Comments by "Alan Friesen" (@alanfriesen9837) on "Chinese Navy just launched its biggest aircraft carrier ever" video.

Their utility in war is something that can be debated, but they are very valuable during peacetime for securing and defending trade routes.
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Saroshi I always thought you could fill a freighter with cheap drones especially if they have sufficient AI to not require a pilot. I've wondered recently though if this isn't old technology. I mean what's the practical difference between a suicide drone and a missile?
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@charlesdoesstuff7379 I beg to differ about nobody having issues with Chinese sovereignty. If that was the case then the rest of the world would be encouraging Taiwan to negotiate their incorporation into the PRC, and nobody would have been sending political and material support to the Hong Kong separatists a few years ago. That being said, Chinese claims in the South China Sea are, shall we say, ambitious, regardless of whether or not they go back hundreds of years. The South China Sea claims are something that China needs to work out with the other claimants. I think it's perfectly all right to back other countries in their claims and try to make sure that they have some capacity to resist Chinese intimidation, but ultimately there has to be an agreement that doesn't entirely dismiss China's strength and China's history. The rules that everyone is accusing China of breaking are rules that were put in place when China was weak and without their consultation. This includes the territorial waters definitions and the McMahon line in the Himalayas. China acknowledges the rules that it benefits from and it constantly tests the rules that it doesn't like. It will continue to do this, because that is what is in China's best interest. The power dance between China pushing for a new world order and the United States defending the status quo is to be expected. I think that it's really unlikely to erupt into anything serious though. China is very adept at compartmentalizing its issues. It has pretty good relations with all of its neighbors along the South China Sea despite the territorial disagreements. China even takes advantage of the complicated relationship it has with India, they fight and yet they stay engaged, kind of like a difficult marriage. Taiwan's a different story. China will go to the mat on that one.
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I seriously doubt the Chinese will send out into the open ocean alone.
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In my foolish optimism I still hold out hope that unification can occur without violence. It would certainly be the best option for the people of China, Taiwan, the United States and the rest of the world.
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@evilchili4787 The culture in Taiwan is Chinese. The political systems are different, but if the people of Taiwan want to preserve their right to a democracy at the provincial level, they have a much better chance at negotiating that then they do at defending it militarily.
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@evilchili4787 China lived up to their end of the Hong Kong deal, both the one in the 1820s and the one in the 1980s—this despite the fact that they never acknowledged Britain's right to set terms in either "deal".
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@evilchili4787 They vet the candidates, which is not prohibited in the handover agreement but it is usually what "pro-democracy" demonstrators don't like. "…what's to stop them from doing that same thing to Taiwan?" They probably would vet candidates to make sure that they are not secessionists. But as for further interference beyond what is negotiated, just a promise. Nothing can guaranty that the central government wouldn't "go back on their word." but there's a good chance that they wouldn't so long as no culture of sedition arises. The alternative is to get curb-stomped in a hot war which leads to an environment reminiscent of a hostile occupation similar to what Japan suffered immediately after the end of World War Two where the political system is dictated by hard-liners.
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@evilchili4787 Well, they are part of China. I just see two roads ahead for Taiwan. One road leads to death, massive suffering, and total loss of any kind of local control of their government for a generation or more. The other road is much less certain. It's based on what can be negotiated and which negotiated terms are honored. I get that you don't trust the central government. I think in the long run the governance of special zones like Hong Kong, Macau, and, if the second road is taken, Taiwan, will probably evolve to match the rest of China, whatever that looks like in the future, but it does give these areas some time to integrate with some of their peculiarities. It also gives them a chance influence the rest of the country and respectfully promote the values that they want to see preserved over time. The choice of which road to take is ultimately going to depend on the people of Taiwan, but I don't realistically see another road.
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The most effective use of an aircraft carrier is intimidation.
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Whatever it takes.
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That is not correct. The United States is still very much a superpower and will likely be so for the foreseeable future.
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@evanangeletos964 I take it you haven't been to China in the last decade.
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@SpaceMonkeyBoi China seems to be pretty good at providing housing and services to her people.
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@SpaceMonkeyBoi Fair point, although the government usually goes after the people involved in construction failures once they occur.
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@SpaceMonkeyBoi Getting rid of corruption is the trick. It's all but impossible unless you have a terrifying secret police force. China had an anticorruption campaign in 2012 that eliminated a great deal of corruption, though clearly not all. It was very popular among ordinary Chinese. My understanding is that Russia has a much greater corruption problem than China. In the United States the illegal corruption problem has been largely eliminated by making it all perfectly legal. ;)
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Doesn't it hurt to hate so deeply? It can't be good for the brain.
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@sarinsarin7898 You obviously hate. The quality of Chinese manufacturing and engineering today is world class. If you got Chinese crap, it's because you ordered Chinese crap. The Chinese are perfectly willing to accommodate your parsimony. As for copying, of course they copy. It's the most efficient way to catch up on technologies that are already established. In fact, not copying would be an act of stupidity. And if there is one thing the Chinese aren't, it's stupid.
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There is no need for the Chinese to be enemies of the United States, so long as the United States recognizes China's right to be China.
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Agreed, but the gap is quickly narrowing.
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@babyyoda6549 China has no desire to fight the United States, but they do want their province back and they're not afraid to fight to get it back. Their desire isn't to out-do the United States, it's to control their own destiny. Their analysis of the intentions of the United States indicates that in order to do this, they have to have enough military strength to control the waters in the Western Pacific out to the second island chain.
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@babyyoda6549 China has no fear of Japan or South Korea. Also, it's extremely unlikely that South Korea will attack China, and while Japan is more likely, I wouldn't call it likely.
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@babyyoda6549 You know how the IJN was defeated, don't you? Japan was unable to produce ships at anything like the rate that the United States could. The same is true in relation to China today. That's not to say that Japan would not be formidable in their own right, or particularly formidable in an alliance with the U.S. Navy, but a modern Japanese navy would not be comparable to what China could produce.
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You've got one hell of a bathtub.
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A2AD
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