Idk if Taiwan would be worth the war, at least not more than supplying Ukraine who’s fighting Russia, which has done way more damage to our country recently. We need to catch up on our local chip manufacturing capabilities fast first, though.
I think a lot of American planners expect the next war to be against China more than Russia, most likely as part of efforts to reclaim Taiwan militarily. Whether that actually happens or not, China seems to be trying to build a military that can win against the U.S., either by matching strengths or some more asymmetric means. I think I saw a story recently that China was constructing mockups of American navy ships in a desert that seem to be for war gaming, as an example.
WanderingVentra@lemm.ee 8 months ago
SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I can’t blame China for wanting Taiwan back. Imagine if we had a civil war and a foreign military invaded and occupied Alaska during a war just before it. Then at the end of the war one side fled to Alaska and declared it independant but we couldn’t retake it because we were so debilitated from the civil war and the war before it. Now a foreign government steps in and says you can’t retake your territory because they said so. I’d be pissed too.
antonim@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
But what do the residents of Alaska have to say? Are they doing fine? Would they be doing better if they were back under US?
SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Well the Japanese took Taiwan from China and then the nationalists fled China and took it over during the handover. No one asked the Chinese natives originally there if they wanted to separate from China.
We fought a civil war to keep the nation together.
WanderingVentra@lemm.ee 8 months ago
While I 100% understand them wanting it back with that context, it’s also been long enough that it feels like there’s no point. It’s just, idk, national pride at this point? It’s not like they have a ton of oil like Alaska does, just the chips and they could probably catch up on that in time or just get them through trade.
But maybe we need a longer amount of time. People’s grandparents can still probably remember when they were united. And I know they can get pretty nationalistic over there, too.
drz@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
If you look at a map of China and the Pacific you can see that the “first island chain” of US allies totally surrounds China. From their military and strategic point of view they are being contained.
Now if China were to control the island of Taiwan they would break that containment. It’s very likely they care more about the strategic position rather than whatever it is they say about wanting to reunite with the Taiwanese. They don’t give a shit about the Taiwanese, they just want the island.
jaybone@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Right after they had that Asia pacific summit in SF, suddenly there was very little news about threats to Taiwan, and there was a lot of news about new chip manufacturing setting up in like Arizona and Utah or something. Which makes me think we are going to let China take Taiwan.
SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 8 months ago
The US wants a fight with China to justify our perpetual military buildup and foreign reach.
shalafi@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Had a long talk with a very intelligent, young, Navy SIGINT guy last New Years. He’s been out there, intercepting and working on signal intelligence. Basically said, “China is the enemy, and they’re far more able and serious than you think. Can’t say much more, take it or leave it.”
SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 8 months ago
China is still mostly poor and rural. For all of their economic expansion things are still basic there for most people.
Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 8 months ago
If 75% of China’s population is poor and rural, that other 25% is still higher than USA’s population, which also includes poor and rural people.
bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 8 months ago
That’s debatable, but that doesn’t have much bearing on China’s military capabilities. Their urban canters are very much developed. You could also say that much of the US is rural and poor, while our military has been involving themselves all over the world for a long time.
SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Well a powerful economic base is the foundation of a superpower. The US leans on General Dynamics, Raytheon, countless contractors, etc. China has no base as extensive as that.