[enjoy-your-stay]

>...and still, no one seems willing to answer if they or their kids should be among the dead/maimed

Why don't you instead ask that of the Chinese? How many of them are willing to go to the bottom of the ocean in order to complete a pointless and petty war? There's a lot of hostile water between the mainland and the sovereign nation of Taiwan that they'll have to cross, many would die. And for what?

The USA has one of the largest and most ready navies in the world, if it came to a fight, China - which has very little naval experience in war as far as I can remember - might find itself massively outclassed between the US and possibly Japan.

What then happens in a war of attrition where China can't win, but won't back down?

The allies will basically blockade China until it chokes to death on it's own hubris, and industrial production will return to the US and Europe.

[azinman2]

They have a large population and are constantly stroking nationalism. In the US the current younger generation has an anti-US mindset (not understanding really the alternatives). There's (many) reasons the US military is having trouble recruiting young talent.