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They could, but China has to feed a Billion people through manufacturing and trade with foreign countries. To keep the peace, they dedicate a huge % of their military to internal policing. They have a soft influence policy vs the US hard, or their trade imbalance can turn violent.

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When I last visited China in 2002, the military was both a jobs program and involved in public works projects similar to the US Corps of Engineers but with higher priority.

This is every military in the history of the world.

The US military does not do a lot of domestic work, because it would undermine the private sector.

It could, though, and it could do a lot of good. But it doesn't.

Sorry, but you're not making any argument or refutation with any sort of nuance. The Chinese military civic works and infrastructure development Bechtel look like 2 TaskRabbit helpers. USACE does a lot of good domestically and internationally, but it isn't even close.

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