Trump's talking up his China visit next year with all the enthusiasm of a dealmaker closing a big one. Fine. But the thing is: America's got to pick between two paths ahead. Either Washington works with Beijing to uphold a genuine international order—not the selective "rules-based" playbook the West loves to cite—or it rallies the old imperial gang for an "Empire Strikes Back" scenario across the Asia-Pacific.
Two days back, China's carrier Fujian slipped through the Taiwan Strait. First time since commissioning. The Fujian isn't just China's third carrier—it's the first one designed, developed, and built entirely in China, and it's got electromagnetic catapults. That's not just hardware. That's a statement.
Then, Washington green-lit $11.15 billion in arms sales to Taiwan—the biggest weapons package to the island in U.S. history. The Pentagon's spin? The sales "serve “U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability." China's Foreign Ministry didn't mince words today: U.S. arms sales to support (Taiwan) independence will only backfire on itself.
Okinawa Radar Games
Meanwhile, the U.S. and Japan are making their big moves. On December 15, Japan's Ministry of Defense signed a land lease deal to deploy mobile radar on Okinawa's easternmost island—all to track Chinese carriers and aircraft operating between Okinawa and Miyako islands. Beijing's spokesperson fired back with a pointed question: Is Japan creating incidents and engaging in close-range provocations to provide cover and excuses for its own military expansion? Is it following the track of right-wing forces down the evil and dead-end path of militarism?
Here's something worth to note: Japan's an old imperial power too. And it was once a major carrier nation.
Back in September, the U.S. military website Army Recognition broke the story that China's first nuclear-powered carrier, the 004, is already under construction. When foreign media pressed China's Defense Ministry on whether "China is building a fourth aircraft carrier and whether it will be nuclear-powered," the spokesperson played it cool: they "do not have specific information."
But as the saying goes: God is in the details. Expert analysis suggests the PLA's aiming to go toe-to-toe with America's supercarrier USS Gerald R. Ford. The 004 nuclear carrier is expected to displace somewhere between 110,000 and 120,000 tons with a length of 340 meters—outclassing the Ford-class at 100,000 tons and 337 meters. The 004's projected to carry over 90 aircraft, beating the Ford's roughly 75.
Twenty-Five Years, Three Carriers
What can you call a miracle? Everyone knows aircraft carriers were the domain of major industrial powers from the early 20th century, taking a full century of development to achieve dominance over the seven seas. Here's some context: China purchased the Varyag in 1999 and started refitting it at Dalian Shipyard on April 26, 2002. On September 25, 2012, it was officially renamed Liaoning and entered service. China went from zero to carrier capability in just 25 years. Are Chinese carriers really viable? That's the question many netizens keep asking—mainly the ones from Japan.
The great architect and Bauhaus pioneer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe summed up his life's work by pointing out that architecture lives in the details. "Precise details and vivid vitality can create a great work," he said. Flip side? Sloppy details destroy order and rules—as terrifying as the devil himself.
China's carrier success reflects its industrial achievements and excellent execution capability—rooted in outstanding historical traditions. Look at the infrastructure built during the “Spring and Autumn” and “Warring States” periods: the Qin Speedway, Dujiangyan, Zhengguo Canal, and the Great Wall. You'll quickly realize that Chinese culture goes way beyond mere "craftsmanship." What's the difference? Strategic vision combined with meticulous attention to detail.
Trump's Details Problem
Trump doesn't sweat the small stuff—but he can't establish himself through integrity either. Take the Nobel Peace Prize, for instance. Today's world isn't the world of 200 years ago. America's current situation looks exactly like Spain's futile attachment to the Americas back then. But perhaps it's even worse, and this comes down to details: U.S. carrier aircraft repeatedly lose wheels during takeoff, and there have been incidents of accidentally shooting down their own planes in the darkness.
Postscript: Don't know what you're thinking, Trump. But if you want to fight, you've got to get the details right first—especially quality control. A superpower can't be this sloppy and disorganized, yeah?
Deep Blue
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