In a war between the U.S. & China, would the Chinese attempt to attack the Panama Canal?

Discussion in 'Warfare / Military' started by Dayton3, Nov 5, 2020.

  1. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

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    In order to damage the U.S. both economically and militarily, if war broke out between the U.S. and China would the Chinese attempt to disable the Panama Canal? The canal should be fairly easy to damage with land attack cruise missiles launched against either set of locks from ships off shore some distance. Failing that simply sending a ship through the canal with a large explosive device aboard to be detonated in one of the sets of locks (after the crew quickly abandons it) would probably be more than enough to disable one of the sets of locks.


    Note an attack doesn't have to destroy the canal or the locks for any length of time much less permanently. Just a few weeks duration would hurt U.S. trade and impede the ability of the U.S. to move major warships and support vessels from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
     
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2020
  2. modernpaladin

    modernpaladin Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I don't see why not. I don't think it would be devastating to us, but certainly it would hurt us more than them.
     
  3. Spooky

    Spooky Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I don't think so. While we can't invade China they can't project power. Any ship or plane of theirs in that area would quickly be destroyed. Besides it's not too difficult to simply go the long way around.
     
  4. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

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    Going around South American takes days and even weeks longer than simply going through the canal. A major war would probably last only a few weeks at most. So having warships and even more importantly support vessels take an extra week or more to get to a combat region could be a pretty big deal.
     
  5. Spooky

    Spooky Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Well we would see them moving as soon as they started so would already have everything over there. Most of it is probably in that area right now.
     
  6. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

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    What about replacements for destroyed ships?

    By the way when I'm talking about a war with China I'm going by a U.S. Marine Corps (IIRC) war game that was conducted where the U.S. fought a major war with Russia and China at the same time. The war with China was mainly a naval and air war fought with almost all U.S. naval forces being sent into the western Pacific and the war with Russia was fought on land in Eastern Europe with almost all of the U.S. Army and Marines sent to fight there.
     
  7. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

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    What about replacements for destroyed ships?

    By the way when I'm talking about a war with China I'm going by a U.S. Marine Corps (IIRC) war game that was conducted where the U.S. fought a major war with Russia and China at the same time. The war with China was mainly a naval and air war fought with almost all U.S. naval forces being sent into the western Pacific and the war with Russia was fought on land in Eastern Europe with almost all of the U.S. Army and Marines sent to fight there.
     
  8. Spooky

    Spooky Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Well we can't go into mainland China so right there it makes it a stalemate. That region is in range of land based defenses giving them the advantage. They could just throw stuff at us nonstop.

    Russia has nothing to gain by going to war with anyone. They can't afford it anyways.
     
  9. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

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    No. But we can put in a highly effective distant blockade of China that would destroy their economy in months at most and have tens of millions of Chinese rioting in the streets over there. And no it wouldn't hurt the U.S. economy remotely as much.
     
  10. Farnsworth

    Farnsworth Well-Known Member

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    Most of the trade going through the canal is Chinese; doubt they would close it. They wouldn't need to. Red China relies on massive imports of raw materials from Brazil and other South American countries and dumping finished products in Mexico for shipment to the U.S.

    The first strike will be a biological attack combined with computer attacks. The Covid epidemic proves just how incompetent the U.S. is at handling even a mild epidemic, and it would not be hard for the Red Chinese to inoculate its own people without anybody even knowing about it from a disease they themselves brewed up and then simply release, again with nobody knowing about it until too late. In any event, countries like Russia and Red China who have never balked at human wave attacks and taking massive casualties could care less about taking casualties anyway, even if they did lose some control over a virus or didn't have enough vaccine to go around.
     
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2020
  11. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    After the US gave back the Panama Canal to Panama, something many of you may not know, some time after that the government of Panama sold it to a Chinese company with ties to the Chinese government.

    in May 2017, The Chinese Company- Landbridge Group signed a $900 million dollar deal to control the Margarita Island Port, Panama’s largest port. This deal, while committing Landbridge Group to the maintenance of the Port facilities, it will provide access to one of the most important goods distribution centers in the world.
    Margarita Port, is the Gatekeeper to the Panama Canal, one of the world’s most vital sea gates and a critical trade hub.
    Landbridge Group is a private company but like most big Chinese Companies, it is controlled by the Committee of the Communist Party of China.
    Landbridge Group CEO Ye Cheng is a senior member of the 12th National Chinese People Political Consultative Conference Committee.

