Live data from Hacker News

Taiwan Can Win a War with China

foreignpolicy.com

11–20 of 22 posts

Re: Taiwan Can Win a War with China

#11
post #6

Taiwan’s biggest worry right now is probably domestic. People basically lost confidence in both parties (KMT and DPP) ever in power, and Taiwan’s future is really unclear

I'm not disagreeing with you at all, but not it's not encouraging on the international side that Russia can take Crimea - resulting in a bump to Putin's approval ratings. I bet China is taking notes. Something for the China's gov't to consider if it falters (eg. crash in their economy isn't far fetched).

Re: Taiwan Can Win a War with China

#12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unlimited money, or at least the willingness to spend unlimited money, has not really resulted in a sustainable "win" in Afghanistan, for example. China can afford a Finland vs USSR scenario, several times over. China is not going away and the Taiwanese are essentially Han Chinese according to Wikipedia so the Afghan scenario is different. China can offer same government or laws for at least for x decades...

The notion that everything is kumbaya among all Han Chinese automatically is a silly government line. > China can offer same government or laws for at least for x decades... Wasn't Hong Kong supposed to be independently managed til 2047? The Taiwanese are not blind.

>>Wasn't Hong Kong supposed to be independently managed til 2047? The Taiwanese are not blind.

Ask Hong Kong...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Liberation_Army_Hon... . Blind or not average people might not fight to the last man if they feel /perceive no difference in rule.

Re: Taiwan Can Win a War with China

#13
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Righty-oh: as Han Chinese, the Taiwanese are highly dangerous to the mainland Communist Party's narrative that there is no alternative and that top-down Party heavy-handedness is just being reasonable "with Chinese characteristics". Any Finland-like scenario would demonstrate the effectiveness and societal value of obtaining more democracy to all Han Chinese.

Or exacerbate the conflict, the deaths from both sides in Taiwan and China could create hate that might just lead to a eight-year-long civil war like the Syrian Civil War with no end in sight.

Hmm sorry this is a bit of a non-sequitur. Responsibility for the deaths on both sides would squarely fall on Xi, and he would get all the very much deserved hate, having taken full ownership now.

Re: Taiwan Can Win a War with China

#14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or exacerbate the conflict, the deaths from both sides in Taiwan and China could create hate that might just lead to a eight-year-long civil war like the Syrian Civil War with no end in sight.

Hmm sorry this is a bit of a non-sequitur. Responsibility for the deaths on both sides would squarely fall on Xi, and he would get all the very much deserved hate, having taken full ownership now.

It would fall on Xi but that doesn't mean the conflict will end, once blood is spilt, there will be anger. I've seen enough Middle Eastern conflicts to see where it would end. We can blame Assad for the Syrian war but its not ending it.

Re: Taiwan Can Win a War with China

#15
This article feels odd. I'm not sure what's going on here, because it sounds a bit like the "Iraq may be able to beat USA" worries that I heard in 2003, before the Shock and Awe thing happened. Except it's the other way around. It's not whistling past their grave. I don't know what to make of this.

Re: Taiwan Can Win a War with China

#16
post #6

Taiwan’s biggest worry right now is probably domestic. People basically lost confidence in both parties (KMT and DPP) ever in power, and Taiwan’s future is really unclear

I'm not disagreeing with you at all, but not it's not encouraging on the international side that Russia can take Crimea - resulting in a bump to Putin's approval ratings. I bet China is taking notes. Something for the China's gov't to consider if it falters (eg. crash in their economy isn't far fetched).

Yes and China is closely watching domestic events in Taiwan as well, which does have major impacts on the relation between them, and also on the sentiment of people on both sides.

Re: Taiwan Can Win a War with China

#18
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Righty-oh: as Han Chinese, the Taiwanese are highly dangerous to the mainland Communist Party's narrative that there is no alternative and that top-down Party heavy-handedness is just being reasonable "with Chinese characteristics". Any Finland-like scenario would demonstrate the effectiveness and societal value of obtaining more democracy to all Han Chinese.

Or exacerbate the conflict, the deaths from both sides in Taiwan and China could create hate that might just lead to a eight-year-long civil war like the Syrian Civil War with no end in sight.

Probably not. There's a straight between the two sides here. They aren't right next to each other like in Syria.

Re: Taiwan Can Win a War with China

#19

Who needs a war? Taiwan and China will eventually merge without a murmur. More like Germany did than Vietnam.

I do not agree according the latest public poll, Taiwanese people choose independent and "keep current status(not unification)" are more than unification. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2018/09/19/2...

Re: Taiwan Can Win a War with China

#20

Who needs a war? Taiwan and China will eventually merge without a murmur. More like Germany did than Vietnam.

I do not agree according the latest public poll, Taiwanese people choose independent and "keep current status(not unification)" are more than unification. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2018/09/19/2...

>>The results showed that 36.2 percent of respondents supported an independent Taiwan, while 26.1 percent favored unifying with China and 23.2 percent supported maintaining the “status quo” in cross-strait relations.

So almost half already support either unification or status quo. Unite with Motherland and keep the status quo (a lie but most will buy it).

Add a few decades of "economic unification," tens of billions spent on propaganda and China will receive the island's key. Once that's done, go ahead, undo it.

Post reply on HN