WAR CHINA THREATENS TO INVADE TAIWAN

jward

jward

passin' thru

Taiwan’s Patriot missiles to get massive US upgrade​


China’s recent missile and fighter jet overflights exposed holes in Taiwan’s missile defenses that a Patriot overhaul won’t credibly fix
Gabriel Honrada August 14, 2022

Fair Use
Posted in full in this weeks WoW thread, or can be read at the source
asiatimes.com

Taiwan’s Patriot missiles to get massive US upgrade

The US and Taiwan have renewed a missile engineering contract to upgrade the self-governing island’s Patriot missile defense systems against China’s growing missile threats and overflights. The Tai…
asiatimes.com asiatimes.com
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
northern watch said:
Ukraine War Gives Taiwan Ideas for How to Defend Itself Against China | WSJ


RT: 6.39 minutes
Click to expand...

Unless they are willing to buy into a custom version of the Swiss system along with all of the new toys and tactics, they're going to have "problems", and that should have been done over 20 years ago. They'd need at least that long to grow a robust porcupine with healthy teeth and spines....
 
N

northern watch

TB Fanatic
U.S., Taiwan to Begin Formal Talks for Trade, Investment Pact This Fall; The announcement comes amid tension between the U.S. and China over Taiwan

Wednesday, August 17, 2022, 8:43 PM ET
By Yuka Hayashi
Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON—The U.S. announced Wednesday that it and Taiwan will start formal negotiations for a bilateral trade and investment initiative this fall to deepen ties on a range of issues including digital trade, agriculture, and trade facilitation.

The new pact will also address ways to respond to “distortive practices of state-owned enterprises and nonmarket policies and practices,” the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said, in a clear reference to China’s policies without naming the country.

Details of the bilateral initiative follow the initial announcement of the plan in June and come as tensions over Taiwan between the U.S. and China flare following a visit to the self-governed island by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August.

The pact will “deepen our trade and investment relationship, advance mutual trade priorities based on shared values, and promote innovation and inclusive economic growth for our workers and businesses,” said Deputy United States Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi.

“We plan to pursue an ambitious schedule for achieving high-standard commitments and meaningful outcomes covering the eleven trade areas in the negotiating mandate that will help build a fairer, more prosperous and resilient 21st century economy.”

China has opposed U.S. efforts to strengthen ties with Taiwan, saying the U.S. is moving away from its longstanding policy that recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the country’s only legitimate government.

“China firmly opposes all forms of official interactions in any name or form between Taiwan and countries having diplomatic ties with China” a Chinese embassy spokesman said when the plans to strengthen U.S.-Taiwan economic ties were announced in June.

This developing story will be updated.

Write to Yuka Hayashi at yuka.hayashi@wsj.com
 
Zagdid

Zagdid

Veteran Member
northern watch said:
Sounds like the US is giving China a reason to invade Taiwan
Click to expand...
To me, it seems like the US wants casus belli for financial/economic sanctions against China that would both shore-up those against Russia and hamper China's aspirations for Taiwan. A very dangerous fine line.
 
jward

jward

passin' thru

Clock ticks for Taiwan to reform military: U.S. expert​


Staff Writer

1 minute



Taiwanese soldiers fire artillery during a live-fire drill in Pingtung, Taiwan, on Aug. 9. © EPA/Jiji
August 18, 2022 13:32 JST | Taiwan
TAIPEI -- The clock is ticking on Taiwan to implement sweeping defense reforms in preparation for a potential Chinese invasion, a U.S. military expert has warned.
"There's a narrow window of just a few years for Taiwan to make very significant reforms. At this point, the word 'reform' is not enough: Taiwan's defenses need to be transformed," Ivan Kanapathy, a former deputy senior Asia director on the U.S. National Security Council, told Nikkei Asia in an interview. "The majority of Taiwan's forces are extremely vulnerable to the People Liberation Army's cyber and missile attacks," he said.
asia.nikkei.com

Clock ticks for Taiwan to reform military: U.S. expert

Taiwanese forces 'extremely vulnerable' to China attack, ex-NSC official warns
asia.nikkei.com asia.nikkei.com
 
R

raven

TB Fanatic
New ways to ship inflation overseas
jward said:

Clock ticks for Taiwan to reform military: U.S. expert​


Staff Writer

1 minute



Taiwanese soldiers fire artillery during a live-fire drill in Pingtung, Taiwan, on Aug. 9. © EPA/Jiji
August 18, 2022 13:32 JST | Taiwan
TAIPEI -- The clock is ticking on Taiwan to implement sweeping defense reforms in preparation for a potential Chinese invasion, a U.S. military expert has warned.
"There's a narrow window of just a few years for Taiwan to make very significant reforms. At this point, the word 'reform' is not enough: Taiwan's defenses need to be transformed," Ivan Kanapathy, a former deputy senior Asia director on the U.S. National Security Council, told Nikkei Asia in an interview. "The majority of Taiwan's forces are extremely vulnerable to the People Liberation Army's cyber and missile attacks," he said.
asia.nikkei.com

Clock ticks for Taiwan to reform military: U.S. expert

Taiwanese forces 'extremely vulnerable' to China attack, ex-NSC official warns
asia.nikkei.com asia.nikkei.com
Click to expand...
How do we encourage China to invade Taiwan now instead of waiting until later?
 
Old Greek

Old Greek

Veteran Member
northern watch said:
U.S., Taiwan to Begin Formal Talks for Trade, Investment Pact This Fall; The announcement comes amid tension between the U.S. and China over Taiwan

Wednesday, August 17, 2022, 8:43 PM ET
By Yuka Hayashi
Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON—The U.S. announced Wednesday that it and Taiwan will start formal negotiations for a bilateral trade and investment initiative this fall to deepen ties on a range of issues including digital trade, agriculture, and trade facilitation.

The new pact will also address ways to respond to “distortive practices of state-owned enterprises and nonmarket policies and practices,” the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said, in a clear reference to China’s policies without naming the country.

Details of the bilateral initiative follow the initial announcement of the plan in June and come as tensions over Taiwan between the U.S. and China flare following a visit to the self-governed island by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August.

The pact will “deepen our trade and investment relationship, advance mutual trade priorities based on shared values, and promote innovation and inclusive economic growth for our workers and businesses,” said Deputy United States Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi.

“We plan to pursue an ambitious schedule for achieving high-standard commitments and meaningful outcomes covering the eleven trade areas in the negotiating mandate that will help build a fairer, more prosperous and resilient 21st century economy.”

China has opposed U.S. efforts to strengthen ties with Taiwan, saying the U.S. is moving away from its longstanding policy that recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the country’s only legitimate government.

“China firmly opposes all forms of official interactions in any name or form between Taiwan and countries having diplomatic ties with China” a Chinese embassy spokesman said when the plans to strengthen U.S.-Taiwan economic ties were announced in June.

This developing story will be updated.

Write to Yuka Hayashi at yuka.hayashi@wsj.com
Click to expand...
And i bet Piglosi's son will graft a fortune in the process!
 
jward

jward

passin' thru

What China’s Taiwan white paper is saying​


George Koo



By flying to Asia and landing in Taipei, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, disregarded the “one China” principle and the fact that Taiwan is a province of China. Pelosi stepped over China’s red line. And, as promised, China responded by holding live-fire drills all around the island for the first time in the history of cross-Strait relations.

The military exercises by the People’s Liberation Army prompted the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to sail away from the waters of Taiwan. This made it abundantly clear to the people in Taiwan that while the United States wants to encourage Taipei to start a war with the mainland, Taiwan would have to fight the PLA by itself.
Seeing these developments, the collective wisdom of the people in Taiwan as reflected by the media is to conclude that to declare independence and break away from China would be suicidal.
The US Congress and President Joe Biden’s administration, however, have continued to test China’s resolve and attempt to push the red line.

Since the US and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) normalized relations in 1979, Congress has enacted a series of legislation to weaken the bilateral agreement progressively as expressed by three communiqués.
The first communiqué was agreed in 1972 when then-US president Richard Nixon went to China. Each communiqué stating that Taiwan is a part of China was signed by both Washington and Beijing and is binding on both parties.
Unlike these joint agreements, the US government arrogantly presumes that any law enacted by its Congress is unilaterally binding on China as well.

In response to this American arrogance, the State Council Information Office in Beijing has issued a white paper on the “Taiwan Question and the Cause of China’s Reunification in the New Era.” This important document is obviously intended to remind the West that China will not budge on its position on Taiwan.
First of all, the paper reiterates that Taiwan is part of China, that reunification is inevitable, that the way reunification will take place is a matter between Taiwan and the mainland, and that Beijing will brook no outside interference. This is a re-statement of the red line about Taiwan that has never changed but is now stated in no uncertain terms.
Second, the white paper reviewed Taiwan’s place throughout the history of China. The terms of Japan’s unconditional surrender at the end of World War II mandated the return of Taiwan to China after 50 years of Japanese occupation.
At present, 181 countries including the US recognize the PRC as the legal government of China and that Taiwan is part of one China.