    Also see this thread about the Chinese Communist Party taking more direct control over private Chinese companies: China's government will take more direct control over private companies


    Editorial: While America slept, China gained a stranglehold on the Panama Canal

    This might not seem like a major issue for folks here in the Midwest, but the vast majority of commercial products and farm commodities traded by local farmers pass through the Panama Canal. Access to the canal is vital for U.S. military vessels, including nuclear submarines. Few waterways carry higher strategic importance for the United States, which is why the U.S. militarily occupied Panama for nearly a century.​

    https://www.stltoday.com/opinion/ed...cle_30203f97-8324-55f0-b878-351e945c2e1c.html

    China's Landbridge Group has also acquired Margarita Island- the largest port in Panama.
    June 2016

    Located near the entrance to the Panama Canal, the port is located in the largest free trade zone in the western hemisphere- Colon Free Trade zone, boasting air, land, rail and sea transportation.

    The zone is one of the most important goods distribution centers in the world, and Landbridge Group is planning to construct a deep-water port that will have four container berths. Once the Panama Canal has been expanded, much larger container ships will have the ability to pass through, reducing transport time, distance and costs.
    The purchase is estimated to be US$900 million, with an initial investment of $500 million and $400 million for a logistics park.​

    https://blog.iseekplant.com.au/blog/chinas-landbridge-group-buys-largest-port-panama

    Chinese firm starts work on $1bn Panamanian megaport
    June 2017
    A $1 billion project to build a new deepwater port and container terminal near the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal has begun. Both its developer and the firm building it are Chinese.

    https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/chinese-firm-starts-w7rk-1bn-panama7nian-meg7aport/
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 12, 2020
  12. Farnsworth

    Farnsworth Well-Known Member

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    They also bought U.S. ports, but Trump forced them out.

    https://www.americanthinker.com/blo...ces_china_to_sell_the_port_of_long_beach.html

    The Obama administration had no problems with OOCL signing a 40-year lease with the City of Long Beach in 2012 for control of America's second largest and most automated container handling operation. The sweetheart deal was part of the "Middle Harbor Redevelopment Program" to fund a $1.5-billion expansion through 2020.

    But one of the first major actions of the Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security in March 2017 was issuing a "Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S." national security hold on Cosco's acquisition of a former U.S. Navy port facility.


    The U.S. government subsidized a lot of port expansions, doing its part to promote off-shoring and foreign labor racketeering operations and screw its own people.
     
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2020
  13. Farnsworth

    Farnsworth Well-Known Member

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    Last edited: Nov 11, 2020
  14. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

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    IIRC going around South America adds one to two weeks to any trip.
     
  15. Farnsworth

    Farnsworth Well-Known Member

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    dblpost
     
    Last edited: Nov 16, 2020
  16. Farnsworth

    Farnsworth Well-Known Member

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    they wouldn't go that route, they would go via Africa, Indian Ocean to Singapore route. Many modern commercial shipping companies use both routes, and have similar transit times. Navy vessels would be quicker, of course. If the Canal were blocked that is the route they would take.
     
  17. Mandelus

    Mandelus Well-Known Member

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    It is something of "crocodile tears crying" here, to be frank and honest!

    Of course, it is clear to me that China has been declared the new "Empire of the Evil" by Trump and his supporters ... which is by no means entirely unfounded, but also has a lot to do with the fact that China is the greatest competitor for the world power position USA is ... and who loves competition, eh?

    Only the whole thing quickly becomes a hypocritical comedy when you start accusing China of things, or start protecting yourself from "evil Chinese and other foreign influences" ... but the USA demonstrably does exactly the same things in other places or itself get upset when others protect themselves from "evil American influences". Isn't it?
     
  18. ArmySoldier

    ArmySoldier Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Did you read the exposed analysis of the 2013 Drone and hacking intelligence that was made public because of the very famous whistle blower?

    And it's Trump that declared China the new empire of evil? LOL
     
  19. Moi621

    Moi621 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Didn't you hear?

    The Northwest Passage is open!
    And a shorter distance in most cases.


    Moi
    :oldman:





    no-canada-1.gif
    :flagcanada: Charges Tolls
    to use the NW Passage
     

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