What Should China Do If The US Uses Tactical Nukes?

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LawLeadsToPeace

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But that's exactly because attacking Apple at this point in time would play into the Trump admin's strategy for a tech war with China and hopefully provide a reason to "re-shore" factories or at least get Apple's factories out of China so the Trump admin. can start bombing.

Similarly,the US would try to instigate a crisis in east asian so as to have an excuse to send carriers to the taiwan strait, and if in the event of a US defeat (highly likely), they would consider launching a mini nuke at fiery cross reef or in the event of a SCS or taiwan confrontation (much like what Pompeo tried to do with the provocative flights so close to civilian airliners), so as to poison the region, materially as well as politically.
I think you along with a ton of Chinese people give Trump too much credit. There is a higher chance of him deploying US troops in DC, order them to open fire on protesters, and declare a dictatorship than him launching nukes. He is only acting tough because he thinks the Chinese leadership has no backbone and will back down. Examples of him actually backing down: the consulate in Houston, North Korea, and etc. If the Chinese threatened to cut off all diplomatic and economic ties with Trump, then he would have kowtowed and talked about Xi being his best friend.
 

quantumlight

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i
Is their suppose to be some distinction from tactical and strategic nukes? A nuke is a nuke. Ask that to the US if China just used a tactical nuke, how would the US respond? Is this the good guy versus bad guy logic where they think good guys can use nukes but international law says bad guys can't?
its about making escalation ladder more granular and thus more useable

right now DF41 is useless unless end of world scenario, it wont come into play in SCS or TW scenario...

TACs will let US get away with stuff that a normal nuke might force a proper retailation

So if US has them but China dont, China at huge disadvantage
 

hashtagpls

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Is their suppose to be some distinction from tactical and strategic nukes? A nuke is a nuke. Ask that to the US if China just used a tactical nuke, how would the US respond? Is this the good guy versus bad guy logic where they think good guys can use nukes but international law says bad guys can't?
A tactical nuke would merely be a very large conventional explosive but with the added radioactivity; already we have seen the US get away with acts of war that would have necessitated reprisals eg the assassination of Soleimeni.

The US would use a tactical nuke on a Chinese base in the SCS and then claim that it was a fair target since it was military personnel, and then turn its propaganda horn on if China responded with a tactical nuke at Guam
i

its about making escalation ladder more granular and thus more useable

right now DF41 is useless unless end of world scenario, it wont come into play in SCS or TW scenario...

TACs will let US get away with stuff that a normal nuke might force a proper retailation

So if US has them but China dont, China at huge disadvantage
Exactly this; it's about the US lowering the ceiling for using nukes of any sort to make it palatable to the public; already the US public is fine with stealing Chinese companies and jailing ethnic Chinese scientists. I doubt they would shed a tear for Chinese who die from radiation poisoning. US behaviour vis-a-vis Hiroshima shows that societally, there is no empathy with Asian lives. Nuking a Chinese base would be more palatable and acceptable than nuking Kalinigrad.
 

j17wang

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The natural and proportional response to a tactical nuke is obviously an entire countervalue strike against the US, no military targets just the highest density population of course. Nukes are valuable resources that can't be wasted on military assets.

How is China supposed to know that a tactical nuke isnt to be followed up by a general strike of extermination? Besides, if china is going to go down, I would at least prefer that we gave humanity one last parting gift, which is to restore as much as possible the demographic composition of North America from the pre-columbian era.

Nobod would even ask such a stupid question if such threat was made against the israelis, russian, north korean, pakistanis, americans,why should china act differently.
 

quantumlight

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The natural and proportional response to a tactical nuke is obviously an entire countervalue strike against the US, no military targets just the highest density population of course. Nukes are valuable resources that can't be wasted on military assets.

How is China supposed to know that a tactical nuke isnt to be followed up by a general strike of extermination? Besides, if china is going to go down, I would at least prefer that we gave humanity one last parting gift, which is to restore as much as possible the demographic composition of North America from the pre-columbian era.

Nobod would even ask such a stupid question if such threat was made against the israelis, russian, north korean, pakistanis, americans,why should china act differently.

I concur, if humanity is gonna fail at least give the rest of the planet and all other lifeforms another chance..

CPC leadership might not share our perspective and philosophy on this....

China needs to scramble to stockpile way more nukes and advance its delivery systems... and make clear to itself what threshold to act and when it acts do so swiftly, decisively, mercilessly in totality and absolution...

There are more important things than survival. If its going to end up this route, China needs to make darn sure the other party is wiped out as well, with finality
 

AssassinsMace

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its about making escalation ladder more granular and thus more useable

right now DF41 is useless unless end of world scenario, it wont come into play in SCS or TW scenario...

TACs will let US get away with stuff that a normal nuke might force a proper retailation

So if US has them but China dont, China at huge disadvantage
A tactical nuke would merely be a very large conventional explosive but with the added radioactivity; already we have seen the US get away with acts of war that would have necessitated reprisals eg the assassination of Soleimeni.

The US would use a tactical nuke on a Chinese base in the SCS and then claim that it was a fair target since it was military personnel, and then turn its propaganda horn on if China responded with a tactical nuke at Guam

Exactly this; it's about the US lowering the ceiling for using nukes of any sort to make it palatable to the public; already the US public is fine with stealing Chinese companies and jailing ethnic Chinese scientists. I doubt they would shed a tear for Chinese who die from radiation poisoning. US behaviour vis-a-vis Hiroshima shows that societally, there is no empathy with Asian lives. Nuking a Chinese base would be more palatable and acceptable than nuking Kalinigrad.

I did a simple Google search on which countries have tactical nukes and China is on the list. China has more nukes than ICBMs even before multi-warhead ICBM capabilities. What are all those extra nukes for?
 

quantumlight

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China really needs an AI "perimeter/deadhand" system..

For example autonomous nuclear unmanned subs that detect if mainland China got wiped out, if so, then launch second strike retaliation... or need underground autonomous launching mechanisms.... a triad to ensure successful retailation even if China leadership got decapitated in a surprise first strike or otherwise refused to counterattack for any reason, the AI will exact revenge
 

hashtagpls

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America's leaders are predominantly lawyers-even the Generals- hence why they would even start reasoning and bargaining over how to push the nuclear envelope; they will try to say that using a nuke on Fiery Cross reef or on a PLA Liberation of Taiwan Force is excusable, just as they are losing their last few carriers- much like how Gen. Douglas Macarthur wanted to use nukes on China because he couldn't compete against the PVA

Regarding China using British style "Letters of Last Resort", i'm sure PLAN submarine commanders have something similar in the event of nuclear war.
 

quantumlight

Junior Member
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America's leaders are predominantly lawyers-even the Generals- hence why they would even start reasoning and bargaining over how to push the nuclear envelope; they will try to say that using a nuke on Fiery Cross reef or on a PLA Liberation of Taiwan Force is excusable, just as they are losing their last few carriers- much like how Gen. Douglas Macarthur wanted to use nukes on China because he couldn't compete against the PVA

Regarding China using British style "Letters of Last Resort", i'm sure PLAN submarine commanders have something similar in the event of nuclear war.

In that hypothetical escalation situation, then China nukes Guam, Deigo Garcia, and Hawaii....
 
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