The USA-PRC Alliance in T2k

[Tegyrius]

I'm also lost as to your point, Cat. Both Rae's original thread and my post from this morning are specific to the v1 canon timeline, which explicitly has the US and other NATO nations sending military aid to China.

- C.

[3catcircus]

Originally Posted by Tegyrius

I'm also lost as to your point, Cat. Both Rae's original thread and my post from this morning are specific to the v1 canon timeline, which explicitly has the US and other NATO nations sending military aid to China.

- C.

I guess what I'm getting at is this: China's trajectory in the late 80s/early 90s in the real world is what has led us to where they are in 2021. That trajectory in the v1 timeline is the same in the late 80s/early 90s as it is in the real world. Why would a communist regime with ambitions of world domination suddenly change course to align with a capitalist democracy and go against another communist regime? Sure there is no love lost between China and Soviet Russia, but history before the v1 timeline diverges from reality shows that communist regimes have promoted other communist regimes as a means to an end, even if they don't culturally care for them...

In the real world, in 1996, China ordered Sovremenny destroyers, Kilo submarines and SU-30 fighters from Russia... Even after the fall of the USSR. I just don't see any realistic scenario in v1 or V2 timelines where China and the US ally.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by 3catcircus

I just don't see any realistic scenario in v1 or V2 timelines where China and the US ally.

Fair enough. I'm not trying to change your mind, but I do want to challenge a couple of assumptions that you presented.

Originally Posted by 3catcircus

I guess what I'm getting at is this: China's trajectory in the late 80s/early 90s in the real world is what has led us to where they are in 2021. That trajectory in the v1 timeline is the same in the late 80s/early 90s as it is in the real world. Why would a communist regime with ambitions of world domination suddenly change course to align with a capitalist democracy and go against another communist regime?

If the communist Soviet Union attacked the PRC, then yes, absolutely. IRL, there was always tension between Red China and the USSR. Both thought that they were doing communism "right". Both wanted to be in the driver's seat of global communism. That tension, on occasion, escalating to shooting. There were several border clashes between Soviet and Chinese troops between 1949-1989.

https://www.globalsecurity.org/milit...prc-soviet.htm

Just because they were both communist did not mean that they were allies.

Originally Posted by 3catcircus

In the real world, in 1996, China ordered Sovremenny destroyers, Kilo submarines and SU-30 fighters from Russia... Even after the fall of the USSR.

Ironically, the reason for this is free market capitalism. In 1996, home-grown Chinese weaponry lagged behind Russia and the West. The PRC could get top Russian gear a lot cheaper than they could get comparable western gear. The Chinese also, by 1996, had almost 50 years experience reverse-engineering Soviet weaponry and then producing their own versions. Plus, the west was reluctant to sell top gear to the PRC, especially after the Tiananmen Square massacre. The Russians had no such qualms. In 1996, they were still pretty desperate for hard currency. It was a mutually beneficial short-term financial agreement, and not indicative of close military, economic, or diplomatic ties the two nations (heck, even Malaysia bought SU-30s from Russia).

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