@Pluto's Republic

I should say, your essay, is an example of why I come to Caucus99% every day. You have written the best summation of the China controversy I have found anywhere.

I just hope all of you who write such important remarks here know how precious they are, as we all realized last week when they suddenly weren't here. I experienced a deep, cold chill.

#2.2

The Taiwanese people were always divided on independence from China. I was surprised that they elected a leader with whom this was such a trigger issue. They are Chinese, first, and are deeply engaged in that culture. Many go to school in China or have careers there. China is a favorite vacation and holiday destination. A Taiwanese delegation was invited to the CPC convention last month, and there are many long-standing scientific conventions between the mainland and Taiwan. There is also no serious industry-destroying competition between the two. China would naturally want Taiwan to succeed. In another decade or so, the split caused by the revolution will pass into history, and few Chinese will have a living memory of these events. It's an ancient civilization and China can afford to wait until things progress naturally.

The West is always projecting their own stereotypical reactions, prejudices, paranoia, predatory nature onto the Chinese, which is why they are always wrong about everything Chinese. (This has actually been going on for hundreds of years between China and the West.) China never had a plan to attack and seize Taiwan. That is an absurd Western obsession. It makes perfect sense to the Chinese that the time for reuniting will come after those generations alive at the time of the split have all passed on. They have five thousand years of experience in splitting and reuniting. They are certainly not going to allow a predatory entity like the US take control of their territory in order to threaten their sovereignty and their system of government.

It was a profound mistake on the part of the US to demonize China and its government with lies and misinformation. The unintended consequences of this decision will forever change the Western world. For the past fifteen years, or so, the US has focused the world's attention on China. They pushed a narrative about the unspeakable evils of the Chinese government — and the suffering of the oppressed Chinese people. Meanwhile, the US makes a show of sending battle fleets to the China seas to "keep the shipping lanes open" by force, if necessary — shipping lanes that are never, ever closed. Who doesn't chuckle over this nonsense?

But what the people of the world, including the Taiwanese, have actually seen makes the ongoing US narratives all an elaborate deception. They saw two successful olympics and contented Chinese families enjoying colorful street festivals. They saw the Chinese people in motion, traveling across China visiting unique vacation destinations on the world's largest and most sophisticated high-speed rail system — transportation that the people could all afford. They saw poverty eradicated, after a forty year government effort to rebuild the infrastructure and the economy so that it was accessible to all. They saw the world's most advanced 5G network in action, bringing telephone connections and access to useful information, to all the people, even those who lived in the most remote areas of China. They saw modern cities, well designed roadways, profound improvements in air quality, a profusion of trees in and out of the cities due to China's reforestation of the entire country, schools filled with students, parks filled with strollers, and very little crime anywhere. China is one of the safest countries in the world.

The lives of people in the US and the lives of people in China are wide open for comparison. There are about 100,000 US expats living and working in China, who send back word and post videos about their lives. China's government is highly rated by the Chinese People; the highest such rating in the world. The Taiwanese need only look at Europe today, to see what happens to countries who allow the US to control them. People's lives are used up and thrown away by the predatory Americans, with no reparations. The Chinese witnessed what happened to the people of Afghanistan, after the Americans stole their money and left. They saw because China has been flying in doctors, food, and medical supplies for the Afghan people, ever since.

As early as 2008, the US pivot to Asia was on the State Department agenda. US operations in Ukraine began in earnest in 2010. The requisite funding for these strategic operations for Empire came during the Obama years, especially from 2013, onward. During this time, ISIS was created and funded and the war across the Middle East was expanded, deliberately destroying nations and populations. The US strategic operations for Empire were active in Afghanistan even before the fall of the Soviet Union. Leaving out the events of 9-11, which looks more like a false flag with each passing day, I wonder if anyone can clearly state the US objective of the budget-busting war years we all endured? Can anyone point to what we achieved at such great cost? Probably not, because these wars are simply part of a much, much larger operation, that is still unfolding.

