China could mount full scale invasion of Taiwan

[firestar464]

More on that by Reuters:

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/japan-complai ... 20328.html

[firestar464]

BREAKING: Source says China will invade Taiwan in early June.

As of now the Chinese military have begin drills surrounding entirety of Taiwan, including islands of Kinmen and Dongyin, state media says

I'm gonna need a better source for that

[Powers]

BREAKING: China warns 'Taiwan independence forces' will have 'heads broken and blood flowing'

Way to rise the rhetoric.

will have

[caltrek]

Analysts Say Chinese Military Drills Test Taiwan’s Defense Readiness
by William Young
May 25, 2024

Introduction:

(VOA) TAIPEI, TAIWAN —

China wrapped up a two-day, large-scale military exercise Friday after its forces deployed 111 aircraft and 46 naval vessels to areas around Taiwan.

Taiwan’s National Defense Ministry said 82 Chinese military aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and some got very close to the 24-nautical-mile line that Taiwan uses to define its contiguous zone.

The military drills, branded as a “punishment” for Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, who China views as separatist, focused on conducting joint sea-air combat-readiness patrol, joint seizure of comprehensive battlefield control and joint precision strikes on key targets involving China’s army, navy, air force and rocket force.

Beijing said the drills were “completely legitimate and necessary,” while Taipei criticized the Chinese military for damaging peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait with its “irrational provocation.”

This is the third time since August 2022 that China has conducted a large-scale military exercise encircling Taiwan. Some analysts say this exercise was “significantly closer” to Taiwan than similar drills in 2022 and 2023.

Read more here: https://www.voanews.com/a/7626633.html

[weatheriscool]

US approves new $360 million arms sale to Taiwan for drones, related equipment

Source: ABC News/AP

June 18, 2024, 10:01 PM

WASHINGTON -- The Biden administration on Tuesday approved a new $360 million weapons sale to Taiwan, sending the island hundreds of armed drones, missile equipment and related support material, the State Department said in a statement that is sure to draw condemnation from China.

The announcement was not unexpected but it comes at a time of high tension between Washington and Beijing, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to consolidate by force if necessary.

The sale includes 291 Altius-600M systems, which are unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, with warheads. It also includes 720 Switchblade drones known as “extended-range loitering munitions,” the State Department said.

It said the sale “serves U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.” It will “help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region," the department said.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us- ... -111238091

[caltrek]

Report Warns: China Could Try to Annex Taiwan with a Quarantine
by Kelvin Chen
June 23, 2024

Introduction:

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China could attempt to annex Taiwan through quarantine instead of engaging in a full-out conflict, the Center for Strategic and International Studies warned in a recent report.

Unlike a blockade, which is a military operation, a quarantine is carried out by law enforcement “to control maritime or air traffic within a specific area,” the report said. It is not a declaration of war on Taiwan, it added.

If other nations comply with the quarantine, it strengthens China’s claims over Taiwan and undermines Taiwan’s sovereignty. Beijing can end its quarantine once it claims its goals are achieved.

A quarantine will not require China to close or restrict access to the Taiwan Strait, meaning freedom of navigation will not be violated. This would make it difficult for the U.S. and its partners to justify intervening. If Washington did take action, it could be perceived by the international community as the aggressor, CSIS claimed.

By claiming Taiwan as Chinese territory, Beijing can require customs declarations for all ships docking there. “Chinese law enforcement vessels will be authorized to board vessels, conduct on-site inspections, question personnel, and undertake other measures against noncompliant ships,” the report said.

Read more here: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/5894657

[weatheriscool]

[Vakanai]

Oh wow, I hit the nail on the head - Just the other day in Mchat here I said he was likely to either withdraw protection from Taiwan or ask that Taiwan pay for it.

[Time_Traveller]

Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be worse global crisis than Ukraine war or Covid, warns president

1 hour ago

Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te has warned that a Chinese invasion of the self-governed island would have worse global impacts than either Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine or the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Lai was speaking on Tuesday during the largest ever gathering of foreign lawmakers and dignitaries in Taipei ,at a summit chaired by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance of China. The coalition, with hundreds of members from parliaments in more than 35 countries, is focused on monitoring Beijing’s threats to democracy and human rights.

Lawmakers met on Monday and held panel discussions on Tuesday at the event, attended by The Independent, which is taking place despite intense pressure against participants from the Chinese governments.

Mr Lai said he hoped the summit would “allow the world to understand that any conflict in the Taiwan Strait will have a more profound economic impact on the world than the Russia-Ukraine war and Covid-19”.

MPs from countries including the UK, Australia, Japan and South Korea have travelled to Taipei for the talks, and at least eight of those invited have spoken out about being contacted by Chinese officials urging them not to attend. Some were even offered invitations to visit the Chinese mainland instead, or asked to explain why they were planning to travel to Taiwan.

https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/east ... 88069.html

[wjfox]

‘Firing a loud shot’: Taiwan TV show Zero Day aims to spark debate over potential China invasion

Sun 4 Aug 2024 12.35 BST

Last Wednesday as the streets of Taipei emptied and sirens wailed across town for Taiwan’s annual air raid drills, a crowd of journalists, actors and film crew, watched similar scenes play out on screen. The press event, inside a city theatre, was launching a new Taiwanese series, Zero Day, which depicts a Chinese invasion. Timing the launch with the air raid drill was a clever piece of theatrics, but it also emphasised the real-world implications of what both events were demonstrating – the worsening threat of China’s ruling Communist party making good on its promise to annex Taiwan.

