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If I was a large, sparsely populated country that shared a border with China, I’d be more than a little worried about Chinese territorial ambitions. If they’re
by peteretep 6y ago
If I was a large, sparsely populated country that shared a border with China, I’d be more than a little worried about Chinese territorial ambitions. If they’re willing to rattle sabres with India over some Godforsaken rocks, imagine what they’d be willing to do for the territorial riches that lie North.
- adventured 6y agoNo question it's an issue for the coming decades. China still respects the military capabilities of Russia and their ability to defend their territory. Russia is well ahead of India in capabilities. The question is when or will that respect change and what would change it. Arrogance inevitably gets the better of all superpowers, it can't be more than 10-20 years before China starts openly trying to take Russian border territory. I also wouldn't want to be Mongolia. There's a potential that China will leave Mongolia intact as a buffer with the long Russian border. If China wants to expand its territory, there's no easier, larger target than Mongolia (17/18th largest nation by land with only 3m people and essentially no military ability to defend itself).
- peteretep 6y ago> I also wouldn't want to be Mongolia My (limited) understanding is that Mongolia is mostly steppe, and the Mongolians have several thousand years of claim to the land, neither of which is true of — say — Outer Manchuria. Russia will struggle to get much sympathy if the Chinese execute a “Crimean Gambit” there.