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Thousands Of Ships, Millions Of Troops: China Is Assembling a Huge Fleet For War With Taiwan
https://www.forbes.com ^ | Jul 27, 2021 | David AxeForbes Staff

Posted on 07/27/2021 7:14:19 AM PDT by RomanSoldier19

To have any chance of conquering Taiwan, China might need to transport as many as two million troops across the rough 100 miles of the Taiwan Strait and land them under fire at the island’s 14 potential invasion beaches or 10 major ports.

That’s a lot of people—far, far more than the People’s Liberation Army Navy can haul in its 11 new amphibious ships. To transport the bulk of the invasion force, Beijing almost certainly would take up into naval service thousands of civilian ships.

To that end, the Chinese Communist Party has created a legal and bureaucratic framework for taking over control of commercial shipping. Meanwhile, naval engineers have begun modifying key vessels to make them better assault ships.

All that is to say, the vast flotilla that would be both the vehicle for China’s assault on Taiwan—and the biggest target of Taiwanese forces and their allies—is taking shape.

“If the PLA invasion force was a million or more men, then we might expect an armada of thousands or even tens of thousands of ships to deliver them, augmented by thousands of planes and helicopters,” Ian Easton, an analyst with the Project 2049 Institute in Virginia, wrote in a recent report.

The PLAN’s eight modern Type 071 landing docks and three Type 075 big-deck assault ships together can haul around 25,000 troops. A drop in the bucket. To transport the balance of the invasion force, the Chinese navy can take up around 2,000 large commercial vessels crewed by around 650,000 mariners.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ccp; china; invasion; taiwan
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To: Kevmo
"We don’t have to guess. China has ICBM capability. They have thermal targetting cap ability"

Sure, and all their weapons work 100%, while we have nothing to answer theirs, and what we do have won't work when "manned" by WOKE crews undergoing transgender surgery, right?

My guess is you are too pessimistic about our side, too "optimistic" about theirs.

I'll give you this: for certain, we need better leadership at the very top.

121 posted on 07/27/2021 9:53:22 AM PDT by BroJoeK (a little historical perspective...)
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To: PIF

Why would a conventional attack on Chinese soil trigger a nuclear attack on American soil?

They would just target all of our aircraft carriers with conventional ICBMs.


122 posted on 07/27/2021 9:53:51 AM PDT by Kevmo (Right now there are 500 political prisoners in Washington, DC.)
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To: G Larry
<>"And the Biden puppet masters don’t give a damn!"<>

Yes they do!

$Big (Big Money) are salivating over the fire sale of America once we are destroyed and the Whites eradicated.

123 posted on 07/27/2021 9:54:18 AM PDT by Aevery_Freeman (My favorite musical instrument is the BAN JOE!)
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To: Tai_Chung

The Biden admin doesn’t seem at all inclined to extend full diplomatic recognition. Especially when Taiwan has STILL not declared independence.


124 posted on 07/27/2021 9:57:25 AM PDT by Kevmo (Right now there are 500 political prisoners in Washington, DC.)
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To: RomanSoldier19

China will never accomplish a amphibious landing on Taiwan.


125 posted on 07/27/2021 10:10:11 AM PDT by blam
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To: Kevmo
"Taiwan is divided up in population roughly in thirds"

They sound like Americans, though in our case the ruling Democrat elites are in bed with our Chi-Com enemies, literally in some cases.
I can't speak about Taiwan's 1/3 soy-boys, but the others sound like strong nationalists.

126 posted on 07/27/2021 10:13:10 AM PDT by BroJoeK (a little historical perspective...)
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To: blam

Perhaps, but they’re certainly creating that “perception’” sufficient enough to cause instability and a sense of uncertainty.


127 posted on 07/27/2021 10:13:43 AM PDT by caww ( )
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To: Mariner

China will just send 15 million civilian internal migrants in the first wave. Armed with cameras, megaphones, and CNN uplinks.


128 posted on 07/27/2021 10:13:43 AM PDT by Kevmo (Right now there are 500 political prisoners in Washington, DC.)
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To: Mariner

China is more than capable.


129 posted on 07/27/2021 10:17:25 AM PDT by Kevmo (Right now there are 500 political prisoners in Washington, DC.)
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To: Lockbox

The first wave of containers would contain civilian migrants armed with cameras, megaphones, and CNN uplinks.


