I wish I could be as optimistic as the author.

I think we are heading for a bloody war, likely nuclear, over Taiwan.

This war was fortunately delayed due to the heroic resistance of Ukraine, otherwise it would have occurred already, but I don't think it can be delayed forever.

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Dear Ttbn,

Chinese car?

Why you cannot even buy a piece of rope in Australia that was not made in China. I would be much more concerned about spying devices concealed in these arm-waving fortune-cats, not to mention watches and clocks that knowingly contain electronic components.

BALLOON "CRISIS" FOR BIDEN'S BENEFIT

Very true ttbn

Where you say "the CCP spy balloon that the U.S should have destroyed the moment it was detected."

Shooting down a small and light payload balloon involves little danger when it can be done with a very accurate and small 85kg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-9_Sidewinder missile. The USAF could even had fitted a safety parachute for the missile's main propulsion-guidance body to deploy after the warhead's proximity explosion destroyed the balloon.

Alternatively the Gun of an F-22 is accurate enough to fire just five tracer shots with just one "walked" onto, the near static, balloon target. The shot may have caused a small hole, slow leak, in the balloon, allowing the payload to more slowly descend to farmland or national park. http://www.gd-ots.com/armaments/aircraft-guns-gun-systems/f22/#:~:text=The%20F%2D22A%2020mm%20Gun,high%20reliability%20at%20minimum%20weight.

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Overall I think Biden wanted to paint himself as a "Tough on China" president, with a view to the Nov 2024 Presidential Election.

The balloon being permitted to fly over the whole continental US prolonged the confected balloon "crisis" - for Biden's benefit.

Mavs
(Used to work with US and Aus armed forces intelligence.)

Britain gave the Americans a bit of a belting in 1812,
Asplay,
Might have had something to do with the British still being English then !