I think most people familiar with this situation can agree that the decision for or against Taiwan's independence and China's willingness to use force against independence is an emotional one.

Logically it doesn't make too much sense for Taiwan to be independent from China. The Pan Asia region will eventually (and shortly) rely on China's exports and imports to sustain the regional economy. As a "part" of China, Taiwan can enjoy special benefits and treatment from China's government. As a foreign country, Taiwan can expect none of those, and with its economic competitiveness shrinking, Taiwan will be hard pressed as a nation with very little resources to compete in the global market.

 

For those of you interested, this is an interesting article.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5026647/

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Sen
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.

 

Umm... No

Okay thats a huge premise you are throwing out. "As long as we do 1st strike"...

North Korea can send a nuke over to D.C. and pretty much wipe out our executive branch.

 

I think your thinking centers around the whole "If I have the biggest baddest most expensive Army, then I win the war".

This is just not true. I can kill a duck with a gun, or a nuclear warhead. With the introduction of nuclear and biological warfare, even a smaller poorer and more inferior country is capable of doing lots of damage.

Like you said, 1 nuclear sub can wipe out 35 percent of Russia's population. China has 400 nuclear warheads. Do the math. If China "strikes first" the US would be in deep shit as well.

Anyways, I can't believe I'm chatting about this on a car forum.

 

Lol yes but if China would strike we would know they would be coming and we would launch our thousands and thousands of nuclear weapons at them before they hit us and who knows what secret black projects(aurora, laser satelites etc) we have that can knock out missles...

If they launched a missle at DC there would be ample time to get the most important people out. Also thats why you have backup commands and backup plans in case that scenario happens. The U.S. will never be leaderless, we have many many contingency plans.

 

yes, the important people will be out of harm's way, us peons will die in flames and radiation...

maybe i should move to canada?

 

haha yeh that is ed up. Build your basement bunkers now...

 

I don't believe taiwan is ready to declare independence just yet. Without the U.S. backing her, Taiwan will just let things sit. I believe everyone is waiting to hear how China is handling HK. So far, not too good. The promises that China had made have been broken and even the US is mad. so, If China handles HK poorly, Taiwan might do something.

 

Yep, heard about the HK issue a few days ago. I don't think it is fair at all.