Advantages of being part of China​

Some people in Taiwan may not fully appreciate the intertwined cross-Strait economic relationship. If so, they should read the white paper and understand the advantages of Taiwan being a part of the national economy.
As just one of the indicators, Taiwanese businesses have over the years invested more than US$71 billion in more than 1.2 million projects on the mainland – not to mention an annual trade surplus of $170 billion that Taiwan enjoys with the mainland.

From 1980 to 2021, the mainland’s economy grew three times as fast as Taiwan’s and has become the second-largest in the world, and is soon to overtake the US to become No 1. China has become a major power not only economically but in science and technology and in military prowess. As more people in Taiwan come to understand China’s place in the world, they will appreciate being a part of China.
Winding through Congress is the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022, which according to its sponsors will promote the security of Taiwan, ensures regional stability and threatens China with broad economic sanctions. But the consequences of Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan showed that such an act will do just the opposite: The island will become less secure and the region less stable.

As we have also seen from the Ukraine war, the US sanctions imposed on Russia backfired badly, causing worldwide food shortages, rising energy prices and overall inflation, and solidified the ruble’s place among the world’s major currencies. Any attempted sanctions on China would inflict blows to the US economy many times more serious than the sanctions on Russia.

One only need look at the foolhardy tariff war waged by former US president Donald Trump and continued by Biden. The American consumer had to pay a higher price for goods made in China because of the tariffs, and the trade surplus by China only increased rather than reduced. For Washington to threaten China with sanctions is meaningless if not just stupid.
Moreover, the white paper has reasserted China’s red line on Taiwan, leaving no room for ambiguity or equivocation. This is a matter of sovereignty for China. The Chinese do not make empty threats. They will view stepping over the line as an act of war.

No independence without US support​

Taiwan’s ruling pro-independence (taidu) faction would not be so foolish as to declare independence without US support. If the US does show support, then China will most likely strike at the US naval ships first and take them out of action.
Without American military presence, the taidu faction will become irrelevant and negotiations between Taiwan and the mainland for a peaceful reunification can begin.

George Koo retired from a global advisory services firm where he advised clients on their China strategies and business operations. Educated at MIT, Stevens Institute and Santa Clara University, he is the founder and former managing director of International Strategic Alliances. He is currently a board member of Freschfield’s, a novel green building platform. Follow him on Twitter @george_koo.

asiatimes.com

What China’s Taiwan white paper is saying

By flying to Asia and landing in Taipei, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, disregarded the “one China” principle and the fact that Taiwan is a province of Ch…
asiatimes.com asiatimes.com
 
jward

jward

passin' thru

US, China in a daring game of chicken over Taiwan​


Richard Javad Heydarian​



MANILA – Weeks after US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s controversial visit to Taiwan, there is no sign that a new period of Sino-American tensions will abate anytime soon. Rather, both superpower sides have upped the ante, embarking on a daring game of chicken in the heart of the Indo-Pacific.
In a clear show of support for both Taiwan and the US House Speaker, a bipartisan delegation of American legislators led by Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts arrived in Taiwan this week.

The US lawmakers met top officials in Taipei, including President Tsai Ing-wen, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and legislators from the Taiwanese national assembly, according to Washington’s de facto embassy on the self-ruling island.
Following the latest round of high-level US visits to Taiwan, an outraged China threatened to “take resolute and strong measures”, announcing a new round of military drills around the island. The Asian powerhouse has also imposed a new series of sanctions targeting top Taiwanese officials, mostly from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
In response, the Pentagon is set to deploy its own warships to the area in order to stave off what the US sees as an “intensified pressure campaign” from Beijing.
Kurt Campbell, the Indo-Pacific czar in the White House, has also said “an ambitious road map for trade negotiations” with Taiwan would be announced “in the coming days”, underscoring America’s commitment to expanding strategic engagement with the self-ruling island.
The rapid expansion in Chinese and American military activities in the region, including in the hotly-disputed South China Sea, has spooked Southeast Asian nations, which have desperately sought to avoid another major conflict in their backyard.

