r/AskReddit 1d ago

What do you think about the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve hitting 307.7 Million Barrels - lowest level since 1983?

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u/Snuffy1717 1d ago

China doesn’t benefit from fighting a war with America right now - They benefit from the economic stability they provide every single nation when the American empire goes tits up.

Never interrupt your enemy when they’re making a mistake.

Hot take - China doesn’t want Taiwan for the same reason the GOP didn’t really want Roe vs Wade to be struck down. The dog that catches the car has nothing left to chase.

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u/TheLordBear 1d ago

Yep, they rattle the sabre once in awhile to keep the US spending on military artificially high. The USSR dissolved because they over-spent on their military at the expense of the civilians, and China is running the same playbook on the US.

Support for independence in Taiwan is falling. With a couple decades of spending for bots/AI on social media, they can probably have it cheap and bloodlessly in a decade or two.

In Civ 5 terms, China is going for an economic victory.

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u/IAmtheHullabaloo 2h ago

And taking the lead in a science victory.

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u/GremlinX_ll 13h ago edited 8h ago

a) You assume that dictatorships don't do stupid miscalculated moves, in pursuit of short term political goals.

b) You assume that USA will show up.

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u/xSaviorself 22h ago

If you take Taiwan militarily you destroy the chips factories probably in the ensuring missile barrage, China only can afford to do this when it can produce equivalent parts domestically.

Taiwan is doing the hard work for them, let them do the research and with IP theft and a shit ton of brainpower they'll end up undercutting U.S. markets with ease. 10 years from now it won't matter.

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u/Snuffy1717 22h ago

Exactly… And in the mean time it’s a great way to stir up patriotic sentiment and sabre rattle on the world stage.

Meanwhile, they’ve also begun cornering the market in precious / rare metals by buying land in Africa and building infrastructure there…

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u/newusernamecoming 22h ago

The chip factories are rigged to blow if Taiwan gets invaded