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As China’s Shadow Lengthens, The United States Must Help Taiwan Prepare To Defend Itself
The Federalist ^ | December 10, 2021 | Josh Hawley

Posted on 12/10/2021 9:35:13 AM PST by Kaslin

U.S. defense leaders have allowed China’s military might to grow unchecked while they prattle on about critical race theory and climate change. That increases the risk of war over Taiwan.


The Chinese Communist Party is open about its imperial ambitions. Chinese leader Xi Jinping calls explicitly for “the transformation of the global governance system”—which means China in charge of the Asian Pacific and, ultimately, the world.

America must act now to stop it. Our economic prosperity, no less than our national security, depends on it. A China that bestrides the Pacific would make today’s supply chain woes look pleasant. A China able to control global trade would only further hollow out American industry, and further devastate the working people who depend on it. The key to halting these grim possibilities is Taiwan.

America cannot afford to live in China’s shadow. We already know what the CCP model looks like: the regime controls its citizenry with a massive surveillance apparatus, lies about its bloody past and present, and persecutes Muslims and Christians alike who challenge its claims to absolute authority. Left to its own devices, China will seek to export that biopolitical nightmare around the globe.

With each passing day, the scope and scale of the CCP’s vision become clearer. Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that China plans to construct a military base in the African nation of Equatorial Guinea, providing it permanent access to the Atlantic Ocean, and hence to America’s eastern coast.

Already, the CCP is using its power to distort daily American life. NBA teams and players pander to CCP denialism about the oppression of the Uyghur people, and Hollywood screenwriters revise their stories to placate Chinese censors.

Those pressures will increase exponentially if China’s power is left unchecked. And that’s saying nothing of the consequences for ordinary Americans if China gains even greater control over global markets, allowing it to throttle supply chains and drive up prices in the United States.

The end result is a world where Chinese forces routinely patrol off the American coasts, U.S. forces abroad are constantly under threat from China or its vassals, and pervasive economic pressures keep American institutions from even acknowledging the situation. America cannot allow this international order to emerge.

But fortunately, we are not powerless. There is still time to take a stand, and we can begin with Taiwan.

Beijing desperately wants to swallow that small island nation whole. The Communists call it “national reunification,” their phrase for crushing Taiwan’s thriving democracy and subjugating it to Beijing’s control.

Domination of Taiwan is the cornerstone of Xi’s quest to remake the global order to the Chinese Communist Party’s liking. A successful Chinese invasion of Taiwan would not be the end of anything, but the beginning: a brutal takeover would vindicate Xi’s propaganda efforts, and permit the CCP to threaten in turn the Philippines, Japan, Australia, and other American allies. It would clear the way for Chinese hegemony in Asia, and with it the steady erosion of Americans’ prosperity, freedom, and sovereignty.

This fate isn’t a foregone conclusion. Taiwan and America, together, can and must stand up to the CCP’s imperial ambitions. We can start by passing two bills I’ve introduced—the Taiwan Defense Act and the Arm Taiwan Act.

The Taiwan Defense Act would require the U.S. Department of Defense to actually prioritize deterring a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. This would not be necessary if the department had shown itself capable of focusing on this priority threat, rather than on the left’s cultural wars.

Instead, U.S. defense leaders have allowed China’s military might to grow unchecked while they prattle on about critical race theory and climate change. That failure increases the risk of war over Taiwan. The American people deserve a Defense Department that is focused on our actual national security, and that means deterring a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

But the principal responsibility for defending Taiwan must rest with Taiwan. That’s why I’ve also introduced the Arm Taiwan Act, which would provide Taiwan up to $3 billion annually for five years to help the people of Taiwan arm themselves with the defenses critical to holding off a Chinese invasion force.

To be eligible for funds, though, Taiwan must increase its defense spending and match our investments. Taiwan must also commit to other necessary defense reforms to ensure American assistance is used as effectively as possible. These may not be easy decisions. But the United States cannot be expected to aid Taiwan if Taiwan will not do what is required to defend itself.

Throughout history, America has adopted an anti-imperialist foreign policy. Time and again, we have been called to thwart foreign adversaries’ attempts at empire-building. Now we are called to do so once again.

In the months and years to come, both America and Taiwan would do well to heed a famous Latin adage: Si vis pacem, para bellum—if you want peace, prepare for war. If we act now to prepare, Taiwan and America can stand up to Xi Jinping’s threats, and frustrate the CCP’s dreams of an Indo-Pacific imperium. But we must act now.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: armtaiwanact; asiapacific; ccp; china; deterrence; diplomacy; dod; foreignaffairs; globalaffairs; internataffairs; pacificocean; supplychains; taiwan; taiwandefenseact; worldaffairs

1 posted on 12/10/2021 9:35:13 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

With the current administration, I see this as an opportunity to waste a lot of blood, and waste a lot of treasure. All for a pre-ordained outcome: “Oh, look we lost”.

