Amid heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday said in comments aimed at Beijing that war is “absolutely not an option” for resolving the dispute over Taiwan.
“I want to make clear to the Beijing authorities that armed confrontation is absolutely not an option for our two sides,” Tsai said in a speech marking Taiwan’s National Day.
Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rejects the one-China principle and considers Taiwan an independent state, although Tsai has never formally declared independence, a move that could spark Chinese military action. But for her independence-leaning views, Beijing severed official contacts with Taiwan when she was elected president in 2016.
Tsai called for China to respect Taiwan’s “sovereignty” to resume contact. “Only by respecting the commitment of the Taiwanese people to our sovereignty, democracy, and freedom can there be a foundation for resuming constructive interaction across the Taiwan Strait,” she said.
While warning against war, Tsai also spoke of Taiwan’s efforts to increase its military spending and domestic weapon production. “As part of this effort, we are ramping up the mass production of precision missiles and high-performance naval vessels,” she said.
The US is looking to provide more weapons to Taiwan, and senators are working on legislation that would give the island $6.5 billion in military aid over the next five years. Tsai said Taiwan is working to “acquire various small, highly mobile precision weapons that will help us develop comprehensive asymmetric warfare capabilities, ensuring that Taiwan is fully prepared to respond to external military threats.”
Tensions spiked in the region as a result of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) visiting Taiwan. Pelosi’s visit sparked the largest-ever Chinese military exercises around Taiwan, and Beijing has kept up the pressure by regularly flying planes across the median line, an informal barrier that separates the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
While done in the name of deterrence, increased US support for Taiwan will make a conflict over the island more likely, as Chinese officials have explicitly warned.
Neocon double-talk. Post-truth instrumentalization of language.
Amen, brother. She admires what Zelensky has done with his country and will soon follow in his footsteps. How precious.
Ye, Nazism has become a pandemic. The atavism – “the boot in the face” et al of it, seems to have revived the long time recessive Neanderthal gene pool in our midst.
I think Neanderthal’s got a bad rap and were actually smarter.
You’re right, that’s the latest science. Perhaps we’re actually reprising that primordial struggle, eh?
Actually I think she needs to take a look at a map and read a few figures because speaking as a member of the reality based community war absolutely is an option here, and Taiwan would lose.
“Taiwan would lose.” Don’t be so sure. China would have to lunch an invasions the size of the D-day landings. That could not be done without 3 to 6 months of aerial bombing of Taiwan. And Taiwan’s F-16s are going to cause serious damage to China air force. And on the land, the Taiwan troops would be fighting to defend their homes and love ones. Of course China can always use nuclear weapons, but what is the point of taking over a radioactive nuked out island?
Rocketry beats air any day … you just overwhelm the planes with numbers. They will either be shot down or stay down.
China has prepared for this eventuality for a while now. War is definitely an option they would win, if they are willing to pay the price.
Yes, they can overwhelm the Twain air force but at what exchange rate? There is something called force multipliers which I believe Twain has a big edge. And since what war has rocketry beat air power?
Taiwan has less than 2% of the population of China and could no more stop a Chinese invasion than Delaware could stop an invasion by the other 49 states. Your tactical analysis is meaningless.
Except Delaware is attached to the US. Taiwan is an island. China has to get the troops onto the island. Not an easy task.
Ask the Grenadians about that. And any country with a space station can cross the Taiwan Strait.
What? The Grenadians had 4 artillery guns, 12 light tanks and 1200 soldiers. The US sent 7500 troops to over run them. A 6 to 1 ratio. Sending 7500 troops is no big deal for the US. Sending 200,000 to 300,000 troops across Taiwan Strait while being shot at is little bit harder.
China can put things on Mars, which is very far away in space. And Taiwan is going to need more then Google to stop 1.4 billion people. A billion is a thousand millions.
At this point, I have to think that you are just messing with me. Your arguments are just plain silly. You know it and so do I. If you want to be a joker there are website for that.
Actually I’m not messing with you I’m talking down to you, if you want to be a warmonger troll on this website get used to it. And I’ve traveled in China, know a thing or two about putting things on Mars, and know how much a billion is. The notion of Taiwan resisting a Chinese invasion is laughable.
The main hold-up would be the purchase or construction of sufficient troops ships and amphibious landing vehicles to land their force. It remains to be seen whether current Chinese naval forces are of sufficient strength and capability to defend those troop ships and amphibs if the US Navy is involved in contesting the operation.
She thinks she is issuing a threat by mentioning the US. The US plutocrats want the chips and shipping routes. They do not GAF about the Taiwanese and their government any more than they do/did about Ukrainians and their gov’t.
A sucker is born every
dayminute…Every day E.D., or every minute?…
I will correct. Thank you.
Taiwan will never give up their freedom. Would you if you lived on Taiwan?
Taiwan is part of China … if they allow current understanding to continue, they can keep pretending they are independent. But if they allow the US to turn them into the eastern Ukraine, they will really regret it.
Taiwan is part of China. Used to be not anymore.
I assume you’re an American, so what do you know about freedom?
As an American, alot.
Just what you read in the papers.
At a certain point, China did not demand any change. So how is being a part of China giving up freedom if China did not demand that they do so.
Yea, that is way things work. Who is there right mind would trust that China would keep their word on how they would govern Taiwan?
Who in their right mind trusts that the US won’t completely destroy their country?
The only countries that US have completely destroyed were Japan and Germany. And then US help them rebuild. But that is not point. The point is that Taiwan will never trust China enough to let them rule Taiwan regardless of what Chia says. Would you if you lived in Taiwan?
Ukraine looks very bad, Afghanistan is in the sh!tter. Look what we did to Viet Nam. There are more. I would rather live without a US proxy war, so yeah. You actually think being nuked is a-ok, as long as the country is rebuilt later? You are nuts.
First the US did not damage Ukraine, the Russians did. Afghanistan was a mess for a long before the US arrived. The US never destroyed Vietnam like they did to Japan and Germany. BTW I visited Vietnam on business a few years ago and it has completely recovered from the war. But again you are off the main point, which is Taiwan will never trust main land China. Never. Thus Taiwan will never unite with China.
Your point that Taiwan would not be giving up their freedoms because China did not ask them to, is indefensible. Thus you deflect the argument to US is bad and that I am nuts.
You are hopeless. I’m sure all the dead and people who suffered long term disease from agent orange are just gleeful, how about those buried? THE US IS BAD. YOU are nuts to think that all was swell after nuking Japan because they recovered years later. What “freedoms” has China taken away, BTW? Hey, Taiwan can get obliterated if they like. I just don’t think we should be involved.
Again you dodge defending the fundamental statement that you made. As for what freedoms has China taken away from Taiwan. NONE. That is the point because Taiwan is free independent island. You claimed that being part of China would not change that, I disagree. But instead of debating this point you attack the US and call me nuts. That only proves how weak your argument is. When a person reverts to name calling they know that they have lost the argument and they lash out in frustration.
China considers them part of China NOW, so thanks for proving my point.
When someone claims that nuking a country ain’t no big thing because now they are okay, it is idiotic, objectively so. Maybe you should get nuked and then let me know if it doesn’t matter or count.
War is always an option for the stronger side … remember: “all options are on the table?”
For those who think that China would have a easy time overrunning Taiwan consider this: The US tock almost three months to capture Okinawa in WW2. Taiwan is 30 times bigger that Okinawa.