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What happens if China takes Donald Trump hostage?
Realistically, it would be such a gigantic insult to the US' standing in the world that, even though a large fraction of the country and of politicians would be happy about it, the US' leaders would feel compelled to take strong measures. Chinese nuclear weapons and enormous conventional arsenal would, I think, prevent the US from launching a full-scale conventional war against China (but full-scale war is not out of the question). The US would immediately detain every important Chinese citizen and PRC-connected individual on its soil and in territories under its control. The US would also begin a full-scale naval blockade of Chinese shipping. The question with the blockade would be, how close to Chinese soil would the US risk moving its naval forces. In any case, given geography and US naval strength, the US could certainly effectively end China's overseas trade.
It's an extreme hypothetical, however, since China has little to gain and much to lose from taking Trump hostage. Vance, whatever he privately feels about Trump's China policies, would feel politically compelled to not only continue, but even to expand on Trump's anti-China moves in response to China taking Trump hostage.
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