i have no doubt of the damage we can inflict ... most teenagers have enough raw materials floating around to launch a "thing" from their backyard and target anywhere they want ... just grade school physics
beam combiners are magical ... if the facet damage can be mitigated, right? well we solved that a few years back ... let's see what comes of it
as for china ... they don't need troop carriers ... they are already here ... their military is just the box to contain their prey, smart move