70 Percent of Taiwanese Will Fight If China Invades

[Swordsmyth]

Perhaps Beijing’s breaches of Taiwan’s sea and air borders in intermittent circumnavigations since 2017 are to blame for widespread antagonism among Taiwanese, particular young people, observers with the pro-independence think-tank noted.
One of Beijing’s favorite platitudes on the issue of Taiwan is that “blood is thicker than water.” When reporting Taiwan affairs, mainland papers are mandated to report the “fact” that the island’s politics have been hijacked by a small bunch of obstinate separatists and that the mainstay of society is pro-unification.
But the situation on the ground appears to be quite the opposite, if a survey by a pro-independence think-tank is to be believed.
Nearly 70% of respondents made it clear in a recent survey conducted by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy that they would either join the army or put up resistance in their own ways if mainland China were to attempt to annex Taiwan by force.

More at: http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the...ey-finds-25517

They should implement a 2ndA and start arming their citizens immediately.

[Swordsmyth]

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...ng-fight-china

[TheTexan]

Taiwanese Will Fight If China Invades

[Dark_Horse_Rider]

yeah, had to chuckle at the internet generation of tough guys. . .

but seriously Taiwan, do as you see fit. . . but take lesson of US and Russia proxy war in Afghanistan in 1980's. . . US govt doesn't care about you . . . other than as a pawn, and doubt they will more than shrug at millions dead resulting from said proxy wars.

[Swordsmyth]

Taiwan "will not bow down to pressure from Beijing" Foreign Minister Joseph Wu says, but "will work with friendly nations to uphold regional peace and stability and ensure our rightful place in the international community."
His exclamation came after news that the Dominican Republic had broken ties with Taipei and established formal relations with Beijing, expressing "deep regret" that the Dominican Republic had "set aside 77 years of partnership" in order "to accept deceptive promises of investment and aid from China."
Taiwan's presidential office also issued a statement criticizing the Chinese government for "exacerbating tension in the Taiwan Strait" just as international society was working to promote reconciliation and dialogue, "including in the Korean Peninsula."

Which prompted questioning by a panel of legislators on Monday, with Tsai Shih-Ying of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, asking the National Defence Minister Yen Teh-fa for details surrounding Taiwan’s military program to procure a new modern main battle tank.
Yen told Tsai that Taiwan’s military would soon make a bid to purchase M1A2 tanks, an American third-generation main battle tank — the most modern armored tank in the world, from the Pentagon in the second half of 2018.
Yen also stated that the American tanks could help transfer technology to the island’s defense industry, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported, as quoted by South China Morning Post.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...s-abrams-tanks

[r3volution 3.0]

I expect American hegemony in E. Asia to end one day with the sinking of an aircraft carrier in the Taiwan Straight.

...probably by a diesel submarine that costs <1/20th as much to build and operate.

[Swordsmyth]

Beijing has once again hinted that its new J-20 stealth fighter jets will conduct patrols around, or above, Taiwan’s airspace to pressure the island nation to reunify with China.

The warning message recently announced by Wang Mingliang, a Chinese military strategist with the China National Defense University during special programming on China Central Television program about Taiwan.

“J-20s can come and go at will above Taiwan,” said Mingliang, adding that Taiwan was frightened about “precision strikes on the leadership or key targets.”

Mingliang said that the fifth-generation stealth jet is designed to pierce through Taiwan’s air defense identification zone and launch either reconnaissance or assault missions on the island. The military strategist said the stealth fighter could easily take on the “antiquated” F-16s and Mirage 2000s, which are still the backbone of Taiwan’s air defense. In other words, the Chinese strategist said the stealth fighters would reign supreme in any combat operations or dogfight above or around Taiwan.


Earlier this month, a similar threat was echoed by Zhou Chenming, another Chinese military strategist, who said sea training exercises indicated that the stealth fighters would be sent to Taiwan and the heavily disputed regions of the South China Sea.

“The J-20 drill is another warning message because it went unseen by the Taiwanese air force and these stealth fighters are capable of a precision strike on the leadership,” Chenming said. “The PLA air force jets will enter the Taiwan [air defence identification zone] sooner or later.”

Beijing’s “goal is reunification with Taiwan” and “this is just one piece,” Dan Blumenthal, the director of Asian Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, told Business Insider, adding that cyber, sea, and political warfare are three domains that Beijing would remain dominant in the attempt to reunify Taiwan with the mainland.
Business Insider points out that Taiwan has a strategy to counter Beijing’s stealth fighters: new mobile passive radars and new active radars for their F-16Vs, according to Taipei Times. Taiwan is beefing up its electronic warfare units and advanced missiles, in the hopes to deter Beijing from violating its airspace with stealth fighters.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...iwans-airspace