China could mount full scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025

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caltrek
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Re: China could mount full scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025

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Just another piece on a very large and complex chess board to keep in mind:

Taiwan’s New Amphibious Assault Ship Bristles with Anti-Air Missiles
by Thomas Newdick
September 30, 2022

Introduction:
(The Drive) Taiwan today formally introduced into service the first of a new class of amphibious assault ships to the Republic of China Navy, or ROCN. While the lead ship of the Yushan class of landing platform docks, or LPDs, has similarities with the U.S. San Antonio class, what’s immediately notable is its relatively enormous anti-aircraft firepower, with launch cells for no fewer than 32 medium-range surface-to-air missiles. This is almost certainly the first time an assault ship of this type has packed such a powerful air defense capability.

In a ceremony today in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, the Yushan (LPD-1401) was officially transferred to the ROCN today, in the presence of President Tsai Ing-wen.

(The article linked below also includes many Twitter feeds relevant to the subject of the article)

The Yushan was built by the state-owned China Shipbuilding Corporation (CSBC), which laid the keel of the vessel in June 2020 and then launched it in April 2021. At-sea trials then began in July this year.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Tsai said the new vessel reflected Taiwan’s path to “national defense autonomy,” which includes local production of advanced warships and submarines.

“When it comes to China’s military threats, only by strengthening our self-defense capabilities can there be true peace,” Tsai said, according to a report from Reuters. “It is our constant policy and determination to implement national defense autonomy so that the military has the best equipment to defend the country.”
Read more here: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ ... -missiles
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Re: China could mount full scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025

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Taiwanese Give U.S. Moderate 'Likability' Score, China Places Low
by Keoni Everington
October 4, 2022

Introduction:
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — According to an opinion poll released on Monday (Oct. 3), Taiwanese gave the U.S. a moderate score in terms of "likability" while they gave China very low marks in the category.

On Monday, Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) led a press conference about the latest poll by the Foundation for the People (啟思民本基金會), which he also chairs. When asked to rate the U.S. in terms of "likability" on a scale of one to 10, they gave the U.S. a 5.55, while China came in very low at 2.82.

China's low score prompted Chiang to advise the Chinese Communist Party to "pay special attention to the perceptions of the Taiwanese people." Chiang said that the pressure on Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平) to resort to using force against Taiwan is growing and the easing of the confrontation and tensions across the strait is a serious issue that the ruling party in Taiwan must face.

When asked if they had heard of the proposed "Taiwan Policy Act," 77% said they had heard of the bill. Asked whether the proposed bill offering US$6.5 billion (NT$206 billion) in military aid would undermine Taiwan's independent defense capabilities, 26.5% of respondents "strongly agreed" that it would, 23.6% "agreed," 19.1% "disagreed," and 23.9% "strongly disagreed."

Posed with the question of whether the U.S. would send troops to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, 21.6% said "definitely," 26.5% said it "might," 18.2% said it "might not," and 27.4% said that the U.S. "definitely will not."
Read more here: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4676927

caltrek's comments: One thing about the war in the Ukraine is it does concentrate the thinking process in Beijing about the perceived legitimacy of a future move against their island neighbors. Overwhelming numbers may favor the mainland. Yet, an island nation equipped with modern arms surely must give them pause to think of the consequences of a full throttle invasion.
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Re: China could mount full scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025

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China Shows Off 'Jet-powered Surfboards' to Invade Taiwan
by Keoni Everington
October 4, 2022

Introduction:
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Video surfaced last week showing People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers practicing an amphibious landing while riding on jet-power surfboards.

In recent years, the PLA has stepped up preparations for an amphibious assault on Taiwan with the development of amphibious tanks, hovercraft, landing platform docks, and civilian roll-on roll-off (RoRo) ferries. Late last month and early this month, seven Chinese civilian car ferries were spotted engaging in amphibious landing drills on Chinese beaches in the Taiwan Strait.

On Sept. 27, military enthusiast @louischeung_hk posted a 24-second video on Twitter showing PLA frogmen riding what appear to be jet-powered surfboards. The video originates from China Youth Daily and was posted on the Weibo account Four minutes and thirty-three seconds (四分三十三秒) that same day.

In the video, soldiers in black wetsuits can be seen carrying large, waterproof rucksacks and they lie prone on surfboards. The tiny craft are only large enough to hold one man and are self-propelled. One rider can be seen wearing goggles, and the face of another can be seen in another shot as he peers over the board.

After focusing on individual riders, the camera pans out to show a full squad of 12 men who can be seen riding the surfboards in tight formation. Towards the end of the video, the frogmen can be seen landing on a beach and discarding their boards as they are guided in by a man waving red flags.
Read more here: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4676643
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Re: China could mount full scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025

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Elon Musk suggests making Taiwan a ‘special administrative zone’ similar to Hong Kong

Sat 8 Oct 2022 03.46 BST

Elon Musk has suggested tensions between China and Taiwan could be resolved by handing over some control of Taiwan to Beijing.

The billionaire’s remarks were published just days after he floated a possible deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine which drew condemnation in Ukraine.