The neocons and cloaked nazis, who now occupy and control the business end of the Federal government, remain convinced they will win the entire world, on behalf of the US oligarchs. In truth, they have already lost. The US Empire operation has been propped up entirely by the flow of American Dollars and PetroDollars. These Dollars will soon lose their power to obstruct free trade among nations using illegal unilateral sanctions to maliciously destroy national economies — and trading nations have already started bypassing the US dollar as the common means of exchange. US hegemony will finally come to an end. At every point along the way, during its vicious quest for Empire, the US has failed to win the hearts and minds of the people in those nations where they intervened. It's no longer enough to threaten foreign allies, forcing them to participate in economic sanctions against a US-designated target nation. Especially when those sanctions backfire and cause harm to their own populations. All of Europe seems to be sleepwalking through a propaganda delusion, or perhaps suffering from Stockholm syndrome.

The future may, indeed, be relocating to the Global South.

@Pluto's Republic

One who publicly promotes another's cause, especially in an extravagant or misleading way

Which you somehow seem determined to do - WRT (as usual) your misleading, incorrect and/or disingenuous claims regarding Taiwan and China .

Regarding recent Taiwan election results: at least Taiwan (unlike the PRC and Maricopa County) has real elections. Not that they are immune from vote-buying and other corruption, but in Taiwan they at least recognize and prosecute it.

It is the case that the KMT made gains in the recent elections, but these were all local elections and the KMT gains mostly amounted to them gaining back territory they had previously held - such as Taipei - where they have traditionally been strongest. And in any case, the KMT has made efforts in recent times to shift away somewhat from its pro-China image. It has also been stronger traditionally in local politics where the (nationally) ruling DPP party has struggled.

Good explication of that here:

https://newbloommag.net/2022/11/26/2022-election-results/

This is not to say that China, in recent decades, has not made tremendous strides in many areas - shiny new (largely empty) cities and high tech infrastructure, space program, huge military expansion Belt and Road Initiative (Imperialism 2.0) and the most pervasive system of surveillance and social control in the history of the planet.

But...

The Taiwanese people were always divided on independence from China.

Well, that's at least a backhand acknowledgement that not everyone in Taiwan is wanting to fling themselves into the loving arms of the PRC.

...A Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation poll indicated that a striking 54 percent of respondents favor early independence from China, 23.4 percent back the cross-strait status quo, 12.5 percent favor early unification with China, and the remainder made no response or were unsure. Breaking down the numbers among those who prefer the status quo—who in effect are content to postpone settling the question indefinitely—the pollsters found that 64.4 percent of respondents support independence, now or later, while just 17.8 percent endorse unification across the Taiwan Strait.

The poll shattered longstanding patterns in popular opinion. Declared foundation chairman Michael You: “In my research on public surveys on these issues over the past 30 years, this is the highest rate of support among Taiwanese for independence,” not to mention “the lowest figure for people supporting unification with China.”

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/taiwan-experiencing-surge-pro-i...

Support for early independence and for early 'reunification' had previously been pretty stable for decades with under 10% for each and about 80% wanting to maintain the status quo. According to this poll, that eighty percent has now shrunk dramatically, pro-reunification increased slightly and pro-independence sentiment dramatically increased.

A different poll (November 2021) showed support for the status-quo above 80%, for near-term independence well under 10%, but support for reunification at far less than that - and showed overwhelming rejection of the "One China, Two Systems" policy that is officially what's on offer from the PRC.

The majority of respondents in a survey about Taiwan-China relations support maintaining the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait, the Mainland Affairs Council said on Thursday.

In a poll of 1,072 people, 84.9 percent said they supported maintaining the “status quo” between Taiwan and China, while 6.8 percent said that Taiwan should declare independence as soon as possible and 1.6 percent said they supported unification with China.

Asked about President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) comments about cross-strait relations in her Double Ten National Day address, 77.1 percent said they supported her views, while 12.3 percent were against them.

In the speech, Tsai laid out “four commitments”: that the nation will adhere to a free and democratic constitutional system; that the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other; that the nation will resist annexation or encroachment upon its sovereignty; and that the nation’s future must be decided in accordance with the will of Taiwanese.

