Military. I recall reading earlier this year that their hypersonic missile tech is outstripping ours. Everyone believes we have to rebuild our military industrial base - they churn out (reportedly state of the art) ships much faster than we do.

How do we define victory vs Xi? Like Putin, he can win just by waiting out US resolve, which is fleeting. What are Ukraine’s prospects if Trump wins in Nov? Dicey at best. So, I don’t know. I don’t know if our military is as atrophied as some pessimists suggest. I do know that our national resolve these days is less than iron clad.. Question is, will China feel that’s a worthwhile risk to counter this ancient fear of encirclement? A govt not answering to the will of its people may say yes, and that they have to do it before their economy really falls off a cliff due to demographics.