[graemep]

Is Russia really a threat? It has a small economy. Its no threat at all to the US, and could be easily be beaten by the European NATO countries. It has struggled to take on just Ukraine with western backing.

China has a far bigger economy and far bigger armed forces. It has a history of aggression and has border disputes with multiple countries.

I strongly suspect that people who downplay the risk from China have not yet internalised the fact that no-white countries are powerful too now.

[pjc50]

The airliner shootdown? The polonium poisonings? Miscellaneous sabotage attempts in Europe? In addition to, you know, the active war.

There's a lot of things that China "might" do but hasn't so far translated into significant violence, beyond the low-intensity border dispute in the mountains with India. Do they have power? Yes. Are they making threats? Other than a war of words with Japan, not really. What is this "history of aggression"?

Between China and the US, only one of those two has made threats to the territorial integrity of Europe.