LIGNET: Why China Televised 'Nuclear War' Against the US

Map showing fallout from a hypothetical Chinese nuclear strike on the West Coast of the United States. (Source: Global Times)

China’s state-run media recently ran an in-depth report making the case that the country's new ballistic missile submarines have greatly enhanced Beijing's nuclear deterrent, and describing in detail how China could make nuclear strikes on U.S. cities that would kill millions of Americans. A short time later, a lengthy People's Liberation Army documentary appeared, describing the United States as an enemy actively working to destroy China. This pair of bone-chilling reports reflects the unvarnished view of Beijing's political-military leadership that the United States is an enemy against whom China must be prepared for all contingencies — including an all-out nuclear war.