The world’s richest person told the Financial Times in an interview published on Friday: “My recommendation … would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won’t make everyone happy. And it’s possible, and I think probably, in fact, that they could have an arrangement that’s more lenient than Hong Kong.”

Musk made the suggestion when asked by the newspaper about China, where his Tesla electric car company operates a large factory in Shanghai. The Shanghai factory accounted for about half of Tesla’s global deliveries last year.

Musk believed that conflict over Taiwan was inevitable, the FT report said, and warned of its potential impact on not only Tesla but also on iPhone maker Apple as well as the wider global economy, which he estimated would take a 30% hit.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... -hong-kong

:roll:
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Re: China could mount full scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025

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^^^What is especially disturbing about this is that it now appears that Musk is back on track to take ownership of Twitter. So, it is not just the rantings of some out of touch billionaire, but also reflects the thinking of someone who may be about to take control of an extremely important media source.
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Re: China could mount full scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025

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wjfox wrote: Sat Oct 08, 2022 10:31 am Elon Musk suggests making Taiwan a ‘special administrative zone’ similar to Hong Kong

Sat 8 Oct 2022 03.46 BST

Elon Musk has suggested tensions between China and Taiwan could be resolved by handing over some control of Taiwan to Beijing.

The billionaire’s remarks were published just days after he floated a possible deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine which drew condemnation in Ukraine.

The world’s richest person told the Financial Times in an interview published on Friday: “My recommendation … would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won’t make everyone happy. And it’s possible, and I think probably, in fact, that they could have an arrangement that’s more lenient than Hong Kong.”

Musk made the suggestion when asked by the newspaper about China, where his Tesla electric car company operates a large factory in Shanghai. The Shanghai factory accounted for about half of Tesla’s global deliveries last year.

Musk believed that conflict over Taiwan was inevitable, the FT report said, and warned of its potential impact on not only Tesla but also on iPhone maker Apple as well as the wider global economy, which he estimated would take a 30% hit.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... -hong-kong

:roll:
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Re: China could mount full scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025

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Chinese Foreign Ministry: 'Taiwan will enjoy high degree of autonomy as special administrative region'

09 Oct 2022

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Sunday said Taiwan will enjoy a high degree of autonomy as a special administrative region after reunification, in its second response to Tesla CEO Elon Musk's remarks about China's Taiwan region.

The billionaire said he recommended "a special administrative zone for Taiwan" in an interview with the Financial Times published on Friday.

"Provided that China's sovereignty, security and development interests are guaranteed, after reunification Taiwan will enjoy a high degree of autonomy as a special administrative region," Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told reporters at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

Taiwan's social system and its way of life will be fully respected, and the private property, religious beliefs, and lawful rights and interests of the people in Taiwan will be fully protected, Mao added.

The spokesperson said the reunification of China will not harm the legitimate interests of any other country, including any economic interests they might have in Taiwan.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-10-09/- ... index.html
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Re: China could mount full scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025

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Nonsense. We all saw how well China respects agreements with how they have treated Hong Kong.

I'm sure China will have second thoughts regarding invading Taiwan though seeing how the whole Ukrainian affair is going for Russia.
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Re: China could mount full scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025

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China's Xi calls for military growth as party congress opens
Source: AP

By JOE McDONALD

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Sunday called for faster military development and announced no change in policies that have strained relations with Washington and tightened the ruling Communist Party’s control over society and the economy.

China’s most influential figure in decades spoke as the party opened a congress that was closely watched by companies, governments and the public for signs of official direction. It comes amid a painful slump in the world’s second-largest economy and tension with Washington and Asian neighbors over trade, technology and security.

Party plans calls for creating a prosperous society by mid-century and restoring China to its historic role as a political, economic and cultural leader. Beijing has expanded its presence abroad including a multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative to build ports and other infrastructure across Asia and Africa, but economists warn reversing market-style reform could hamper growth.

“The next five years will be crucial,” Xi said in a televised speech of one hour and 45 minutes to some 2,000 delegates in the cavernous Great Hall of the People. He repeatedly invoked his slogan of the “rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” which includes reviving the party’s role as economic and social leader in a throwback to what Xi regards as a golden age after it took power in 1949.


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/china-beijin ... osition_01
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Anthony Blinken Indicates that Beijing is Speeding Up Plans to Seize Taiwan
by Rebecca Falconer
Updated October 18, 2022

Introduction:
(Axios) China's ruling party plans to annex Taiwan on a "much faster timeline" under Chinese President Xi Jinping than previously thought, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday.

Of note: Blinken's comments at an event at Stanford University in California come days after Xi said during a Chinese Communist Party congress speech the "wheels of history are rolling on towards China's reunification" with Taiwan and "we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary."

What he's saying: "There has been a change in the approach from Beijing toward Taiwan in recent years," Blinken said at the Stanford forum with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

• "Instead of sticking with the status quo that was established in a positive way, a fundamental decision that the status quo was no longer acceptable and that Beijing was determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline," he continued.

• "And if peaceful means didn’t work, then it would employ coercive means and possibly, if coercive means don’t work, maybe forceful means — to achieve its objectives. And that is what is profoundly disrupting the status quo and creating tremendous tensions."
Read more here: https://www.axios.com/2022/10/18/china ... r-blinken
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