I read 'em. I wanted to see your views and thus the reason I flagged you.
To me it's as I stated earlier...Goodbye Taiwan, hello Formosa.
When the time comes, and it eventually will, I simply don't see there being a big rallying cry for our boys to fight and die for the Taiwanese.
We'd better watch out with all of these "arms deals" too. Once an enemy is eliminated the first thing one should do is take his weapons. Reverse engineering only hurts us.
I'm still waiting for intel on the first look-a-like P-3. You figure about 2-3 years?
The Ruskies already have had a P-3 look alike for a long time. I am sure the Chinese can buy and license build them if they want. It's called the IL-38 May. Here's a pic with an F-4 "escorting".
We simply must help the ROC defend themselves. They are a liberty loving people who have tried to model their system after our own. They are vibrant and very productive. If we walk away from them ... it ould further punctuate the message we already sent in 1979 under Carter when we abandoned them politically. We would abandon our own Act of Congress and other nations in the region would begin to move away from us.
In addition, if the ROC falls, the PRC then (with the Spratleys) controls oil access to S. Korea and Japan. There would be more hell for us to pay soon thereafter than there would be in helping the ROC IMHO.
Regards.