Re:Why, exactly, the *fear* of China?
on
The Future of NASA
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· Score: 1
Your argument is valid, and the US shouldn't be afraid of China's ability to take on its Navy and land a bunch of troops on the West coast. The problem is, if China wanted to do us harm, it can bypass the whole ocean and take us on from space. This isn't to say China will have some orbiting military outpost, but a few spy satellites and a trip or two to the moon would implicitly shift the balance of power to a more equal footing. Now, throw Taiwan back into the fray - if China feels it equals the US technologically and militarily (Navy notwithstanding) they may attempt to end the island's rogue nation status militarily, either thinking the US will look the other way or be rebuffed by the Chinese military.
The US would probably not want China to think it is on equal footing with the world's only (current) superpower. Space is a good way to show "who's boss" and it's also a good way to drain the resources of other countries in the "Space Race". The latter is a little more dangerous, since there's always a chance the US could roll the economic dice and come up with snake eyes.
In any case, when you're the only superpower on the block, and you want to keep it that way, you can't afford to let anyone else 'best' you in any military or technological aspect. China may not be a threat now, but that doesn't mean the US shouldn't be afraid of them. If the US keeps flying their shuttles while China is trying to colonize the moon and mars, the US would probably not be seen as the world's most powerful nation. That's enough cause for the US to worry a bit, therefore it is logical that they try to stay ahead of the China space program.
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Your argument is valid, and the US shouldn't be afraid of China's ability to take on its Navy and land a bunch of troops on the West coast. The problem is, if China wanted to do us harm, it can bypass the whole ocean and take us on from space. This isn't to say China will have some orbiting military outpost, but a few spy satellites and a trip or two to the moon would implicitly shift the balance of power to a more equal footing. Now, throw Taiwan back into the fray - if China feels it equals the US technologically and militarily (Navy notwithstanding) they may attempt to end the island's rogue nation status militarily, either thinking the US will look the other way or be rebuffed by the Chinese military.
The US would probably not want China to think it is on equal footing with the world's only (current) superpower. Space is a good way to show "who's boss" and it's also a good way to drain the resources of other countries in the "Space Race". The latter is a little more dangerous, since there's always a chance the US could roll the economic dice and come up with snake eyes.
In any case, when you're the only superpower on the block, and you want to keep it that way, you can't afford to let anyone else 'best' you in any military or technological aspect. China may not be a threat now, but that doesn't mean the US shouldn't be afraid of them. If the US keeps flying their shuttles while China is trying to colonize the moon and mars, the US would probably not be seen as the world's most powerful nation. That's enough cause for the US to worry a bit, therefore it is logical that they try to stay ahead of the China space program.