Throughout the 1980s, China remained engaged in armed conflicts with both Vietnam and the Soviet Union, particularly along disputed border regions. These confrontations included significant skirmishes that continued into the late 80s. In some cases, what that looked like was artillery barrages hitting population centers. In more recent years, tensions with India have persisted, culminating in deadly clashes in 2020 during the Galwan Valley incident, where both sides suffered fatalities.
There's also been significant tension or territorial encroachments with other neighbors such as Japan, South Korea, Bhutan, Nepal, Phillipines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. There's some minor political tension with Mongolia.
You could argue that none of the things I mentioned were actual wars, but you could make the same argument against many of the things America was involved with. Troop movements into Iraq are considered wars on the top line, but military buildups around Taiwan are not considered wars on the bottom line. Peacekeeping operations are considered wars on the top line, but Chinese military operations against pirates were not. China also participated in UN missions in the 2020s just like America did, notably in South Sudan, Mali, and Lebanon. It's tough to say America is at war when they're on UN missions but China is not.
Moreover, as we've seen in Ukraine, the United States ends up getting dragged into conflicts through their de facto role as policemen of the world, and when they start to act as if they might stop the entire world screams in terror. Even China relies on the American military to keep shipping lanes safe or they could not remain a global manufacturing superpower like they are.
Interestingly, the war between Vietnam and China occurred because Communist Russia-backed Communist Vietnam invaded the Communist China-backed Communist Cambodia. Interestingly, this really is a story that goes back long before Marx or even the modern era, since Asia's politics reside in long memories.
And don't get me wrong -- as a Canadian, I have a genetic allergic reaction to defending US militarism, but we can't pretend China is actually a good comparison.
There's also been significant tension or territorial encroachments with other neighbors such as Japan, South Korea, Bhutan, Nepal, Phillipines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. There's some minor political tension with Mongolia.
You could argue that none of the things I mentioned were actual wars, but you could make the same argument against many of the things America was involved with. Troop movements into Iraq are considered wars on the top line, but military buildups around Taiwan are not considered wars on the bottom line. Peacekeeping operations are considered wars on the top line, but Chinese military operations against pirates were not. China also participated in UN missions in the 2020s just like America did, notably in South Sudan, Mali, and Lebanon. It's tough to say America is at war when they're on UN missions but China is not.
Moreover, as we've seen in Ukraine, the United States ends up getting dragged into conflicts through their de facto role as policemen of the world, and when they start to act as if they might stop the entire world screams in terror. Even China relies on the American military to keep shipping lanes safe or they could not remain a global manufacturing superpower like they are.
Interestingly, the war between Vietnam and China occurred because Communist Russia-backed Communist Vietnam invaded the Communist China-backed Communist Cambodia. Interestingly, this really is a story that goes back long before Marx or even the modern era, since Asia's politics reside in long memories.
And don't get me wrong -- as a Canadian, I have a genetic allergic reaction to defending US militarism, but we can't pretend China is actually a good comparison.
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