Existential Threat from China Compared to the Soviet Union

The USA’s existential threat from China is considered more challenging than the former Soviet Union due to several key factors:

1. Economic Power: Unlike the Soviet Union, China has a massive and rapidly growing economy. The U.S. and China are deeply economically interlinked, with China being a major trading partner and holder of U.S. debt. This economic interdependence complicates confrontation and makes economic decoupling difficult.
2. Technological Advancement: China has made significant strides in technology and innovation, challenging U.S. dominance in critical sectors such as artificial intelligence and 5G. For instance, China’s advancements in Huawei’s 5G technology pose a direct challenge to U.S. technological hegemony.
3. Military Modernization: China’s military modernization and assertive policies in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait present a more dynamic and immediate challenge compared to the Soviet Union’s more static Cold War posture.
4. Global Influence: China’s Belt and Road Initiative has expanded its influence globally, countering U.S. geopolitical strategies in ways that the Soviet Union never did.

These factors make China’s threat multifaceted and potentially more destabilizing than the geopolitical challenge posed by the Soviet Union.