Yeah for the us it’s gonna have to happen eventually. Economically the imperial core can’t tolerate the parallel trade and banking network chinas building out and even if they weaken the cpc and chinas infrastructure and cohesion with proxies and stuff a basket case China is so dangerous to the rest of the world that it’s impossible direct intervention doesn’t happen.

And of course when proxies and embargoes and whatnot don’t work direct intervention is the fallback. Whatever the us government makeup at the time, when all the generals say “we either respond to this unchecked agression now while we have the upper hand or never again as a sovereign nation” they’ll all put on flag pins and wear fatigues to press conferences and vote war.

E: this is at least fifteen years out.