Should Taiwan declare itself independent from China?
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From: Baltimore
BTW, the impact of China has in the Asia region is quite interesting: Chinese (language) classes are now almost if not the most popular "foreign" language for Japanese and southeast Asians to take.
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From: SoCal
Originally posted by mingster
My take on this subject matter is deeply rooted in my upbringing. I was born in Taiwan, grew up in the States, and now travel frequently to both Taiwan and China for business.
1. Taiwan's military is compulsory, all males over the age of 18 must participate in the armed forces unless you get a doctor's note or if you're the child of some high officials (always happens).
a. They have a lot more than 15 planes, although how many exactly I don't know but I'm sure google will tell you. Taiwan's Air Force is comprised of modified F-16A (spec to C in electronics) and Mirage 2000s from France - nothing to sneer at. They also have a few squadrons of IDF developed internally, and a boatload of F-5E and F-104 (retired from front line service).
2. China's position on Taiwan is not an economical one, nor is it a strategic military one - it's one of nationalism and pride. Taiwan (Formosa) has been in the hands of the Spanish, the Portugese, the Dutch, the Japanese, and finally after WWII it was officially returned to China, but of course in 1948/49 Chiang Kai-Shek lost his civil war and fled to Taiwan, hence the situation today.
3. The last time Chinese attacked/conquered foreign lands was when a guy named Ghengis Khan led the charge. Chinese is a multi-racial nation, which may surprise many people, but I've said many times there are Caucasian Chinese. Mongols are considered a Chinese ethnicity.
4. The last time Vietnam and China had border clashes, Chinese PLA kicked the snot out of the Vietnamese - of course both sides' accounts are quite different, and no western observers (that I know of) were present during the conflict, but based on what I read it was a one sided war.
5. China also had border clashes with India, and there was no clear "winner" in that one. Both countries are now nuclear powers, and restraint has been practiced for the past few decades.
6. China will attack Taiwan if indeed Taiwan's government declared independence. However, popular polls show that less than half the population actually supports independence, and over 70% supports "status quo" - if you read Chinese check www.chinatimes.com or other Chinese news source from Taiwan for reference.
7. The US will most likely NOT help Taiwan should it declare independence - it's always been against US policies, but this also depends on who's the sitting president. The Bush family has very strong ties to some of China's high ranking central government officials, I cannot reveal my sources but I believe it is true.
8. Taiwan depends on mainland China a lot more than mainland China depends on Taiwan. A simple economic sanction by China will (in a matter of years) strangle Taiwan's economy. Please see Asian Wall Street Journal for reference.
Lastly, I think reunification is inevitable, but only when Taiwan's people feel ready to embrace their cousins across their pond. China will one day be a super power, and eventually it would be too lucrative for Taiwan not to accept China's invitation back to the fold.
There are distinct cultural, language, and social differences between Taiwan and China, but the common language is what ties them together at this point, and that tie, IMHO will be tighter as time goes on.
My take on this subject matter is deeply rooted in my upbringing. I was born in Taiwan, grew up in the States, and now travel frequently to both Taiwan and China for business.
1. Taiwan's military is compulsory, all males over the age of 18 must participate in the armed forces unless you get a doctor's note or if you're the child of some high officials (always happens).
a. They have a lot more than 15 planes, although how many exactly I don't know but I'm sure google will tell you. Taiwan's Air Force is comprised of modified F-16A (spec to C in electronics) and Mirage 2000s from France - nothing to sneer at. They also have a few squadrons of IDF developed internally, and a boatload of F-5E and F-104 (retired from front line service).
2. China's position on Taiwan is not an economical one, nor is it a strategic military one - it's one of nationalism and pride. Taiwan (Formosa) has been in the hands of the Spanish, the Portugese, the Dutch, the Japanese, and finally after WWII it was officially returned to China, but of course in 1948/49 Chiang Kai-Shek lost his civil war and fled to Taiwan, hence the situation today.
