Posted on 08/21/2020 6:04:01 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Roaring out of the sky, an F-16V fighter jet lands smoothly to rearm and refuel on an unremarkable freeway in rural Taiwan, surrounded by rice paddies.
In different circumstances, this could be alarming sight. Taiwan's fighter pilots are trained to land on freeways between sorties in case all of the island's airports have been occupied or destroyed by an invasion.
Luckily, this was a training exercise.
There's only really one enemy that Taiwan's armed forces are preparing to resist -- China's People's Liberation Army (PLA). And as China's reputation as an economic and military superpower has grown in recent years, so too has that threat of invasion, according to security experts.
Taiwan has been self-governed since separating from China at the end of a brutal civil war in 1949, but Beijing has never given up hope of reuniting with what it considers a renegade province.
At a regional security conference in June, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said: "If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese military has no choice but to fight at all costs for national unity." In some shops in mainland China, you can buy postcards and T-shirts emblazoned with patriotic emblems promoting the retaking of Taiwan.
But for seven decades, China has resisted attacking Taiwan partly for political reasons, including the prospect of a US intervention and the potential heavy human toll. But the practical realities of a full-blown invasion are also daunting for the PLA, according to experts.
Ferrying hundreds of thousands of troops across the narrow Taiwan Strait to a handful of reliable landing beaches, in the face of fierce resistance, is a harrowing prospect. Troops would then have a long slog over Taiwan's western mudflats and mountains to reach the capital, Taipei.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
China doesn’t mind massive losses of life.
Taiwan needs to copy the Swiss, or at least, what the Swiss used to do. Send every discharged Army conscript home with his rifle, a gun locker, and 100 rounds of ammo. Bring them back locally once a year for a day of updates, practice and bbq.
Facing 1 million armed Taiwanese citizens would make even the most bloodthirsty Chinese communist think twice, and guarantee Taiwan independence.
RE: Taiwan needs to copy the Swiss, or at least, what the Swiss used to do. Send every discharged Army conscript home with his rifle, a gun locker, and 100 rounds of ammo.
Every able bodied male in Taiwan is conscripted and have to go through military training every year.
Unless there is significant overlap between groups (like helicopters and attack helicopters) those lines don’t add up to the totals.
It’s only a matter of time, unless the Chinese government falls beforehand.
CNN with a legitimate news story??? How did this get past Jeff Zucker?
The Chinese are waiting & hoping for Biden to be elected. Then they can make a move
Are you sure it’s a legitimate news story? Could also be a “nothing to worry about with China - please focus your attention on Russian interference” piece of agitprop on behalf of CNN’s Chinese masters.
Well, they do have a lot of excess males, for some reason,
got to do something with them, or they get... restless
One thing that is China’s achilles heal is the 3 Gorges Dam. There is massive flooding in China right now and there are cracks forming in the Dam. If that goes, it would wipe out a large portion of their agriculture. Taiwan has cruise missles that can reach that dam. If China invades, I am sure that would be a number one target. Not only would it destroy their “bread basket”, but it would tie up many troops in relief efforts.
The Chinese are waiting & hoping for Biden to be elected. Then they can make a move
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The Chinese are actively working in America to get Bidden elected. Then they WILL make a move.
The Chinese efforts in the US dwarf similar efforts by Soros and Slim.
Million Man Swim ?
If and when the USA is distracted—then the Red Chinese will move—and I believe it will be a Trojan Horse attack with lots of help from Taiwanese who have sold out to the Reds. Most troops coming in by aircraft—not landing craft. More like the Nazi invasion of Crete than the Normandy D-Day invasion. To work—it must be swift. But can the Chinese pull it off? Only if our backs are turned in: 1) an election crisis, caused by an illegal vote bid. 2) Civil war between Red and Blue States, 3) Natural disaster or 4) massive Civil Unrest. It wouldn’t take long—a threat of a nuke attack on LA, SF, Seattle would keep us at bay. Or maybe a new plague might do the trick?
I can see a sudden attack working. They would have to pour millions of soldiers into it suddently.
No, I think you are not right on this one. Amphibious invasions are very difficult with today’s modern missile technology and that is highlighted a lot here. It would be a nightmare to try to land enough invading forces for this. And you can assume most Taiwanese at this point are prepared for defnding the island since they’ve been preparing forever for this. Kind of like Nazi Germany leaving Switzerland alone. Every Swiss, by law, owes firearms/weapons and are trained and the geography makes guerilla warfare a constant. Similar situation here.
Would the treaty mean anything, if the Chinese got a secure hold of the island and threatened nuclear devastation in America if we try to dislodge them?
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