The website of the U.S. think tank The Council on Foreign Relations has published an online debate: Does China Pose a Military Threat?
Richard Halloran is one of two participants. He sketches out four scenarios to answer the question “Whither China in Asia and the world?”. His “guess” is that the following will happen:
Revival of the Middle Kingdom – in which China will seek to acquire enough political, economic, diplomatic, and military power to dominate Asia without its armies crossing borders. In a new version of the dynastic eras, China will insist that no major decision will be made in any Asian capital without the approval of Beijing.
Makes sense.
The other commenter, John J. Tkacik, Jr. who wears a bowtie and is thus difficult to take seriously, thinks this is going to happen:
In short, an anschluss with Taiwan, predominance over Japan and the removal of the U.S. presence in the western Pacific is at the heart of Beijing”s “intentions.” The question is: What are we going to do about it?