The 17-minute Zero Day trailer released that day sparked debate and anxiety across Taiwan. Despite the threat of invasion looming for decades, there are few if any modern Taiwanese cultural examples that depict this aspect of its existence.

“The feeling that war is imminent is something that most people in peaceful countries find hard to relate to. In Taiwan, everyone thinks about it, but hardly ever talks about it,” the director, Lo Ging-zim, tells the Guardian in his Taipei studio. “But if we don’t make that fear tangible, if we don’t turn it into drama, we’re going to have a hard time getting people to start a dialogue quickly.”

The plot begins with a Chinese warplane disappearing in the Taiwan Strait, and China using the search as a pretext for enacting a military blockade. Over the course of seven days it chips away further. The financial system crashes, communications are cut, foreigners and dual nationals flee. Fake news and fifth column sabotage spreads, and Beijing hacks public screens with a smiling, pink-jacketed Chinese news anchor urging Taiwanese to accept the “peaceful reunification of the motherland”.

It is tense and eerily quiet – a realistic look at how a gradual choking of Taiwan before an assault could play out.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/artic ... a-invasion

[caltrek]

Former U.S. Diplomat Says Taiwan Troops Training in Michigan
by Matthew Strong
September 28, 2024

Introduction:

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A retired United States diplomat says troops from Taiwan are receiving military training at a National Guard base in the state of Michigan, reports said Saturday (Sept. 28).

Joseph Cella, a former ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu, made the claim during a congressional hearing on September 24, the Liberty Times reported. The facility in Michigan where the Taiwanese troops were reportedly training was the National All-Domain Warfighting Center at Camp Grayling.

While a National Guard facility, the site also provided training to Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force officers, as well as to troops from allied nations.

In past years, Taiwan’s 333 Mechanized Infantry Brigade reportedly took part in the Northern Strike summer maneuvers in Michigan, while the 542 Armored Brigade received training in Hawaii. However, Cella did not provide any dates or details of the alleged Taiwanese military presence at Camp Grayling.

During the congressional hearing, the retired diplomat also issued a warning against China’s actions, both in the U.S. and overseas. He criticized investment by a Chinese just 70 miles (112 kilometers) from Camp Grayling, and Beijing’s aggressive campaign to persuade Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the Pacific to switch sides.

Read more here: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/5943710

caltrek's comment: It may very well be that mainland China's military could overpower Taiwan through brute force of numbers. Still, their leaders should pause and consider the implications. Unlike Honk Kong and to some extent Tibet, this would not be a matter of simply overcoming a bunch of largely unarmed civilians. Instead, it will likely encounter a well-armed and well-trained military highly motivated to resist an invasion. Do they really want to invite the internal instability that such a bloody war might bring to their own country?

How would they convincingly justify killing so many determined opponents who are ethnically the same as most of the mainland's army?

[firestar464]

China: "我們都是一家人"
Also China: "let's fucking subject these people to violence"

Seriously though they'd absorb Taiwan without a shot fired if they could, though that is quite difficult.

I was wondering if they might invade in order to sabotage the West's AI development (Taiwan is home to TSMC)

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

[wjfox]

[weatheriscool]

[caltrek]

Mainland China Lashes Out at U.S. $2 Billion American Arms Package for Taiwan
by Holly Chik
October 27, 2024

Introduction:

(South China Morning Post) Beijing says the deal, which includes an advanced missile defence system, undermines 'China's sovereignty and security interests'

Beijing lashed out against the latest US arms sale to Taiwan and pledged to take countermeasures to defend its sovereignty.

The Pentagon said on Friday that it had approved the sale of nearly US$2 billion, including almost US$1.2 billion in purchases of three National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems. It will be the first time the advanced defensive weapon, which has been used on the battlefield in Ukraine, has been supplied to Taiwan.

The deal also includes radar systems worth an estimated US$828 million.

Read more here: https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/m ... obArticle

[wjfox]

SpaceX Tells Taiwanese Suppliers to Shift Production Off the Island

Sources indicated that geopolitical tensions between China and Taiwan are driving the requests.

Nolan Beilstein
Nov 8, 2024

SpaceX has requested that its suppliers in Taiwan shift production off the island, Reuters reported, citing corporate documents and anonymous sources connected to the equipment manufacturers.

The aerospace company reportedly asked one satellite parts maker, Chin-Poon Industrial, to relocate manufacturing to Thailand for new orders, referencing “geopolitical considerations.”

https://www.manufacturing.net/aerospace ... the-island

[firestar464]

The irony is that Trump is making the security situation worse for Taiwan.

[weatheriscool]