Worried by rising tensions between the two superpowers, Singapore’s prime minister-in-waiting Lawrence Wong has warned that the two superpowers could “sleepwalk into conflict” if they continue on their current trajectory.
A Chinese military helicopter by Pingtan island across the Taiwan Strait from Taiwan on August 4, 2022. Image: Screengrab / BBC
During his week-long visit to Taiwan, Massachusetts Democratic Senator Ed Markey has been accompanied by colleagues from across the political spectrum, including Representatives John Garamendi and Alan Lowenthal of California, Don Beyer of Virginia, and Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa.
The unannounced trip caught many by surprise, underscoring bipartisan consensus in Washington in favor of a tougher stance against China.

Taiwanese President Tsai wasted no time in portraying China as an aggressive power akin to Russia, telling the visiting US delegation, “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year has shown the threat that authoritarian nations pose to the global order.”
Senator Markey, a staunch supporter of Taiwan in recent years, tried to reassure his hosts that Washington has a “moral obligation to do everything we can to prevent an unnecessary conflict and Taiwan has demonstrated incredible restraint and discretion during challenging times.”
“Consistent with our commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States must continue to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the international community and help Taiwan withstand cross-Strait coercion. We must continue to work together to avoid conflict and miscalculation in the Taiwan Strait,” the US lawmaker added.

This week, the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) of the Communist Party announced the imposition of new punitive measures, including barring a number of leading legislators in Taiwan from visiting mainland China and restricting “[t]heir affiliated companies and financial sponsors” from “gain[ing] profits” from any potential business transactions with Beijing.
“For a period of time, a small number of Taiwan independence die-hards have tried their best to collude with external forces to carry out ‘independence’ provocations, deliberately inciting cross-strait confrontation and wantonly undermining the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. They performed extremely poorly during Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan,” the TAO spokesman said, warning those on the sanctions list would be “held accountable for life.”
Almost all the sanctioned legislators, with the exception of Chen Jiau-hua, New Power Party legislator and chairwoman, hail from President Tsai’s ruling party. Earlier China had already imposed sanctions on Taiwanese Foreign Minister Wu, Premier Su Tseng-chang and legislative president You Si-kun.

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu is on China’s sanctions list. Photo: AFP
Moreover, China has also announced new drills around Taiwan following its recent wargames in the area which saw the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fire missiles into Taiwanese waters, deploy fighter jets and warships across the de facto line separating the two sides in the Taiwan Straits and showcase its multi-domain offensive capabilities,
“China will take resolute and strong measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday (August 15) shortly after the visit of the US delegation to Taiwan.
“A handful of US politicians, in collusion with the separatist forces of Taiwan independence, are trying to challenge the ‘One China’ principle, which is out of their depth and doomed to failure.”

Separately, China’s Defense Ministry warned that the new exercises were intended to be a “resolute response and solemn deterrent against collusion and provocation between the US and Taiwan.”
In response, Washington has accused China of exploiting Pelosi’s visit as a pretext to launch a new campaign of intimidation against Taiwan. Campbell has criticized China’s latest moves, maintaining the Asian superpower “overreacted, and its actions continue to be provocative, destabilizing and unprecedented.”
The US Indo-Pacific czar, who was also the architect of the Obama administration’s “pivot to Asia” policy, announced that the US would deploy its own set of warships and warplanes to the area in the coming weeks in order defend regional allies and stand in solidarity with Taiwan.

Ahead of Pelosi’s visit, the US had already deployed four US warships, including the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, to the area in order to demonstrate its naval prowess and keep China’s military activities in check.
Throughout the month, the two superpowers have been embroiled in high-stakes, cutting-edge shadow boxing across regional waters. Reports suggest that the US and China were locked in an electronic warfare and reconnaissance showdown in the wake of Pelosi’s visit, testing each other’s ability to conduct full-scale operations in the event of a contingency.

Chinese State broadcaster CCTV reported the PLA deployed naval and air force assets to conduct “full tracking and surveillance” against the US Air Force transporting Pelosi and her delegation from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei earlier this month.
“The PLA deployed some electronic warfare aircraft such as the J-16D and warships to try to locate Pelosi’s aircraft, but were not successful,” a China-based source told the South China Morning Post.
“Almost all the PLA electronic warfare equipment couldn’t work properly because they were all jammed by electronic interference by the American aircraft strike group sent by the Pentagon to escort her,” the source claimed.

Tourists look on as a Chinese military helicopter flies past Pingtan island, one of mainland China’s closest points to Taiwan, in Fujian province on August 4, ahead of massive military drills off Taiwan. Photo: Twitter / JIJI
With tensions between the two superpowers reaching new heights, major think tanks in the US are reportedly conducting various war games with a new sense of urgency.
In early August, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) conducted a massive conventional warfare simulation, which showed that any actual conflict over Taiwan could cost the US as many as two aircraft carriers, 20 warships, and 500 aircraft with thousands of lives lost in what would certainly be a bloody and messy conflict unseen since the end of World War II.

