> - China might practically be able to invade a small island off their coastline, but it isn't obvious that they could tolerate the backlash. The quality of the

> - China might practically be able to invade a small island off their coastline, but it isn't obvious that they could tolerate the backlash. The quality of their army is largely unknown because they haven't used it seriously in decades. Give them time, and they'll most likely be able to "flatten[...] multiple Middle Eastern countries," too. They also have something like 4.5 times the population of the US, and have gained the economic characteristics that made the US so powerful after WWII. China is now the "workshop of the world, while the US's manufacturing capacity has withered.