"The vast majority of Chinese citizens believe the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could seize islands in the East and South China Seas, even if the U.S. military were to intervene in the conflicts. No less than 87 percent of respondents said that the Chinese military already possessed the capability to take back the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands from Japan, according to a recent public opinion poll. When asked whether they still believed the PLA could achieve this objective if the U.S. intervened in the conflict, 74 percent said yes."
This is a very dangerous mindset! Those who follow this blog and the comparative defense reports we've put out there looking at China and the US's capabilities know that China is in NO position to take on the US virtually anywhere, much less in a situation involving the navies of the two countries. In this poll, you see the box the Chinese have put themselves in: if the US (or ANY country for that matter) should get involved in a dust-up with China, can the Chinese leadership back down without losing face with the folks back home? This polling suggests not.
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