"Cross-Strait Tensions Rising, but Chinese Aircraft...." Topic

…. Carrier Poses No Threat.

"Measured in terms of Chinese rhetoric, the temperature of cross-strait relations has risen sharply this week. Addressing China's National People's Congress, President Xi Jinping warned Taiwan that it would be "punished by history" if it declares independence. This comes amid an intensifying pressure campaign by Beijing to isolate Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen's pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party administration was elected in late 2016.

Beijing's ire has been aggravated by a recent step-up in U.S. governmental engagement with Taiwan under the Trump administration. This is codified in the Taiwan Travel Act, which passed Congress last week and "encourages visits between officials of the United States and Taiwan at all levels". As a pointed manifestation of U.S. engagement, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alex Wong delivered a speech at the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei yesterday, with President Tsai in attendance…."
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Amicalement
Armand

The US has said that if Taiwan declares independence, the US will not protect them against a Chinese invasion.

Lion

As I've said a couple of times on other threads, that was before the Taiwan-US Mutual Defense Treaty* and it's successor, the Taiwan Relations Act, which still incorporates much of the MDT.

Dan
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Lion in the Stars is correct. The US commitment to the One China policy has been re-affirmed (after characteristic hemming and hawing) by the current President, a lot more recently than the Act you reference.

And yet he signed for Taiwan to get $1.42 USD billion in arms last year and more such deals are coming through this year.

So either we really believe them to be separate entities or we are, in our minds, we are purposely aiding some sort of separatist regime.

Regardless, and this is the most important part, whether the US thinks Taiwan is part of the PRC or not doesn't affect the fact that they have never been subjects of the PRC* and thus have no need of a Declaration of Independence from the PRC.

Dan
TMP link
* The ROC (established in 1912) moved its seat of government to Taiwan in 1945, when the Japanese returned the island to Chinese control. The PRC wasn't even official until 1949.

The ROC has been upgrading their M60 series tanks recently.

The US has a huge surplus of Abrams tanks in storage.

It might make an interesting wargame to play if some ROC units had M60 series tanks and others had Abrams tanks and they were attempting to repel a Communist Chinese invasion in 2021. By that time the Communist Chinese should have at least one and maybe a couple operational aircraft carriers to add better close air support to this fictional, future invasion.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
bunkermeister.blogspot.com

@CC: No, this statement is much more recent than 1955.

The Taiwan Relations Act went into effect in 1979 and has never been repealed.

In fact, "on 19 May 2016, one day before Tsai Ing-wen assumed the democratically elected presidency of the Republic of China," the US Senate passed a resolution "reaffirming the Taiwan Relations Act and the ‘Six Assurances' as cornerstones of United States–Taiwan Relations (Act)"
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And here are those Six Assurances:
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Regardless what the WH has said on various administrations, the US President cannot choose to unilaterally ignore the Taiwan Relations Act and adopt a "one China policy" without consent from Congress:

"The Taiwan Relations Act does not guarantee the USA will intervene militarily if the PRC attacks or invades Taiwan nor does it relinquish it, it primary purpose is to ensure the US's Taiwan policy will not be changed unilaterally by the president and ensure any decision to defend Taiwan will be made with the consent of congress. The act states that ‘the United States will make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capabilities'. However, the decision about the nature and quantity of defense services that America will provide to Taiwan is to be determined by the President and Congress"
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Dan

Seeing as how Emperor Xi will not tolerate 2 Chinas, it's clear that sooner or later he will develop the capabilities (or the appearance) to invade.

And if the rest of the world chooses to look the other way, he might finally get to conquer for the PRC the last remnant of the Republic of China.

Dan
TMP link
PS. I wonder if Emperor Xi has ever made these faces behind close doors: