China is doing really fine right now, why would it destabilize its own region? Free PR, outstanding manufacturing capabilities, a lot of manpower, most amount of trades, US being written off as unreliable partner and etc.
This. I spent 6 weeks in Taiwan last year traveling around the island. Unless there is a US President as brave as Bill Clinton who put two aircraft carrier strike groups between the island and the mainland in support of democratic elections, it will take 3 days to take over the island and not a single shot will be fired. Since the chip lithography systems can be shut remotely, there isn't any reason to attack the island.
Pretty much. My understanding of current US realpolitiks is that leadership finally realized that they can't really do much about Chinese superiority in every single competing industry, and all these unwelcoming outcomes are just freak outs and bunch of "hail mary"s with the hopes it can somehow reverse something. It's just not acceptable from an American PoV to not perceived as "best and strongest", so everyone is having a hard time coping with it.
Japan kinda went through the same problem in 80s/90s, but from a different angle. The problem is, US can't pull the same on China as it did with Japan.
