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From: deichman@cod.nosc.mil (Shane D. Deichman)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Chinese Army and the Vietnam conflict of 1979
Message-ID: <1990Aug23.014219.709@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 23 Aug 90 01:42:19 GMT
References: <1990Jul27.015503.21955@cbnews.att.com> <1990Jul31.223503.6119@cbnews.att.com> <1990Aug6.031148.2110@cbnews.att.com> <1990Aug15.032014.25708@cbnews.att.com>
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From: deichman@cod.nosc.mil (Shane D. Deichman)


The Chinese Army was decimated by the Vietnamese in 1979 -- and not
by the regular Vietnamese Army, but by LOCAL MILITIA!!!  In the 
first four days of the conflict, the Chinese suffered over 60,000
casualties and lost a full 25% of their armored units.

Some ten years prior to this folly, the Chinese crossed the Soviet
border in order to reclaim some dirt.  The Soviets, after cooly
contemplating their options for a few days, summarily drove the
Chinese back to the border and into China, destroying each and
every standing edifice within a mile of the border.

The Chinese pose a strategic threat to no one.  Though it would be 
impossible to hold China without invoking genocidal policies, the
level of sophistication of Chinese forces is so low that they pose
very little threat to even their neighbors.  As for the Chinese
ICBM force (four liquid-propelled two-stagers that would probably do
more damage to China than to anyone else), who's worried about it?

The only thing the Chinese want from America is trade -- and not
mouthwash or deodorant, as American economists tend to think (they
see China as two billion yawning armpits and thirty-two billion
teeth yearning for American hygienic products).  All the Chinese
want from America is high-tech systems in small quantities so they
can retroengineer them to suit their own needs.


  |/|/|/|/|
  |       |
  |       |
  |   (o o)
  C       _)
  |  ,___/
  |    /
 /______          "I'm outta here, man!"

 -shane d deichman