The relationship between the United States and China has deteriorated in recent years. Gone are the day of economic cooperation and win-win thinking. Now, trade wars are raging and there is genuine worry in Washington that China may launch an invasion of Taiwan. So, could we see a war between China and America, and if it broke out, could the US actually invade China?
The US could not invade China. The American military is not strong enough to conquer China. If a war broke-out between China and America, the US military does not intend to invade mainland China. This is a major indicator that it does not have the ability to conquer the country.
…that’s an overview. Let’s look in a bit more detail if America could invade China, and why it might. and what would happen if it did.
Does America Have the Military Strength to Invade China?
In order to assess if America could invade China, we need to look at America’s military strength, and see if it has the power to launch an attack on China.
It is unlikely that America has the military strength to invade China. The size of China’s population. combined with the geographical size of the country, means an invasion of China by the US would be almost impossible.
A second factor we must consider when looking at a possible US invasion of China is the comparative strength of the American armed forces against the Chinese. Below is a breakdown of the two armed forces:
| Country | Number of Active-Duty Soldiers | Number of Reservists | Number of Main Battle Tanks | Number of Combat Aircraft | Number of Warships |
| United States | 1,388,100 | 844,050 | 6,209 | 2,628 | 490 |
| China | 2,185,000 | 1,170,000 | 5,650 | 1,747+ | 355 |
All data from Wikipedia
In terms of soldiers, China has a significantly larger army than America. China has around 800,000 more active troops and 300,000 more reservists. This is a major factor in why the US could not invade China.
China has around 500 less main battle tanks than America. However, with over 5,000 tanks in their military, China’s armoured power is significant. This is would further make a US invasion difficult.
America has around 500 more combat aircraft than China. This would give the US a major advantage. With that said, China has over 1,700 aircraft available which would be very hard to defeat.
The Chinese navy is smaller than the US navy. This would assist America in an invasion. However, the Chinese navy is still enormous, and this would add a further factor making a US invasion unlikely to succeed.
A final factor to consider when assessing if the United States could invade China is that America would need to commit almost it’s entire military strength to an invasion. America currently has its armed forces stationed all around the world. It would need to pull these forces away from their current strategic locations and dedicate them to an invasion of China if they were to succeed. This could have a major impact on other regions of the world if US forces pulled out.
Why Would America Invade China?
It is clear America likely does not have the military strength to invade and conquer mainland China. However, to fully understand if a possible invasion of China by the US could happen, we need to look at what circumstances could see America launching an attack on China. Simply put – why would America invade China?
There is almost no reason why the US would invade China. Only as part of a major conflict between the nations would America consider an invasion of mainland China. However, even in a large-scale war between the countries the US would not need to invade China.
America is not willing to go war with China easily. The American government knows that a war with China, even without a full-scale invasion, would be enormously costly.
The US economy is closely linked to China’s. A war between them would have a massive impact on the US economy. It would also have a huge shock to the global economy, further costing America.
As well as the economic cost, a war with China would cost America massively in terms to lives lost, equipment destroyed, and finances needed to support their armed forces. It is not clear the US could win an easy victory over China, even without invading it.
Will The US Invade China?
Tensions between America and China are growing. There is an ongoing trade dispute between the two countries. There is also the risk of China invading Taiwan and America joining a conflict in its defence. So, if the US and China are seemingly on a collision course, will we see an America invasion of China?
America will not invade China. Although tensions between China and America are rising, an invasion of China is not in America’s strategic interest.
Sources state that in any war between the US and China, there is no plan for an American invasion. Although some think a conflict between the two world powers is looming – especially if China chooses to invade Taiwan, the US is not going to invade China.
It is clear that America does not have the military strength to conquer China. There is also not the political will in the United States to justify the loss of life, widespread destruction, and enormous cost than an invasion of China would involve. Therefore, the US is not going to invade China.
What Would Happen if America Invaded China?
An important factor to consider when discussing a possible US invasion of China is what would actually happen if America attacked? There are four things that would almost certainly happen if America invaded China:
- Enormous loss of life
- Widespread destruction
- Possibility of nuclear war
- Risk of other nations joining the conflict
Let’s go over each of these…
Enormous Loss of Life
If the US invaded China, there would be large-scale loss of life. Huge numbers of American and Chinese soldiers would be killed in the fighting. There would also be many civilian casualties on the Chinese side. There is no way a full-scale invasion of China by America does not result in extensive fighting, and this would surely cause many deaths.
Widespread Destruction
An American invasion of China would cause massive destruction. Although efforts would likely be made by US forces to reduce the amount of damage caused to civilian infrastructure, the extensive fighting and likely strong resistance from the Chinse would mean many cities would be badly damaged.
Possibility of Nuclear War
China is a nuclear power. It has around 350 nuclear warheads and the capacity to launch these against the United States. If America invaded China, there would be a serious risk of nuclear war.
Risk of Other Nations Joining the Conflict
An invasion of China by America would likely pull other nations into the conflict. North Korea is an ally of China and would likely be pulled into a large-scale war between China and the US. Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan are all American allies. If a conflict between American and China could not be contained, they may join an invasion of China.
How Would America Invade China?
Although a US invasion of China is extremely unlikely, and the US has no plan to attack China, the last aspect we should think about is what a US invasion of China might look like? It might be a small possibility, but to understand a war between China and the US, we need to think about how America would invade China?
An invasion of China by America would likely see them try and capture major urban centres, such as Beijing and Shanghai, as well as landing on the Western coast by sea. Battles would be focused in the highly populated eastern part of China.
Looking at recent US invasions – Iraq and Afghanistan, it is likely that any American invasion of China would be similar in many ways.
First, there would likely be attempts by America to destroy key military instillations using long-range missiles. America would also try to destroy as much of the Chinese air force as possible to gain air superiority.
A US invasion of China would probably see an attempt by the Americans to knock out the Chinese leadership. They would hope to instill regime change without the need to land major ground forces. It is likely the US would anticipate an uprising of the Chinese population against the regime in order to end the conflict. It is almost certain that landing a ground invasion of China would try and be avoided by America in almost all circumstances.