Let them fight. The US would be fighting on two fronts and get their ass kicked and hopefully collapse. They couldn’t even beat the Taliban, let alone the PLA.
This report from a British military think tank shows that the west lacks the industrial base to even compete with Russia militarily, and China absolutely dwarfs Russian industrial economy.
The views expressed in this Commentary are the author’s, and do not represent those of RUSI or any other institution.
The numbers provided are indisputable.
Ok except the U.S. military industrial complex is the largest of all of human existence. Furthermore that entire article is based off of “who can shoot the most artillery” which is fundamentally flawed from the start.
U.S. military industrial complex is designed to create revenue for the people running it, not to produce efficient and functional weapons. A lot of the military equipment it produces, like the infamous F35, is fragile and requires huge amounts of maintenance. U.S. has never fought a peer competitor since WW2, and it’s military is organized for bombing the shit out of small defenceless countries.
What we’ve seen so far in Ukraine is that U.S. weapons such as javelins, drones, M777s, and so on have proven to be incredibly lackluster. U.S. also managed to deplete its stockpiles and is projected to take years to replenish them.
Basing the article on artillery battles is not flawed at all given that’s what the nature of the war in Europe would look like.
Once again flawed from the start.
Unlike many legacy planes, the F-35 is built with access panels to allow technicians to more easily make adjustments. This makes changing out parts “a whole lot faster,” said Tech. Sgt. Chard Wooldridge, an avionics technician.
“For example, instead of taking off the entire nose assembly, it’s just a compartment,” Wooldridge said.
Plus, the computer catches problems the human eye might miss, Wooldridge said.
The jet’s weapons are also easier to maintain than those on legacy platforms, said Master Sgt. Jason Buffell, the weapons section lead. The F-35’s weapons delivery is “pneumatic,” which means it fires projectiles by means of air pressure, instead of explosive. This saves man hours because the team doesn’t have to spend time cleaning the weapons banks every day, Buffell said.
LMAO, F-35 needs special hangars with controlled climate so its stealth paint doesn’t peel. It needs to be repainted every few sorties. It has a VTOL engine behind the pilot that obscures the view making the pilot rely on camers. Cameras can glitch, and thanks to networking glitch on one F-35 can blind pilots in the rest of the squad. VTOL takes so much fuel that it needs midair refuelling right after it takes off. The whole thing is an incredibly expensive mess that will never work in real combat against a peer competitor. Love how you just guzzle propaganda from the arms industry there.
Paywall bypass: https://archive.ph/INAuM
the PLA sees Pelosi’s planned visit as a move to “support Taiwan independence” and would not “turn a blind eye” to it.
China and Taiwan should work together with the international community - bringing in as many states as possible - to hold a referendum on whether the people in Taiwan want independence. What is China afraid of?
Taiwan doesn’t want independence, they want to take over mainland China. It’s in their constitution.
Well hold on for a moment - The current ruling party is making calls to revise the constitution and remove that part. So they don’t want to take over mainland China. If that idea is shared with the majority of the Taiwanese, and if the majority of the Taiwanese want independence, what’s wrong with a referendum?
This is just the Western empire’s hypocracy in action. “REEE evil China is evil because they don’t want Taiwan to have am independence referendum!!! But also no we don’t recognise the referendums held in Crimea, Donetsk People’s Republic, Luhansk People’s Republic, and Catalonia because we don’t like their results!!”
Mate I think your browser is glitched out, it seems you were only able to read half the words in my post.
I’ll try reposting them for clarity:
China and Taiwan should work together with the international community - bringing in as many states as possible - to hold a referendum on whether the people in Taiwan want independence
A second set of words in case your browser can’t see quoted text:
Bring in international observers along with allies of both China and Taiwan to come up with a straight-forward, non-rigged referendum. If you think Crimea had a legitimate referendum, where there was no clear option on remaining part of Ukraine, then we’ve got other problems to sort out.
Those first three referendums were held by an occupying force. Catalonia I won’t defend, though honestly I think it’s kind of silly on both sides.
Also, Taiwan has never been held by the CCP in the 70 years since the Chinese Civil War ended. China has no right to demand at gunpoint that it not declare independence.
One, no they weren’t? In all three cases the referendums preceeded military action by Russia. Two, you assume that Taiwan’s referendum will be fair just because it’s not from the PRC? Three, why the fuck is Catalonia independence silly again? Is it because Spain controlling them is a status quo that is convenient for you?
CCP
Lol, if you don’t even know what the “evil commie party” you hate so much is actually named, why should I believe anything else you say?
Three, why the fuck is Catalonia independence silly again? Is it because Spain controlling them is a status quo that is convenient for you?
It seems like both sides are being silly. The government is being petty and should just back off. For Catalonia part, independence wouldn’t be vastly different than the status quo, unlike with Taiwan.
Lol, if you don’t even know what the “evil commie party” you hate so much is actually named, why should I believe anything else you say?
Chinese Communist Party? It’s commonly identified as such.
