    If the Chinese force the United States dollar to default, for whatever reason, thats just going to nerf their ability to get value for all the dollars they're hoarding. They wouldn't want to do that. For the last couple of decades, China has been basically doing all this work and making products, earning a profit in return. If we default, we'll have pretty much executed a theft - we used the labor and enjoyed the things, and they walk away with worthless paper. No, I don't think they'd want to crash the dollar on purpose, unless maybe we went to war and this upset the apple cart anyway.    Not entirely accurate. China has used some of the dollars they've earned to pay for oil, coal, minerals, concrete, steel and other goods and services from abroad in which contracts were drafted in dollars.    No doubt though that they will not fare as well as they thought should the dollar plummet. Either way, I can't garner much sympathy as the Chinese knew the game to begin with. They accepted dollars which they knew were risky, but would be quite valuable on international markets for a certain number of years. In return for accepting these dollars that they knew from the beginning were backed by nothing, they got unfettered access to US markets and also a massive transfer of technology vis-a-vis major corporations. This also enticed other advanced countries into investing in China.    China accepted this game and wanted the benefits of participation. While the US is indeed screwing them, I see China as the investor that is throwing a tantrum because he does not make the 1,000% returns he is expecting. There's no doubt that China benefited from this trade and payment arrangement with the US. One only has to look at all the prosperity and infrastructure China has as proof.