I favor isolationism and autarky.


2 posted on 12/10/2021 9:45:53 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (Alec Baldwin has killed more people than the Jan 6 protesters. And he will serve less jail time.)
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To: All
“BFF, XI”....said then-VP BIDEN (as long as the checks to the Biden family clear)
3 posted on 12/10/2021 9:46:13 AM PST by Liz (Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
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To: Kaslin

On one side I have become a peacenik. How many lives and how much treasure are we willing to spend to defend Taiwan?
On the other side, this plays to what used to be our strengths - an air and sea battle - and if not now, when?
I guess my real worry is what ugly surprises do the Chicoms have for us? Do the DF-21 anti-ship ballistic missiles work? What sort of danger do Chinese infiltrators pose? Are there container ships with hidden missiles positioned off our coasts? And, of course, our leadership, military and civilian stinks on ice.
This is an ugly situation for the US military to be in. And there is no way the we get out of this with the continental US untouched.


4 posted on 12/10/2021 9:48:48 AM PST by Little Ray (Civilization runs on a narrow margin. What sustains it is not magic, but hard work. )
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To: Kaslin

It may already be too late. If Putin and Xi strike at the same time all Brandon will be able to do is wet his depends.


5 posted on 12/10/2021 10:04:34 AM PST by Don Corleone (leave the gun, take the canolis)
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To: Don Corleone

I cannot imagine that one of them would make the move and the other would hold off. Why would they delay? Best opportunity ever. I would also expect trouble in the Middle East.

I don’t think we have the political will to win a one-front war. A two-front war?? A three-front war??? We would send a stern letter and call it a day. They know that.


6 posted on 12/10/2021 10:11:11 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (Alec Baldwin has killed more people than the Jan 6 protesters. And he will serve less jail time.)
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To: Kaslin

from my home page

update in 2021

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3979585/posts

There are some updated conversations regarding the sampan civilian navy internal migration approach.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3979585/posts

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/4002096/posts?page=58#58

The chinese will send a sampan navy with 10million “internal migration” civilians armed with CNN uplinks, cameras, and bullhorns. When they get mowed down by our side, the resulting negative PR will be amplified by the chinese knocking out 2 of our aircraft carriers in the blockade with their hypersonic ICBM thermally guided antiship missiles.
America will luze stomach for the fight over what it already calls an internal province of China. Taiwan has never declared independence.
About a third of civilians in Taiwan are ethnic Chinese and maybe only half of them have loyalties and fifth column tendencies towards communist China. They have hundreds of thousands of cargo ships they can fill with civilians armed with cameras, CNN uplinks, and bullhorns.
The resultant slaughter will be live on CNN and the PR backlash will be enough to let China walk right back into their own internal (never did declare independence) province. If we blockade them, they’ll lob thermal-capable antiship ICBM missiles at our aircraft carriers and CNN will record them sinking to the bottom of the sea with the resultant nuclear plume.
America will luze stomach for the fight after luzing a couple $Trillion in carriers and tens of thousands of men in one afternoon, all seen on CNN, with our recourse being... to slaughter civilians. China has all the cards, they just have to lay them down on the table at this point.
And when it’s all over but the shouting, the RINOs and GOPes and democraps will be handwringing, hoping for a quick way to order chinese chips & electronics from Amazon. The chinese want the continued business of globalists so it’ll all be “can’t we just get along” and “water under the bridge” as soon as China is in charge and chips are shipping.


7 posted on 12/10/2021 10:24:33 AM PST by Kevmo (I’m immune from Covid since I don’t watch TV.🤗)
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To: Kaslin

Can the US defend itself against China?


8 posted on 12/10/2021 10:30:17 AM PST by 353FMG
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To: Kaslin

Sounds like neo-con talk.

The chest thumping all sounds great. Then America becomes engaged. Then many soldiers die or are mamed. Then the Communist Left in this country get their righteous indignation voices amplified through the corrupt MSM and America ends up tucking tail and slink away in worthless surrender.

Vietnam
Afghanistan

When they start a draft with the high numbers coming from Berkley, Boston, NYC, and every other Democrat stronghold then, maybe, I’ll think about jumping on board, not before.


9 posted on 12/10/2021 11:05:19 AM PST by Obadiah (Fauci is the golden calf of science.)
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To: Kaslin

Send him. We are bankrupt. We cannot stop China from growing its economy and military.


10 posted on 12/10/2021 11:18:12 AM PST by Trumpisourlastchance
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To: 353FMG

How many service men and women do we lose over the mandate?

Hell, we can’t even navigate ships with out running into freighters.


11 posted on 12/10/2021 11:43:57 AM PST by redgolum (If this is civilization, I will be the barbarian. )
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