Again, if you haven’t done enough research to know that the official English name is Communist Party of China, that they themselves have never referred to themselves as CCP and has always used the acronym CPC, it casts serious doubt on what else you know about them, and makes me think you’re just regurgitating what you read on random Reddit threads. Or, if you know that’s the wrong name and just don’t care, I’m gonna assume you similarly don’t care about how factually correct the rest of your arguments are.
Taiwan is literally part of China, even US recognizes this officially despite all their posturing. China is not going to hold any referendums on this issue.
Quebec is literally a part of Canada, but that didn’t stop them from holding a referendum on leaving. This is a thing civilized countries can do
As opposed to “uncivilized” or “primitive” countries 🤨
As opposed to countries that are unable to separate the desires of the majority from the desires of a few
The opposite of “civilized” is…
If you want me to call China uncivilized, you’re projecting. My point is civilized countries can hold referendums.
So Crimea is uncivilized? Why?
How are you comparing two competing settler regimes to China and Taiwan?
Because it illustrates how listening to what the population wants can work out.
In my opinion, it’s something for the people of Taiwan to decide. There’s a lot of tension around the topic, and that can be blamed on the CIA, the Chinese (mainland) government, or even the Taiwanese government - but at the end of the day it’s the people living in Taiwan that will be impacted the most. It makes sense for those affected the most to be able to decide.
You are assuming that people have perfect knowledge of the implications of the decision when Brexit has shown that this is not the case with the general consensus being that it has not gone well for them after having decided on leaving.
Brexit is a regrettable display of democracy, and it’s true an election like that could go on in Taiwan.
That said, the Taiwan independence issue has been notable since at least 1945. If it takes not only a vote, but then a second vote to reverse it a few years down the line, we’re still looking at very short years and an avoidance of both war and totalitarian regimes deciding for the people altogether.
The US is playing along with a delusion, first to peel China away from the USSR and now to avoid sparking a war. The CCP has never had any power nor legitimate claim over Taiwan. For Taiwan’s part, its government lost the civil war that split Taiwan from China a long time ago. It has successfully used its economic and military weight to get other countries and institutions to keep entertaining that delusion, but that doesn’t make it accurate.
I think that the only delusion here is on the part of the US. US spent untold billions influencing politics and public opinion on Taiwan because US sees Taiwan as an unsinkable aircraft carrier. Imagine for a second how US would react if China started funding separatists in Texas, Chinese officials would fly over to meet with them, and China toyed with recognizing Texas as an independent state. Of course, we don’t have to imagine that because we know what happened when USSR put nuclear missiles in Cuba, an independent state that’s never been part of the US. No major power will tolerate another major power setting up shop on their border, that’s the reality of geopolitics. If US continues to push on Taiwan, then we’ll see a much bigger crisis than Ukraine. The west is currently losing an economic war to Russia, what do you think would happen if there was an economic war with both Russia and China?
Imagine for a second how US would react if China started funding separatists in Texas
This is just an inadequate comparison. Texas voluntarily joined the US in 1845. With the brief exception of the American Civil War, it’s been part of the US ever since then. Taiwan has, again, never been under the control of the CCP and doesn’t want to be. It’s only really in the CCP’s mind that Taiwan is rightfully theirs.
US spent untold billions influencing politics and public opinion on Taiwan because US sees Taiwan as an unsinkable aircraft carrier.
I’m unable to read that article, but Taiwan is a poor unsinkable aircraft carrier. The US has mostly stayed away from establishing any presence on the island to avoid an acceleration towards war.
If US continues to push on Taiwan
The US is flying in politicians. China is flying in warplanes. I’ll leave it to the audience to decide who is pushing this one.
we’ll see a much bigger crisis than Ukraine
Yes, it would be horrible. Taiwan is also very well equipped, so I suspect we would see a lot of dead people on both sides. Then there are the vital chip foundries, which I suspect would be sabotaged if China was ever nearing victory. I hope China ends its march towards war and leaves the Taiwanese people to live in peace and independence.
This is just an inadequate comparison. Texas voluntarily joined the US in 1845. With the brief exception of the American Civil War, it’s been part of the US ever since then. Taiwan has, again, never been under the control of the CCP and doesn’t want to be. It’s only really in the CCP’s mind that Taiwan is rightfully theirs.
If Chinese government started pouring billions of dollars into fomenting separatism in Texas, then the number of people who do not want to be under the control of US government would quickly become the majority. I don’t see what difference the history makes here.
I’m unable to read that article, but Taiwan is a poor unsinkable aircraft carrier. The US has mostly stayed away from establishing any presence on the island to avoid an acceleration towards war.
The fact that US has avoided provoking a war up to now, does not change the fact that US sees Taiwan as a strategic foothold against China.
The US is flying in politicians. China is flying in warplanes. I’ll leave it to the audience to decide who is pushing this one.
China is flying warplanes in its own territory. US is flying politicians half way across the world to create tensions with a nuclear power. US has also been arming and training the army in Taiwan. China has been accepting incredible levels of interference up to this point. And if anybody did this kind of interference in US there would be a world war right now. It’s pretty clear who’s pushing what here.
