How to destroy China

 It will take a little time but China should be gone as a major state in 50 to 100 years.  And it is simple.  Do you realize that, while Greece and Rome and many other empires rose and fell, China remained as an organized, prosperous country through it all.  Greece and Rome destroyed their soils and fell.  Rome ended up being dependent on countries in North Africa for her food.  It was so extreme that it was a capital offense to interfere in any way with the transport of food to Rome from Africa.    What we have to do to destroy China as a world power is to get them  to destroy their soils.  And it would be easy to do.  Simply mock them about their use of human manure on their fields.  Convince them that it is backward and yucky and the modern way is to use chemical fertilizers and to use flush toilets.  Much more aesthetic and look at the great harvests America gets. (steer the conversation away from the destruction of American soils by using chemical fertilizers)..

The reason that China has survived and prospered for some 5000 years is that they have always cycled every bit of organic material back into their soils.  Stover (the part of the plant that we don't utilize) animal manure, human manure, waste wood - in fact anything that will compost is put back into their soils.  And this has allowed them to maintain prosperity over such a long time.  Sure they had floods and droughts and this caused severe social dislocation but over all, they bounced back based on a working agriculture.

And if we get them to adopt flush toilets, it is a double (or triple) whammy.  If they can be convinced to do only primary treatment or even secondary treatment and to pour the used water into their rivers, they will kill off the life in the rivers.  In addition this added use of water for flushing, may tip them over the edge in some of the drier parts of China.  Then when the river pours out into the ocean, it will likely result in an anaerobic area which trashes the fish and other marine life in the area.  

Then, of course, they will have to mine more phosporous, fix more nitrogen and obtain all the other elements that makes for good crops.  All this will put more strain on their economy.  Oh and convince them that the use of the plow is the formula for better crops.  If they start using the plows extensively, for a short period, their crops will improve* while at the same time, destroying their soils.  By the time they have woken up to the harm the plow does, it will be too late.  With the very best of management it takes about three years to restore a soil to a passable level of production.

* Using the plow is like taking the capital from your bank account rater than just using the interest.  Over time you bank account falls to zero.  

And don't let them know about the sewage plants that turn sewage into valuable fertilizer.