3. The last time Chinese attacked/conquered foreign lands was when a guy named Ghengis Khan led the charge. Chinese is a multi-racial nation, which may surprise many people, but I've said many times there are Caucasian Chinese. Mongols are considered a Chinese ethnicity.
4. The last time Vietnam and China had border clashes, Chinese PLA kicked the snot out of the Vietnamese - of course both sides' accounts are quite different, and no western observers (that I know of) were present during the conflict, but based on what I read it was a one sided war.
5. China also had border clashes with India, and there was no clear "winner" in that one. Both countries are now nuclear powers, and restraint has been practiced for the past few decades.
6. China will attack Taiwan if indeed Taiwan's government declared independence. However, popular polls show that less than half the population actually supports independence, and over 70% supports "status quo" - if you read Chinese check www.chinatimes.com or other Chinese news source from Taiwan for reference.
7. The US will most likely NOT help Taiwan should it declare independence - it's always been against US policies, but this also depends on who's the sitting president. The Bush family has very strong ties to some of China's high ranking central government officials, I cannot reveal my sources but I believe it is true.
8. Taiwan depends on mainland China a lot more than mainland China depends on Taiwan. A simple economic sanction by China will (in a matter of years) strangle Taiwan's economy. Please see Asian Wall Street Journal for reference.
Lastly, I think reunification is inevitable, but only when Taiwan's people feel ready to embrace their cousins across their pond. China will one day be a super power, and eventually it would be too lucrative for Taiwan not to accept China's invitation back to the fold.
There are distinct cultural, language, and social differences between Taiwan and China, but the common language is what ties them together at this point, and that tie, IMHO will be tighter as time goes on.
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From: bay area
if china declares war on taiwan. im sure other nations would happily hop in. vietnam for one. china and vietnam have alot of disputes going on about the island in the south east sea that contains valueable oil resource
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From: Bethesda
If China and the US goes to war- its over. Nuclear weapons galore- China has them, the US has them. Along with that, China has several allies (North Korea for one) who incidentally, also has nuclear capability. So its not about who's navy will eat whos antique subs. Its about who can launch the nuke first. No one wins in such a situation. Especially nationalistic warhawks who are iching to prove superior technology at the expense of human life (cough cough).
And about Vietnam. While it is true that China and Vietnam did have serveral skirmishes, lets not forget how many Americans lost their lives in the Vietnam War. Thats what happens when you fight on enemy turf. The Vietnamese had inferior weapons, little formal training, military support from China, and alot of heart.
I for one, would not like to see a war between the two countries. I have friends from Taiwan and friends from China. However, I can say that in a Civil War, there should be a winner. I say this because this is the only way to end the hate. What if the British came in and stopped our Civil war? The North and South would've fought on and on for decades. What if North and South Korea were left to fight and one winner emerges? Well they wouldn't be fighting today, would they?
:Flamesuit:
And about Vietnam. While it is true that China and Vietnam did have serveral skirmishes, lets not forget how many Americans lost their lives in the Vietnam War. Thats what happens when you fight on enemy turf. The Vietnamese had inferior weapons, little formal training, military support from China, and alot of heart.
I for one, would not like to see a war between the two countries. I have friends from Taiwan and friends from China. However, I can say that in a Civil War, there should be a winner. I say this because this is the only way to end the hate. What if the British came in and stopped our Civil war? The North and South would've fought on and on for decades. What if North and South Korea were left to fight and one winner emerges? Well they wouldn't be fighting today, would they?
:Flamesuit:
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From: La La Land
Originally posted by mingster
BTW, the impact of China has in the Asia region is quite interesting: Chinese (language) classes are now almost if not the most popular "foreign" language for Japanese and southeast Asians to take.
BTW, the impact of China has in the Asia region is quite interesting: Chinese (language) classes are now almost if not the most popular "foreign" language for Japanese and southeast Asians to take.
Wooohooo more Asian hotties for me
