China speeds plans to launch aircraft carrier: sources

It's no fault but our own. Buying crap made in China because it's cheap always comes with a price.

It'll probably contain too much lead and melamine, and sink once the 90 day warranty is up.

Smell like mothballs too.

Yeah well, buying British was so much better.

The Varyag is a nice, big target. That's all. And the worst threat to it won't be the US but incompetently trained ChiCom military.

Of my list of reasons why this ship will sink or be irreparably damaged I'd go with:

1. A fuel fire in the hangar spaces. ChiCom political aversions to damage control and damage preparedness will be the factor most at play in this scenario.

2. Poor weapons handling. The US has had several of these incidents and it's a certainty that the Chinese will, too. Again, it'll be their aversion to preparing for failure that will be their Achilles Heel.

3. Collision during operations. The ChiCom navy is a new thing with almost no blue water experience. All sorts of ship mastery skills will be absent in their fleet.

4. Poor maintenance. Where the US spares no expense on spares for carrier ops the Chinese will try to do this on the cheap and they'll pay for it. Also, their own supply chain is notoriously corrupt so shoddy spares and shoddy kit will be the norm.

What's the big deal. Who cares? Let the Chinese have their aircraft carriers. Let them have power because historically the Chinese have never GROSSLY abused their power. As far as I'm concerned, the Chinese have earned the right to be a governing world power, more so than Russia and particularly because The Chinese have never cut gas to an ideological center, like Russia did recently. (You're really capable of that, morally? Fuck you.)

It's in our best interest to have the Chinese grow, to be a world contender to other threats like Russia. If we're the ones helping them get there then they're only going to be more grateful and sympathetic when the time comes that we need it most.

The Chinese WILL support a democratic Korea because we have been a respectable partner and have been consistent with our promises, something very important to them and other Asian people, that you live up to your word and do as you say. They may want Taiwan in exchange but I think they should get it, conditionally, the main point being they are incorporated for monetary reasons and leave the rest as an 'open' society. What they need to do is convince Kim Jung Ung to diversify his wealth so that he'll comfortably survive the coming inevitable.

What's our world like now? What's our main threat? A gang of hoodlums called Al' Qaeda? The Chinese aren't a threat and have no reason to show aggression because we've effective got them to where they are today, and they are grateful for it, they demonstrate this regularly, as we continue to demonstrate our respect for who they are in their neighborhood of the world.

I hope it's China one day because in the long span that it takes for that day to come, we'll have had the time to solutionize and counter any possible mass invasion scenario. Imagine, an invasion force where there's 5 Chinese soldiers to 1 North American citizen. They're capable of that right now. It'd be self nuke time.

Really? They're not even capable of invading Taiwan which is only 100 miles off their coast so forgive me if I'm not the least bit alarmed about a potential Chinese force landing in North America. Considering that their last big effort at a landing craft was the Yunnan class whose last hull entered service in 1972 it's pretty reasonable to conclude they Chinese have not much interest in invading anyone.

They may have a big army, but it's got no legs. The PLA's primary mission is to control the population - like we saw with Tianenman Square in 1989. Their ability to project power beyond their borders just doesn't exist right now because they've got no depth to their forces.

No big deal.

Even if they launch a carrier next year (doubtful IMHO), it will will be years if not a decade before it was the potential to be anything other than a giant target. Any carrier that is built will be a propaganda tool like their space program is. I'm about as scared of the phantom Chinese carrier analysts have been warning about for years as I am of their poorly made nuclear powered subs. The only decent ships they have are the ones they bought from the Russians, and even those are not as capable as similar Western vessels.

One third rate carrier will be no match for either Western carrier or submarine forces.

Frankly, I'm not all that worried about China because if they ever got into a war with the West, the resulting trade embargoes would collapse their economy and put a few hundred million people out on the street.

That is what the Chinese Communist Party really fears the most - a revolt by millions of poor, unemployed, disenchanted peasants, which was exactly what put them into power in 1949.

I agree, the thing will be razor blades in record time. They may sell it to India though.

It's ironic that China is sabre rattling at India because were they closer the PLAN could ask India for advise on carrier ops.

USA still has the nukes, that is the most important thing. China can build as large of army as it wants but so long as the USA can still burn China to the ground there will be no war.

Global War? No. Bad for business.

China expanding to a blue water navy? Only a matter of time.

They'll probably park it in a no-fly zone anyway.

Green plastic soldiers to man the ship not included.



-J.