The Republic of China Armed Forces’ annual Han Kuang military exercise in Taichung, Taiwan, on July 16. Photographer: I-Hwa Cheng/Bloomberg
Bloomberg: China’s Xi Sets His Sights on Taiwan After Subduing Hong Kong
The leader wants to continue on the path of Mao and Deng by bringing more territory under Beijing’s control.
Ever since Mao Zedong triumphed in 1949, prompting his Nationalist enemies to flee to Taiwan, Communist Party leaders have bolstered their legitimacy to rule by taming rebellious corners of China’s vast periphery.
The quest to capture lost territory prompted Mao’s army to subdue Tibet, where cadres co-opted Buddhist monasteries and eventually built a railway that ensured well-supplied garrisons of troops across the Himalayan plateau. He also reclaimed Xinjiang in the far west, a Muslim desert region the size of Iran where Silk Road traders once crossed paths with Uighurs—who have now been reduced to about 30% of the population of their own homeland after millions of China’s dominant Han ethnicity moved in. After Mao’s death, Deng Xiaoping further helped restore China’s glory following the so-called century of humiliation when he negotiated the return of two cities lost to colonial powers. The U.K. handed over Hong Kong in 1997, and Portugal followed two years later with Macao.
Xi Jinping has consolidated control in all of these places since taking power in 2012 and bolstered Beijing’s hold on disputed reefs in the South China Sea. Most notably, he set up a vast police state in Xinjiang that sent Muslims en masse to reeducation camps, and just in July he imposed a sweeping national security law in Hong Kong aimed at stamping out dissent in a city that many in the West once hoped would spur China to embrace democracy.
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WNU Editor: Truth be told. China has always had its sights on Taiwan.
Tibet is strategic for India, Xinjiang is strategic for Russia, Hong Kong is strategic for economy, but Taiwan is strategic for Pacific means for USA. The last make all the difference.
ReplyDeleteIf China is taking over Taiwan doesn't mean war...not necessarily, but it would be at least a huge economically backlash from US and Europe. The disaster consequence could be a regime change in China.
European leaders don't give a fck about democracy, judging by the way they team up with the media against Trump on every topic , from Russia hoax to trade deals to China and human rights and now health.. I think the time to invade Taiwan is now and they will use an EMP/ electromagnetic attack combined with signal and cyber warfare to render much of Taiwan's defence useless for a day or so while stand down narratives and "Xi is great" shows are broadcasted by the media. Pretty much like CNN any day today, just that some Chinese hack will play their "analysts"/"journalists".
ReplyDeleteI'm sute Taiwan has thought about the EMP angle and has "hardened" their defenses against this sort of thing. Unlike US leadership Taiwanese leadership generally seems to be very, very smart. With the exception of Trump and a few team members US leadership are generally complete idiots and I left wing political hacks. Taiwanese leadership is much smarter.
DeleteOf course if Taiwan had a nuclear deterrent they'd be in a better position. Frankly they should have addressed that over 20 years ago. There's no time like the present to atart!!
Taiwan has a military, Hong Kong didnt
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