130 posted on 07/27/2021 10:20:21 AM PDT by Kevmo (Right now there are 500 political prisoners in Washington, DC.)
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To: Kevmo

Taiwan has repeatedly claimed that they have always been an independent country and therefore does not need to claim independence.

The Chinese Communist Party has never ruled over Taiwan so why would they declare independence from it?


131 posted on 07/27/2021 10:21:49 AM PDT by Tai_Chung
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To: ShadowAce; Kevmo; Mr Ramsbotham; Little Ray
"One Ford-class carrier group will destroy several Chinese carriers without breaking a sweat."

Sure, we should think of Chinese carriers as equivalent to US America-class assault ships -- intended to land troops, not to fight the next Battle of Midway.

What worries our FRiends here are mythological Chinese hypersonic AI missiles which can seek out our carriers from thousands of miles away and instantly vaporize them before we even know there's a war on -- sort of like Pearl Harbor updated.

I'm only saying our side is not entirely helpless against such fearsome mythological weapons.

132 posted on 07/27/2021 10:24:09 AM PDT by BroJoeK (a little historical perspective...)
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To: RomanSoldier19

Those of us who actually have studied world history know how King Phillip II of Spain built the largest naval fleet in the world at the time and filled the ships with a vast army to sail to and defeat England and remove Queen Elizabeth I.

It was 1588 and Spain was the premier military power of the world.

The English had a vastly inferior navy and almost no army to repel a Spanish invasion.

On paper, England had NO CHANCE.

England won without any serious Spanish force even arriving on its soil.

King Phillip II of Spain was humiliated and Spain went bankrupt not long thereafter. Spain’s status as world power leader evaporated.

China will NEVER successfully take Taiwan by force.

Even an attempt would result in a greater humiliation for China than the Spanish loss in 1588.


133 posted on 07/27/2021 10:26:44 AM PDT by Gnome1949
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To: Kevmo

I say Taiwan will invite them in after a 1 year blockade.

China could probably enforce a blockade...at least to the extent that standard commercial shipping and air cargo would be stopped.

Invasion is a bridge too far for them.

90 miles of open ocean is a shooting gallery for stand off weapons. And everybody has them.


134 posted on 07/27/2021 10:28:34 AM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Taiwan was taken from China by Japan in 1895, about the same tie Japan conquered Korea.

After WW II, Taiwan was returned to China.


135 posted on 07/27/2021 10:30:11 AM PDT by Jim Noble (Extremism in the defense of Liberty is no vice)
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To: Little Ray

I dont think our Anti-missile capability is anywhere near being able to knock out a hypersonic ICBM.


136 posted on 07/27/2021 10:30:12 AM PDT by Kevmo (Right now there are 500 political prisoners in Washington, DC.)
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To: Former Proud Canadian

Yes the USN would stand down because Biden would tell them to.

And if the navy engages, then we will luze at least 2 aircraft carriers because they are easier to target than a barn door.


137 posted on 07/27/2021 10:34:13 AM PDT by Kevmo (Right now there are 500 political prisoners in Washington, DC.)
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To: dfwgator
They'll just make up something, like the Nazis did when they faked the attack on the radio station at Gleiwitz to claim that Poland started the war

Taiwan is not Poland 1939.

It's Austria 1938.

138 posted on 07/27/2021 10:35:22 AM PDT by Jim Noble (Extremism in the defense of Liberty is no vice)
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To: Kevmo

Why would a conventional attack on Chinese soil trigger a nuclear attack on American soil? They would just target all of our aircraft carriers with conventional ICBMs.

I tried to explain that in a previous post.

4-5 major cites totally destroyed and 400 million dead would warrant more than a strongly worded letter from any nation.

Look up the Chinese cultural concept of face - which, other than money, is a national obsession and cultural imperative.

Why would they rearm nuclear missiles with conventional warheads - that makes no sense, plus they would do only a small amount of damage, even if they could accurately target as ship doing over 60kts.


139 posted on 07/27/2021 10:38:36 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: ShadowAce

One thermal-targetted ICBM will knock out an American Aircraft Carrier without breaking a sweat. And the resulting nuclear plume of a sinking American carrier on CNN will cause sweating on the part of our ambivalent leadership.


140 posted on 07/27/2021 10:39:08 AM PDT by Kevmo (Right now there are 500 political prisoners in Washington, DC.)
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