An earlier simulation by the Washington-based Center for a New American Security, which included the possibility of nuclear warfare, arrived at broadly similar yet even more devastating conclusions.
The escalating superpower tensions have deeply alarmed regional states, especially in Southeast Asia. In an interview on Monday with Bloomberg, Singapore’s incoming premier Lawrence Wong described the situation as “very worrying.”
“We are starting to see a series of decisions being taken by both countries that will lead us into more and more dangerous territory,” said Wong, who currently serves as deputy prime minister and finance minister.
“As they say, no one deliberately wants to go into battle but we sleepwalk into conflict,” Wong added. “And that’s the biggest problem and danger.”
Follow Richard Javad Heydarian on Twitter at @richeydarian

US, China in a daring game of chicken over Taiwan
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
this is higher than normal #. . .


Apex Retweeted








國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C.
@MoNDefense
11h

6 PLAN vessels and 51 PLA aircraft around our surrounding region were detected today (August 18, 2022) until 1700(GMT+8). #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded to these activities with aircraft in CAP, naval vessels, and land-based missile systems.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1560221360697540609
View: https://twitter.com/MoNDefense/status/1560221360697540609?s=20&t=Gd0NIZgTt62oMU0RhJLk4w
 
Jaybird

Jaybird

Veteran Member
danielboon said:
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1560426634225778688
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/EndGameWW3/status/1560426634225778688
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Just going to leave this here....

theaviationgeekclub.com

When a US Navy EP-3 collided with a Chinese J-8 interceptor: the Hainan incident and the last flight of Lt. Cdr. Wang Wei - The Aviation Geek Club

When a US Navy EP-3 collided with a Chinese J-8 interceptor: the Hainan incident and the last flight of Lt. Cdr. Wang Wei
theaviationgeekclub.com theaviationgeekclub.com
Click to expand...
 
jward

jward

passin' thru

China risks miscalculation with pressure on Taiwan, U.S. says​

By Ben Blanchard
and Martin Quin Pollard

AIPEI/BEIJING, Aug 18 (Reuters) - China's efforts to coerce and undermine Taiwan risk miscalculation and its pressure campaign will most likely continue, Daniel Kritenbrink, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, said.

China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, has been carrying out war games and military drills around the island this month to show its anger at a visit to Taipei by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Speaking on a conference call on Wednesday Washington D.C. time, Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said China had used Pelosi's trip as an excuse to change the status quo, jeopardising peace.


"These actions are part of an intensified pressure campaign by the PRC against Taiwan, which we expect to continue to unfold in the coming weeks and months," he said, referring to China's official name, the People's Republic of China.

"The goal of this campaign is clear to intimidate and coerce Taiwan and undermine its resilience."

The United States has been clear with China that its approach to Taiwan has not changed, including the U.S. commitment to its "one China" policy and not supporting Taiwan's formal independence, Kritenbrink added.


"While our policy has not changed, what has changed is Beijing's growing coercion. The PRC's words and actions are deeply destabilising. They risk miscalculation and threaten the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait."

The United States has conveyed to China in every conversation that it does not seek and will not provoke a crisis, he said.

U.S. lines of communication with Beijing remain open, and the United States will continue to conduct routine naval transits through the Taiwan Strait, Kritenbrink added.


"We will continue to take calm, but resolute steps to uphold peace and stability in the face of Beijing's ongoing efforts to undermine it and to support Taiwan in line with our long-standing policy. We will act responsibly, steadily and resolutely," he said.

Speaking in Taipei, Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou reiterated that they believe the Taiwan Strait is an international waterway and support U.S. freedom of navigation missions there as being "positive" for peace and stability.

China has never renounced the use of force to take control of Taiwan.

Taiwan's democratically elected government says that as the People's Republic of China has never ruled the island, it has no right to decide its future, which can only be set by its 23 million people without coercion.

Washington has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide it with the means to defend itself.

China says Taiwan is the most important and sensitive issue in its ties with the United States.
www.reuters.com

China risks miscalculation with pressure on Taiwan, U.S. says

China's efforts to coerce and undermine Taiwan risk miscalculation and its pressure campaign will most likely continue, Daniel Kritenbrink, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, said.
www.reuters.com www.reuters.com
 
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