One of the mementos from my former life as a naval officer is a paperweight, that I display proudly on my desk marked “Naval Support Activity Republic of China†with an outline of Taiwan in the background. A subtle reminder that within my lifetime Taiwan was once viewed as the Republic of China and that the United States had a special relationship with the bulwark of democracy in the far east.Â
In retrospect, the United States was extremely naïve in assuming that if we allowed Communist China into the community of nations, we could remake that repressive regime in our own image. It is no secret that the Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC) through both economic and military power has a strategic goal of achieving world hegemony. Yet in spite of this American corporations continue to kowtow to the Chinese communists while at the same time the PRC steals our intellectual property, technology, and military secrets while we sit idly by and watch the decline of our own nation.
https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-taiwan/
Unfortunately, by the stroke of a pen the 1979 U.S.-P.R.C. Joint Communique switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. In the Joint Communique, the United States recognized the Government of the PRC as “the sole legal government of China, acknowledging the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China.†The Joint Communique also stated that the United States will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan.
With that in mind, deterrence of Chinese aggression against Taiwan is must be a stated goal and a commitment of any responsible administration. To simply look the other way and pretend it is not happening is negligent. History has proven time and time again that any attempt to placate or appease an international bully only emboldens them. As one of my older in-laws would say “you cannot change a tiger’s stripes.†Understanding this, what can we do as a nation to defend the sovereignty of our former ally?Â
Admiral Davidson, in his outgoing congressional testimony as head of the United States Indo-Pacific Command last spring, estimated that “China would invade Taiwan in six years.†China hands now refer to this somber prediction as the “Davidson Window†and urge us to act now before it is too late.
https://www.hoover.org/research/realism-and-deterrence-cross-strait-relations
Whatever we as a nation are going to do to deter Chinese aggression must begin now; it must be strategic; and it must be applied at a steady strain regardless of the inevitable setbacks as world events change the geopolitical landscape such as what we are now witnessing in Ukraine.  Chinese leaders have not attempted to forcibly occupy Taiwan up until this point simply because they are not confident that the costs both during and after an invasion that will be incurred outweigh the potential gain.
Our national leadership through continued naval presence and robust military assistance must ensure that the PRC unmistakably reaches this same conclusion time and time again. Once they sense a real or even perceived weakness or a lack of resolve on the part of the United States the games is over.
9 comments
The real question is how do we eliminate the Chinese Communist Party? They are the Nazis of the 21st century.
Bye, bye Taiwan. It was nice knowing ya’
While is the author worried about Taiwan? China, they are laughing. They have been given the US economy. You better start writing about how to take the US back from China and stop shitting yourself over Taiwan.
You have succinctly summed up the reality in three sentences. Yes… let’s get all worked up over Taiwan. While China controls your own economy. I like this author… but to think you could fight a war with China is ABSURD… I doubt China even needs to actually invade the damn country either. They can just Finlandize it and not waste resources on a war.
WHAT kind of stupid country allows it’s strategic industries to go to Asia? That could not see the danger of creating what they created out of China… A country led by shitheads.
Well… you might want to read Peter Schweizers book on the Biden’s and China. Also you might want to check out Mitch McConnell and his wife’s dealings with China. The political scum in this country don’t know whether to respond to the strings on their hands or the stick up their ass that China controls. This shit all started with Bubba Clinton and the GOP Inc kowtowing to corporations that wanted access to China… cheap labor… no regulatory state… no environmental control period.. Great place to do badness!!! Ask Clinton W and his Daddy Bush! But you scum sucking parasites… China was in this with a nationalistic strategy… you and your Fking corporations and Wall St backers were there to make money.
So… at this point what do you really think you are going to do??? Hmm… Are the shelves at the Wall Mart empty? It’s because the supply lines for that shitty corporation are not in full production from China. You want to fight China? You will need them to manufacture some stuff for you to do so… Oh and they already know your technology. They have placed contractors in your government.l. hacked it… stolen intellectual and intelligence property.
So pppttt. Taiwan is on its own.
I am not quite sure I am ready for massive military (and potentially massive civilian) casualties over Taiwan. I would prefer that we simply arm them to the teeth and then in the event of PRC aggression, cease buying Chinese goods. We need to start making them stuff here again.
First, in order to accomplish this, we need leverage. The United States must initiate and lead a broad coalition of nations to credibly convince the Chinese that crossing the Taiwan Straits would be too costly for them to launch a full-scale invasion.
Second, the United States must prepare Taiwan to withstand and then prevail in a Chinese-initiated missile attack. Taiwan’s defenses must be able to withstand the damage from a first strike and also be able to respond in kind. In addition, U.S. bases and facilities in the Pacific such as Guam and Hawaii must be hardened to withstand the inevitable retaliatory strike.
Third, the United States must stress to the PRC our resolve and nuclear deterrence capability so it that there can be no doubt of a Chinese misunderstanding. The use of tactical nuclear weapons against U.S. forces would result in an outcome not favorable to the PRC – the risk would not be worth the potential gain.
History time and time again has shown that initiating armed conflict results in a tragic outcome – let’s hope the PRC has taken that lesson aboard that it is not worth the risk. But in the end, I suspect we will look the other way and express “grave concern†while the PRC takes over Taiwan and goes on to dominate the pacific rim and eventually surpass the United States. Meanwhile our myopic national leadership will remain focused on domestic issues “threating our democracy.â€
One only needs to translate the Chinese characters for “China†to see her ultimate goal. Literally, they are translated “Middle Kingdom†but not the middle of Asia or even the world. The translation is “Middle of the Universe Kingdom.†Europe’s colonization of most of the world was a great embarrassment for the Chinese; and ever since, they have been focused on becoming the “Middle Kingdom.†The eventual conquest of Taiwan is merely part of this long-term goal.
So, no matter how you slice it defense of Taiwan is the ultimate Hobson’s Choice – damned if you do, damned if you don’t. But in the end, he who hesitates is lost – determination not timidity is the order of the day.
What has happened when they war game this? Also what happens in the war games with Russia over the stupid Ukraine? The clowns that run the State Dept and much of the Pentagon… also the think tanks where we got things like the Iraq war… are they actually stupid enough to see any possibility of prevailing in these engagements? Geez… the clowns in the Bribem administration just showed they couldn’t execute a withdrawal from a goat herding country.. consider how badly that operation was handled… the intelligence failures… planning failures… contrast that with the Russian withdrawal in 89… didn’t leave billions in equipment and didn’t lose any lives.
So… what happens in the games? I suspect the Blue forces lose… BUT maybe Megan and her Two Mommies military can win with Wokeness?
Unless we roll back tyranny, it will continue to grow. Freedom convoys are springing up all over the world because people are recognizing that the global socialist tyrants have become far too bold and destructive