Meh . . . All the war games with allies providing support to defend Taiwan that are discussed involve doing so with both hands and one foot tied behind their backs. China has 9,000 miles of coastline.
Shanghai’s 24 million residents are 500 miles from Okinawa, which is just a little farther than the 400 miles to Taiwan, but on the way from bases in Japan. Seoul to Beijing is only 600 miles. The likelihood of a conventional counter attack against the mainland is low, but it is not a risk the Chinese can ignore. Hong Kong sure is nice, and might not be Chinese enough yet to be a nuclear tripwire.
“All the war games with allies providing support to defend Taiwan that are discussed involve doing so with both hands and one foot tied behind their backs. “
Correct.
They all assume China takes out all US bases in the Pacific, but never allow US strikes on the Mainland by B-1Bs and cruise missiles.