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Cold War Strategy. The West is yanking the economic rug out from under the CCP while forcing them to spend ever greater sums on their Military. They will eventually either implode from the external pressure or explode into War trying to beat it back.
It worked on the USSR and it will probably work on the CCP.
There is a big difference: the evil West actually created the conditions for and encouraged China's explosive development in the last 30 years with the expectation that with development and mutual dependence, they would become less autocratic. Instead, we got another Mao :/
As a response, This is the US going back to its neutral economic stance towards China: be suspicious and protectionist, same as China is towards other countries.
There are lots of other examples of this like China calling itself a developing country for certain purposes and benefitting from subsidised rates in shipping (subsidized by the evil West).
The difference is that the economy of China is roaring ahead while the so called economy of the Soviet Union went from bad to worse.
By every measure I'm aware of the Chinese Economy in 2023 is failing. FDI is down 90% YoY, Imports and Exports are down YoY, Youth Unemployment is unbelievably high, Real Estate market is collapsing, inbound tourism is down 90%, and companies are moving their manufacturing facilities out of the country.
The Pandemic surely had some to do with all of that but I'd point at the escalating Trade War with the "The West" as the primary cause. A Trade War that was specifically engineered to damage the Chinese Economy.
Money should go towards the poor and not the capitalist war machine.
Lol I remember in 2020 Taiwan bought 4 MQ-9 Reaper drones for $600 million (money up front of course, they will be actually delivered in 2025 - will they even still be around at that time?). Then, when Russia shot down (or better "pissed down") another MQ-9 drone over the Black sea, which Western news decried as pricey as 30 million...
Some Taiwanese did some quic maffs then... to discover... Lmao US friends get US friends prices I guess
Then those Taiwanese need to leave off their "quic maffs" and go read the purchasing contract instead. They bought a LOT more than four MQ-9Bs.
The US can be shitty enough on its own, there's no need to daydream stuff up.
Also included are MX-20 Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems and spares; SeaVue Maritime Multi-Role Patrol Radars; SAGE 750 Electronic Surveillance Measures (ESM) Systems; C-Band Line-of-Sight (LOS) Ground Data Terminals; Ku-Band SATCOM GA-ASI Transportable Earth Stations (GATES); AN/DPX-7 IFF Transponders; Honeywell TPE-331-10GD Turboprop Engines; M6000 UHF/VHF Radios; KIV-77 Mode 5 IFF cryptographic appliques; AN/PYQ-10C Simple Key Loaders; secure communications, cryptographic and Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) equipment; initial spare and repair parts; hard points, power, and data connections for weapons integration; support and test equipment; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistical and program support.
Training and support is a wide category that very likely accounts for the price tag.
Yes you don't get the drones only, as you also get control stations, and other equipment to use them. That's like I get a car, but wait, then I also get car keys, and, hold up, an iPhone case with a BMW logo on it... a LOT! Clearly they are bloating the prices, and you're the one daydreaming stuff up lmao
Isn't this just infra for drones?
Everyone sells the drones separate from the infrastructure needed to run them, the weapons systems that go on them, and the various sensor packages. For instance the price of the Bayraktar TB-2 done alone will vary from under $1,000,000 to over $7,000,000 depending on what goodies are ordered for the drone itself. Then Turkey charges an additional $1,000,000 or more for each operators station the buyer wants plus training costs for the operators themselves.
The reason that stuff is priced and sold separately is because not all buyers need it. Ukraine for instance needs constant replenishment of the drones themselves but they already have the operators stations and operators so they don't need to buy those or have Turkey train people on their use. They've also got a certain amount of the munitions to put on the TB-2 so they may or may not need any of that at the time of purchase.
Think of it like an F-16. Sure you can buy one for $10,000,000 or whatever but if it's your first plane you now need a runway, a hanger, a fuel truck, fuel storage, at least one pilot, and at least one mechanic before you can actually use it! Now if you want to fly it in a warzone you'll need ammunition for its gun, missiles or bombs, along with the various targeting systems those weapons requires.
So when you say "just infra" you are handwaving what is often the most expensive part, especially for new customers.
Sounds like a waste of money when civilian drones from China have been so useful and require little to no training... And are less vulnerable to AA systems.