by Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis
China issued many poorly worded ridiculous sounding threats (that I must assume sounded more menacing in Mandarin instead of the bad Bond movie villain speak that the English translations invoked) against Representative Pelosi in particular and the US in general.
One official government Chinese paper (not that the Chinese have independent media) suggested that China should shoot down Pelosi's flight.
When Pelosi completed her trip the Chinese threw a more dangerous temper tantrum, putting in a near blockade of Taiwan and holding multiple days of live fire exercises that involved lobbing missiles over Taiwan and into Japanese territorial waters.
China also reduced communications with the US, sanctioned Pelosi and her associates, and issued ominous statements about how upset they were and that real soon people (read the US) would regret messing with them.
The only violence the Chinese military excels at is internal repression of Chinese citizens subjects and Uighurs or Tibetans. Arresting outnumbered unarmed men and sexually assaulting their women is less dangerous than fighting people who will shoot back.
However, Chinese national belligerence, superiority complex, naval capacities, and revanchist attitudes have only been increasing over the past four decades. 2034 imagines the time when the Chinese dragon feels confident enough to start a shooting war with the American eagle.
In March, 2034 China suckers the US into a confrontation in the South China sea, one that China wins. China launches its long delayed invasion of Taiwan. Using allied nations China also starts conflicts in the Middle East.
And to its surprise and dismay the US discovers that transferring all that technical knowhow to China might not have been the best idea. The story is told through the POV of a US naval commodore, a US Marine pilot, a US National Security operative, a Chinese admiral, and an Iranian general/intelligence operative.
The story is interesting. Both authors are military men, combat veterans, and political operatives so presumably they accurately depict naval or combat life and the backstabbing inherent in office situations. I liked that.
But I thought the POV were too limited. We see the war's impact on the named people but little on the numerous "nobodies" in both countries and their reactions. How would Americans deal with war's devastation? What happens to the world economy when the two richest nations are at war?
American corporations in China would have to choose a side. What would they do? Would Chinese-Americans be interned? Would there be a rise in nativism in both nations? 2034 skips over all that. Ok read but I wanted more.
