Taiwan, You’re on Your Own with China
What is it with small countries egging large countries on toward war?
Israel in the Middle East
Ukraine between the U.S. and Russia
Afghanistan against (oh no, that one was our aggression)
And now Taiwan poking China in the eye
I’m tired as hell of all this confrontation
Perhaps you are as well, but there’s only so much any of us can keep track of as the world slowly disintegrates. I’ve written about Taiwan before, as recently as three months ago. But that was before China escalated flyovers in Taiwanese airspace and photos surfaced of Taiwan making military preparations.
Are they nuts?
A military confrontation between China and Taiwan would last about 18 minutes unless the U.S. comes to the rescue. Even then it would take only about a quarter of an hour, but America and China would be in a face-saving chess game that serves no one’s purposes.
I know about chess. I regularly lose to my neighbor. But my aim is to give him a good game and there is no good game in war games.
China has a one-China policy
Well, who could possibly blame them for that?
(CNN) “Taiwan will not bow to pressure, and nobody can force it to accept the path China has laid out for the self-governing democracy”, President Tsai Ing-wen said Sunday as the island celebrated its National Day amid heightened tensions with Beijing.
Well, wouldn’t you just know?
That statement is anything but helpful. Ever since failed warlord Chiang kai Shek lost his war to unify China and fled to the island of Taiwan, the island has doggedly named itself the Republic of China.
The People’s Republic of China, that huge communist entity that lies a mere 100 miles offshore, is properly pissed. Madam Tsai Ing-wen’s brave (for local consumption) and stupid (for escalating an idiotic confrontation) statement, ramped up an argument that should have been tamped down decades ago.
What say 67% of the Taiwanese?
They want this nonsense to stop and for Taiwan to drop the foolish Republic of China in favor of Taiwan. Another case of a nation’s population having a great deal more sense than its leaders. What’s at risk is betting America’s long-term commitment to the ghost of Chiang kai Shek, against the increased impatience of China to solve this irritating flea on its backside. I have written before on the uselessness and danger of two Chinas.
What says China?
(BBC) China's President Xi Jinping has said that "reunification" with Taiwan "must be fulfilled", as heightened tensions over the island continue.
Mr Xi said unification should be achieved peacefully, but warned that the Chinese people had a "glorious tradition" of opposing separatism.
In response, Taiwan said its future lay in the hands of its people.
Taiwan considers itself a sovereign state, while China views it as a breakaway province. Beijing has not ruled out the possible use of force to achieve unification.
Mr Xi's intervention comes after China sent a record number of military jets into Taiwan's air defense zone in recent days. Some analysts say the flights could be seen as a warning to Taiwan's president ahead of the island's national day on Sunday.
American commitment is past its sell-by date
If Taiwan’s future does indeed lay in the hands of its people, those people have spoken.
The only winners in continued confrontation are the U.S. military-industrial-complex and, now that we are out of the Middle East, they hunger for another threat to shore up their bottom-line.
Wars are foolish, but oh so profitable. These stupidities are serious.
World War One was sewn together out of the ragged cloth of the assassination in Sarajevo of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. No one really gave a shit about that, but statements were made, and those statements were followed by more statements and other statements. Loss of face was at risk and, because face is far more important than lives, 20 million died and another 21 million were wounded.
Taiwan’s president is making statements
And China's President Xi Jinping is making statements as well.
While the American ambassador to Taiwan ought to be charged with sitting down with its president to make her aware of our position in the matter, the Biden administration has other things on its mind.
A foolish statement by the president of Taiwan and the foolish assassination of an obscure heir to an obscure throne have similarities.
All we can do is hope and pray they have dissimilar outcomes.
Image Credit: Nikkei Asia