'Cos this time they WILL get a slap!!

China is committed to its goal of peaceful development, a Beijing academic said in response to Friday's remarks on the country's "military threat" by US Vice-President Dick Cheney.

But Cheney, a leading architect in the Bush administration of the decision to invade Iraq, said China's "military build-up" and its missile test last month "are not consistent with China's stated goal of a peaceful rise".

Nothing like biting off what you can't chew eh??

Oh dear, is there nobody the US will not pick a fight with. Leave this one alone George, China will beat you hands down.

All they have to do is cut off america's supply of manufactured items for six months. That's one way of finding out what the yanks still make for themselves.

I don't think they would. USAs long range ICBMs outstrip Chinas and I read somewhere last year on the BBC that China can only take out the Western seaboard of the USA with nukes.

China has the biggest army but it lags behind technologically. USAs tactics are also geared towards a global conflict, as their shock and awe strategy implies. China can't do anything if it isn't able to get it's men out of the country. And the USAs performance with gloves off would be utterly different to it's hamstrung show at the moment.

So the USA has superior ICBMs, nuclear submarines, stealth bombers and anti missile technology. It also has many more friends, us included. China has hardly any friends, possibly Nigeria. That's it. In fact China is surrounded by enemies and suspicious neighbours. US bases exist in Taiwan, central Asia, South Korea and Japan and powerful nuclear neighbours like India, Russia and Pakistan are fearful of China's rise.

I think the 'war' would be over very quickly, possibly hours. The USA would be strolling up Beijing High Street by the end of the week, not that it would have to.

A good analogy is Pool's position to Walsall's 13 weeks ago, lots of potential and the future is bright, but still a hell of a distance to go.