problem is 100% political. No way this thread lasts long.

There is currently a “CHIPS” Bill in Congress that’s stalled. Seems that the same Semiconductor Companis that left the USA for cheaper labor/PROFIT now wants the US Government to bail them out to rebuild factories here. One party is stalling the process!

Inflation
 

Are we willing to go to war with China over a lifestyle we enjoy buying everything they make enslaving their population. We will be paying a lot
more for everything if we want to make it all here.

:popcorn::popcorn:

I worked in Beijing forty years ago, as a professor, and I’m nearly done writing a book about that. I never want to go back. However, the population of China is not “enslaved,” though some do forced labor for various reasons, and the government is authoritarian and the people much less free than we are. But China is a nation of hardworking capitalists working hard to get rich, by their standards, or at least improve their standard of living. They are ruled by malign and corrupt but pragmatic Communist authoritarians who are torn between helping their country conquer the world and become wealthy while still pretending that they treasure Marx and Mao, though they don’t. Are there lots of human rights abuses? Yes. Is that our business? Not really. If we don’t like it, we shouldn’t buy things from there. But we do. So we are responsible for the abuses, too. Meanwhile, the problems the Chinese government faces in trying to rule 1.4 billion unruly people are much worse than what our government faces. But the people aren’t “enslaved.”

One sure thing: in business negotiations, the Chinese play hardball. I’ve never heard of a western company or country getting the better of China in a trade negotiation. You think you have a deal and may make a profit, and the Chinese call you back to the table and demand more concessions. Countries like Sri Lanka and countries In Africa are discovering that what they thought were good deals offered by Chinese “friends” are actually ways of “establishing Chinese hegemony,” as the Chinese government says.

We essentially gave China our steel industry, our textile industry, our electronics industry, our pharmaceutical industry, and more—all in the name of increasing profits for investors at the expense of the wellbeing of American workers. We threw away American jobs in order to get better prices at WalMart. Bringing those back means much higher prices, which sounds a lot like inflation, doesn’t it? People now are complaining about the entirely predictable inflation that stems from the pandemic and the need to pay welfare to most of the country for a year. (Did you get a check from the government? Nearly everyone did. And many got salary support, rent reductions, free medical care for Covid, unusually cheap gas that led to thousands of oil wells beIng closed. Well, those payments were welfare. So you’ve been on welfare, many of you who proudly claim that you haven’t, and maybe you liked it. Now the bill is coming due, and we don’t like it. Meanwhile, China is angry because we (rightly) put tariffs on steel and other things.

Do you want to play a game ?
 

china and the usa have been saber rattling over the taiwan question for decades.
Militarily we can sink any invasion fleet with the usn classes of submarines like virginia, seawolf and columbia employing thousands of conventional cruise missiles, captor mines and submarine launched undersea drones designed to destroy ships propellors. China has developed a missile which will prevent our aircraft carriers from approaching china's coast line. So what's the point. Obviously a political solution must be found but both sides have been preparing for a military conflict that may come first.

Well I guess we will have to pay a lot more then. Carefully consider the alternative. Are we too selfish to consider and care what we are leaving for the next generation??

It’s called operation mockingbird. Nothing we see in the media is true. The point is to live in fear. Now get back to being terrified y the boogie man!!!! And I’m running out of popcorn������������

They are buying our land all over the country. Probably won't blow us up. But there is a fox in the chicken house.

That's a fact!

China is aging rapidly (i.e., few young people) so they will fail as a country in a few years. USA is already pulling back manufacturing (except Apple) but it will take a decade to complete. Nothing to worry about - it will all work out soon.

Rosetta Stone is offering free trials on learning Chinese.
We should all sign up, sounds like we’ll need it.

I’d rather pay more than have to learn Chinese at this age.

Capitalism was based on good people trying to get food, shelter, clothing and better lifestyle through competition, initiative, hard work, etc.

But Humans are ultimately/basically greedy.

Look at History.

Capitalism eventually becomes the method of downfall as China simply figured out that all they need to do is BUY the USA with their own money. Greedy Politicians and Corporate Leaders sell their soul and Country for a few dollars more.

The Chinese are thousands of years old with customs, patience, etc. and work together as one. The USA only 250 years old and each succeeding generation more dependent on their cell phone and social media apps to instruct them on what do think and do.

So, a betting Space Alien probably has the Chinese coming out on top.