China vs. USA: Empires at War
**1/2
They have 1.4 billion people. Two hundred nuclear warheads. The largest industrial economy. And an unquenchable desire to be the world’s #1 superpower.

A showdown is inevitable. World War III. The United States vs. China.

I absolutely do not believe that. China is our economic rival, not our enemy.

I am certain that the United States would be a better, happier, more egalitarian country today if we had never granted China Most Favored Nation status and become its largest trading partner. However, there is one positive thing about doing so much business with China. We aren’t going to go to war.

The militaristic kooks who made the documentary “China vs. USA: Empires at War” have a different take on the subject.

This is a well-thought-out and substantive film. It interviews experts from both sides of the Pacific to analyze China’s motivations and military might.

They explain in detail why China is a formidable enemy. History Channel viewers will enjoy the description of the different ways that Beijing is preparing for the great war to come.

Twenty years ago, the Chinese recognized that US aircraft carriers were a menace that they couldn’t contend with. So Beijing responded by building a fleet of stealthy diesel submarines.

It was clear that America had a huge advantage in satellite technology which allows our military to coordinate battles better than any foe. So China responded by creating satellite-disabling lasers that can temporarily send American generals back to the age of battery-powered walkie talkies.

I have no idea whether this is a real threat or sci-fi paranoia, but “China vs. USA” claims that China could detonate a nuclear bomb in the Pacific Ocean that would fry all electrical equipment in the area – rendering an entire American fleet completely helpless.

But why would China want to use its fancy weapons on us, you may ask? Because, the film argues, The United States is going to declare war on China when China invades Taiwan.

War with China. For Taiwan? Like heck we are.

I don’t have any idea what you think of the good folks of Taiwan. But I know darn well that you aren’t willing to sacrifice your son or grandson in a war over Taiwanese sovereignty.

And as little as we want war, China wants it even less.

We buy $500,000,000,000 in Chinese-made stuff per year. As much as I hate all of the deindustrialization and materialism that comes with our trade relationship with China, I have to admit that it acts as a guarantor of peace between our great nations.

The United States could do just fine without all of those imports (we’d start making iPhones and iPads in America and hopefully just quit buying all that other junk). China would, at best, fall into a terrible economic depression without its fix of half a trillion US dollars each year. More likely, the regime in Beijing would collapse a couple of months into the war.

“China vs. US: Empires at War” is an interesting movie about an important topic. But it is hilariously wrong.