Chinese diplomat says 'reunification' with Taiwan near, cites China's 'growing comprehensive strength'

MSN ^ | July 7, 2022 | Timothy Nerozzi

[Boomer]

The eyebrow-raising comments were published Thursday in China's government-run newspaper, People's Daily.

Taiwan Affairs Office lead Liu Jieyi expressed expectations for China to reclaim Taiwan in the near future due to "growing comprehensive strength" on the part of the Chinese.

"Our growing comprehensive strength and significant institutional advantages continue to be transformed into efficiency in work related to Taiwan issues and push forward the process of national reunification," Liu said, according to a translation by South China Morning Post.

[Boomer]

No doubt Biden will do everything China tells him to in order for this go smoothly.

Stolen elections have consequences.

[combat_boots]

If you can, buy whatever you need from Taiwan or SK.

No CCP chips.

[ChuckHam]

China says all your TSMC belong to us.

[Travis McGee]

Mat posted only for scale and historical reference only.

Personally, I think China will gradually tighten a sea and air blockade, rather than go for a full "D-Day Invasion." A blockade plays to China's strength in land-based IRBMs etc.

And I'd only support Taiwan at this point with all of America's military assets if Taiwan was already going 100% for self defense, as in mass-producing sniper rifles, ATGMs, Stinger clones, etc, and training everybody on the island to defend Taiwan. Sort of like Switzerland. Sniper rifles to every adult who wants one. ATGM and Stingers in mass production, with inert trainers all over the island. Only if I saw that kind of determination by the Taiwanese, would I throw America's military 100% behind them.

And we don't see it. The Taiwanese are soft soy-boy gamers playing with air soft guns at best. Sorry, that doesn't cut it.

Taiwan certainly has the tech savvy and industry to do make the weapons required for a bloody valley by valley defense. (See: Japanese on Okinawa.) But if they don't want to fight like that for their freedom....

Then neither should we.

[Travis McGee]

MAP posted only for scale and historical reference only.

[ifinnegan]

Unification is imminent.

[Rinnwald]

Early 2023 and 2024, before the rainy seasons are sweet spots for the Chinese to invade, with landing ships becoming operational, and NT (No Trump).

[allendale]

Very much doubt Comrade Xi will attempt an invasion across 90 miles of open ocean with his combat inexperienced one child soldiers and his untested locally built ships and planes. Such an invasion would have a high chance of failure if the people of Taiwan resist. Also failure would have extremely unpleasant consequences for Comrade Xi, his family and sycophants. However the Chinese propaganda be unrelenting. They will threaten horrible death and destruction if the people of Taiwan resist reunification under the communists.

Interesting times ahead.

[indthkr]

"China says all your TSMC belong to us.

TSMC already operates fabs in mainland China

[packagingguy]

He released out strategic petroleum reserves to Unipec of China, part of Sinopec. Hunter was partly invested.

So the oil we would need in a military conflict is being drained with some being sent to a Hunter-associated firm.

No wonder China is feeling its oats.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Taiwan replied, “We’ll see your nuke and raise you ten” (I. e.the ones you don’t know about in the Taroko Gorge mountains).

[hinckley buzzard]

No Dday invasion, no blockade. Either would incur unsustainable losses at sea. War will open with all-out cyber attack interrupting all communications, blocking command and control; massive missile attack on key targets re the above, as well as key military installations and logistic infrastructure. Air battle to achieve air superiority. Undercover special ops troops already in place will take advantage of the resulting confusion and chaos to seize governmental buildings and personnel; seize control of the main airport allowing the landing of regular army or marine-style troops. Airborne troops dropped in vulnerable zones will marry up with special ops troops and take control of highways and rail assets. That’s Day 1.

China’s only hope is speed. They would not be able to maintain the logistic train necessary for a prolonged ground conflict.

[buwaya]

Not necessary to invade Taiwan. China can effectively blockade Taiwan, which will have to submit in a matter of months, unless international sanctions or aid can make China blink.
China will suffer the same trade consequences one way or another, it is better for China not to risk heavy casualties and a possibility of losing face in case the invasion fails.

[buwaya]

A blockade will not necessarily imply heavy casualties. China needs only to pronounce a threat vs all trade with Taiwan. They can make a couple of examples of merchant ships approaching Taiwan ports. Taiwan doesn’t have the means to prevent that. China has the standoff weapons to make it an effective threat with minimal risk to its ships or airfields.

To “break” this blockade the US and Japan and maybe South Korea will have to organize a series of “Malta Convoy” operations, with heavy naval escorts, to bring merchant ships in and out of Taiwan ports. Each will bear a risk of open war with China, but China doesn’t need to attack these convoys to badly harm the Taiwan economy.

[Salman]

My guess is the CCP will offer some sort of “two systems” deal and worry about complete assimilation later. The idesa being to avoid messing up the chip business.

[Twotone]

We should’ve been encouraging a 2nd Amendment movement here, & in other countries. In fact, a new Trump or other Freedom Movement Republican should have a policy of no foreign aid to any gov’t that doesn’t guarantee certain ‘inalienable rights’ to their citizens.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

We can but hope the Taiwanese have fully operational brigades of saboteurs on the mainland. They pack enormous bang-for-the-buck.

[roadcat]

My guess is the CCP will offer some sort of “two systems” deal and worry about complete assimilation later.

Won't happen. It didn't work out well for Hong Kong when the CCP didn't honor the "two systems" deal that was supposed to last 50 years; didn't make it to 20 years. Taiwan will not accept such a deal. The Chinese should give Taiwan back to the native Austronesian peoples; it never belonged to China.

[roadcat]

They can make a couple of examples of merchant ships approaching Taiwan ports. Taiwan doesn’t have the means to prevent that.

And risk total war with Japan, South Korea and others. Japan and the USA already have cooperation pacts with Taiwan, and China attacking merchant ships will cause Japan to step up military intervention on behalf of Taiwan.

[buwaya]

Exactly so. The Chinese government can then gauge the intensity of the international response, and proceed or back off as it sees fit. It would not be fully committed, like it would be in the case of an invasion attempt.