China v The US. Do we (the world) need to be worried?

[JimC]

It's perfectly ludicrous to talk about trusting (or not trusting) "the Chinese"

Of course, it is reasonable to discuss the potential military threat that may be posed by China as a nation.

[Svartalf]

Economic threat first, they own most of the western world already, the % that is not in arab safes

[Seth]

China may be in for an economic crash according to one economist who says that their model lately has been based on industrial development lately and they've been spending enormous amounts building infrastructure but now the markets are going soft and if they don't pivot to domestic consumption the overbuilding of industrial infrastructure may bankrupt them.

[MiM]

3 way cage fight!

Maybe at first. But North Korea will probably see it as an opportunity to increase their local clout by helping both China and SK against Japan, the only country they hate worse than either the US or SK. But if NK attacks Japan, the US is obligated to step up to defend Japan, and once the US turns Pyungyang into a glass parking lot, China will retaliate and the next thing you know I'll be without broadband internet access.

That's serious dude Maybe you should opt for a satellite connection. Pricey, yes. But after the fact they will probably be neigh impossible to get.... And it's probably advisable to store the device in a tin pot, when you are not actively using it.

[pErvinalia]

China scrambles jets in air zone to monitor US and Japanese planes

China says it scrambled fighter jets to monitor US and Japanese planes as they flew in its newly declared air defence zone in the East China Sea on Friday.

The zone covers territory claimed by China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.

China said last week that all aircraft crossing through the zone must file flight plans and identify themselves or face "defensive emergency measures".

The US, Japan and South Korea say they have since defied the ruling and flown military aircraft in the area.

The air defence identification zone (ADIZ) covers a vast area of the East China Sea and includes a group of islands which are claimed by Japan, China and Taiwan.

South Korea claims ownership of a submerged rock, known as Ieodo, within the zone.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25155605