Yes, it would be horrible. Taiwan is also very well equipped, so I suspect we would see a lot of dead people on both sides. Then there are the vital chip foundries, which I suspect would be sabotaged if China was ever nearing victory. I hope China ends its march towards war and leaves the Taiwanese people to live in peace and independence.
The chip foundries are far more vital to the west than they are to China given that SMIC can already produce 7nm chips on the mainland. Whatever you may personally think about the situation, the fact is that Taiwan is a red line for China. If US continues to push this then there will be a war, the same way a war broke out in Ukraine under very similar circumstances. Unlike the war in Ukraine, the war in Taiwan is very likely to turn into a direct confrontation between US and China. This could literally end our civilization.
If Chinese government started pouring billions of dollars into fomenting separatism in Texas, then the number of people who do not want to be under the control of US government would quickly become the majority. I don’t see what difference the history makes here.
Okay, but Taiwan has never been under the control of the CCP. Texas, on the other hand, became part of the US willingly. The separatist movements have always just been that, separatist movements. Taiwan is not a separatist movement, it is its own sizeable country with a fully functional government. The only thing that keeps it from being its own country is its bully to the west.
China is flying warplanes in its own territory.
China has been deliberately provoking Taiwan. Xi has in the past explicitly included armed conquest of Taiwan as a possibility. China has also been building up its armed forces in a way that suggests they are preparing to invade. If that’s not China on a march to war, I don’t know what is.
Whatever you may personally think about the situation, the fact is that Taiwan is a red line for China.
Even if there is a red line, China has chosen to make it that way. Taiwan has been separate from China in all but name since 1949, over 70 years ago. Any invasion by China will be an act of choice, just like with Russia and Ukraine. The propaganda will certainly say that they had no other choice, but that will be utterly false. China always has the choice to let the Taiwanese people have self-determination without menacing them or shutting them out of international institutions.
Unlike the war in Ukraine, the war in Taiwan is very likely to turn into a direct confrontation between US and China. This could literally end our civilization.
Yes, which is why China should back off and not wage war on a people that for the most part no longer identify as Chinese.
Okay, but Taiwan has never been under the control of the CCP. Texas, on the other hand, became part of the US willingly.
I don’t see why that’s relevant one way or the other. My point is that you can manipulate public opinion one way or the other, and then use that to drive your geopolitical goals. This is what’s happening in Taiwan. People get their opinions from the media they consume and their education system. When there is a strong bias in these sectors that shapes the opinion of the people.
China has also been building up its armed forces in a way that suggests they are preparing to invade. If that’s not China on a march to war, I don’t know what is.
Again, pretty much no country, including US, recognizes Taiwan as being independent from China. So, talking about an invasion does not make sense here. It would be like US threatening to invade Texas or Canada threatening to invade Quebec.
Even if there is a red line, China has chosen to make it that way.
Sure, China cares about it’s territorial integrity as much as any country. The talk of self determination is fundamentally based on a false premise. This notion assumes that China is the only entity influencing the opinion in Taiwan. However, the reality is that US has a long history of manipulating the opinion in Taiwan going back to 1949.
Yes, which is why China should back off and not wage war on a people that for the most part no longer identify as Chinese.
Alternatively, US should back off from trying to manipulate politics half way across the globe from it, and stop trying to start WW3 with China. The reality of the situation is that China’s position is clear whether you agree with it or not. This position will not change. The only question is whether US wants to end the world to keep Taiwan in its sphere of influence.
Taiwan has shied away from that because China has explicitly said they will invade if there is any official declaration of independence. Even declaring a referendum could spark a war. That has led to a split in public opinion within Taiwan over declaring independence (with potential consequences) that does not reflect their actual desire to be independent (without a bully threatening them). When you actually start looking at their national identity in surveys, you find a large majority identify as Taiwanese only, with most of the rest having a dual identity and a small number identifying as Chinese only.
China would invade if there was an official declaration of independence, since that is easily seen as the Taiwanese elite acting in their best interests. If there was a vote organized with China’s participation however, surely they would respect the outcome?
The CCP doesn’t give a rip about public opinion. Exhibit A: Turning Hong Kong into a police state in response to street protests. China knows the poll numbers full well in Taiwan. And the elite have for a long time mainly been maintaining the fiction that the Taiwanese government still has a legitimate claim over China.
If you cant see that HK riots were instigated by CIA then you are truly blind.
You’re treating the people of Hong Kong like they have no ability to think for themselves.
Most people want to have a peaceful live, not violent riots in the street every day.
Nevertheless, the majority of Taiwans population supports unity with PRC. Thats why its the official government policy since decades. Identity is a completely different question. I mean have you ever heard of regional or local identity?
The official government policy is that China and Taiwan are one country that the Taiwanese government wants to rule over. They have been threatened with invasion if they change that. That’s why the identity question is a good proxy for what the Taiwanese people really want absent China’s threats. It asks if people identify as Chinese only, Chinese and Taiwanese, or Taiwanese only. Currently it’s at about 2/3 identifying as Taiwanese only, 1/3 as hybrid, and low single digits as Chinese only. This is a significant shift from when the survey started, when a hybrid identity was the most common and Chinese only was still significant.
