Relations between the United States and China have been rocky since 2018, following Donald Trump’s declaration of a trade war against the communist nation. However, an expert has warned about China’s widening technological reach, and should the conflict erupt into a war, the US may be defeated.
Dr. Malcolm Davis of the Strategic Policy Institute explained how China may overpower the US. Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Dr. Davis explained that because China is increasingly advancing in technology, the US may not be able to match up. This was worsened over the recent months because of Trump’s feud with the video-sharing app TikTok and its China-based owner, ByteDance. The Trump administration accused the company of sharing the data of American users to Beijing, a claim that Bytedance has denied.
The ongoing cyber feud between the US and China has people worrying about a potential World War 3 breaking out. Dr. Davis also reasoned that China may be looking to challenge the United States at sea and air, which could lead to Taiwan getting caught in the crossfire of this conflict as well.
“That could tempt it to make moves in the South China Sea and against Taiwan. The US may not be ready to meet that challenge,” said Dr. Davis.
“The main challenge the US forces is sustaining the ability to project military force deep inside China’s anti-access and area denial perimeter – which is expanding as the PLA introduces new longrange strike capability.”
China has touted its advanced military vehicles, from long range anti-ship ballistic missiles and hypersonic missiles. In terms of software, experts already believe that President Xi Jinping and his government have, in essence, been using China itself as a testing ground for spyware and artificial intelligence-based technology like face recognition and data harvesting.
Meanwhile, China also has a long-running dispute against India over control of the border. However, World War 3 fears were stoked when a Beijing official warned that India’s intervention or participation at the much-disputed South China Sea would lead to Beijing taking action against its forces at sea.
China has laid claim over the South China Sea, and has asserted control by deploying warships and building its own airstrips and artificial islands. The US has also deployed its own warships and India has also joined in following its heated border conflict in recent months.