Posted on 04/29/2018 7:11:57 PM PDT by BBell
“[Taiwan] has close up listening posts on Quemoy and Matsu islands, only a few miles from the coast.”
Holy smoke! I was in grade school in 1958 when it was all over the news that the ChiComs were about to seize those islands and were bombarding them with artillery. U.S. forces were present & that never happened, but they are still in ROC hands; good to know.
If the PLA imperial dragon cannot swim far enough to conquer Quemoy & Matsu (now Kinmen), then that 110 mile wide gulf between the mainland & Taiwan is likely to remain unbridgeable.
Well thank you.
When Hong Kong reverted back to the mainland there was speculation as to whether the ChiComs would kill the “golden goose” or not. Thus far they haven’t. The aren’t stupid.
Looked up those Islands. They are close!
Not to mention ALL civilians are trained in the use of military firearms.
I think that depends on the size & scope of the invasion force.
If they require everyone to own a lethal weapon, it would greatly minimize Chinas invasion.
China ain’t invading shit
We’ll cut off trade and destroy their economy in 10 minutes
And furthermore. We can nuke them to smithereens as well
They love to bluster and act tough and lie cheat lie cheat steal
But that ain’t it in realpolitik
Which this prez has down
An attempted Chinese invasion of Taiwan would need to reckon not just with Taiwan’s own capability, but also the probable reactions of Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, India, Australia, etc., not to mention the United States.
correct - The ChinComs and the Republic of China have deep financial & cultural connections these days.
An invasion would require a large number of heavy cargo ships. You cannot conquer a nation with only air power. Taiwans subs would likely take most of the transports out.
Political power flows from the warhead of a nuclear missile.
Will they immediately collapse and roll over?
I think that depends on the size & scope of the invasion force.
Shortly after the Chang & the KMT withdrew to Taiwan and a few smaller islands (Quemoy & Matsu), the PLA attempted to take one of the smaller islands. They got ashore, but that’s about it. Their supply ships got interdicted and the entire invasion force was rounded up for lack of food, water and ammunition.
Admittedly the PLA improvised the whole thing. But on the other side the KMT forces were pretty demoralized and they still managed to defeat the enemy.
Seaborne and Airborne invasions are tricky things. The little things can lead to disaster.
Comes down to the amount of casualties China is willing to accept to take Taiwan. It’s a simple numbers game. 1,000,000,000 Chinese v 24,000,000 Taiwanese.
I think that the PRC just has to create a credible threat, then offer a carrot, and the Taiwanese will surrender.
It only makes sense. They can’t trust us (the USA) to come to their defense, they don’t have nukes, and, win or lose, much of their nation would likely be wrecked.
On the other hand, if the PRC offers them a deal with some degree of autonomy (like Hong Kong had or has), they might go for it.
Wonder if the Chinese on Taiwan have their own version of Yamamoto’s
“If you invade, there will be a rifle behind every blade of grass.”
They will fight to the death rather than be subjugated and permanently enslaved to communist China.
they dont have nukes,
I wouldnt bet that way.
L
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