The survey, commissioned by the council and conducted by National Chengchi University’s Election Study Center, also showed that 77.1 percent of respondents said they felt that Beijing was “unfriendly” toward Taipei, while 9 percent held the opposite view.

On Beijing’s attitude toward Taiwanese, 57.9 percent said it was “unfriendly,” while 29.1 percent said it was “friendly,” the council said.

The poll showed that public opinion remains strongly against Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula, with 85.6 percent opposing it and 5.4 percent agreeing with it.

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/11/21/2003768230

Tsai's "...the nation’s future must be decided in accordance with the will of Taiwanese."

should be the operative consideration. The other day someone posted a links to a video about anti-Chinese groups in Thailand, demonstrating against 'One China' policy - alleging they are US-financed astroturf opposition. Which may well be the case. But the commentator went on to state, essentially, that because the One China principle was generally accepted by nearly all governments of the world that opposition to it was somehow illegitimate - which is bullshit.

About the ONLY thing that should matter regarding the fate of Taiwan should be what the people of the country wish to make of it. The CCP has never ruled Taiwan and if the people there don't want them to they never *should*.

China never had a plan to attack and seize Taiwan. That is an absurd Western obsession.

Then maybe you could tell us what the huge military buildup that China has undertaken in the last decades is FOR? Why do they have naval vessels constantly patrolling around Taiwan, have military aircraft probing its airspace on a daily basis?

Not to mention China's aggressive posture towards Japan.

From The Diplomat(Oct. 2022)

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) scrambled its fighter aircraft a total of 446 times in the first half of fiscal year 2022 in response to foreign military aircraft approaching the country’s airspace: an increase of 14 percent compared with the same period last year.

...

Most notably, JASDF fighters responded 340 times (76 percent of the total) to movements by Chinese aircraft in the area between April and the end of September, up 59 compared with the same period in 2021, according to the latest data.

The latest announcement comes amid continuing tensions between Japan and China over the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, which are controlled by Tokyo but also claimed by Beijing. In addition, a Taiwan contingency has become an increasingly real possibility in recent months.

Even if China did not 'invade' - in the narrow sense of forcibly landing troops and trying to take the place in a direct fight - that doesn't preclude their taking other kinetic/destructive approaches to force Taiwan to capitulate:

China could attempt an air and maritime blockade around Taiwan as part of a broad strategy to pressure the country into surrender, according to a Defense Department report that was published this year.

Over the years, many strategists have speculated that China might try to take over Taiwan. So, it seems significant that the Defense Department’s annual report on China, titled Military and Security Developments involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC), raises concern about that possibility. The report claims that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) may pursue a dual-pronged strategy that includes a joint blockade, missile strikes and the “seizure” of Taiwan’s offshore islands.

“PLA writings describe a Joint Blockade Campaign in which the PRC would employ kinetic blockades of maritime and air traffic, including a cut-off of Taiwan’s vital imports, to force Taiwan’s capitulation,” according to the report. “Large-scale missile strikes and possible seizures of Taiwan’s offshore islands would accompany a Joint Blockade in an attempt to achieve a rapid Taiwan surrender.”

Given that Taiwan is roughly one hundred miles from the coast of mainland China, it would not be difficult for the 320-ship-strong PLA Navy to maintain a large, concentrated naval force surrounding the island. Furthermore, Chinese drones and fighters would likely have little trouble establishing air superiority around the perimeter of the Taiwanese coastline, particularly if aircraft avoided triggering Taipei’s air defenses by flying around the main island instead of over it. However, Taiwan’s SkyBow III missile system has a reported range of two hundred miles. That means it could be difficult for Chinese aircraft to operate outside of the line of fire. Plus, Taiwan is reportedly considering placing the missiles on one of the smaller islands closer to China. This is likely why the report indicates that any attack by China would include long-range ballistic missile strikes on Taiwan. These attacks would ostensibly be made on fixed Taiwanese air defense sites.

The report speculates that such a blockade strategy would involve electronic warfare tactics. Perhaps China could use its space assets to jam or disable Taiwanese GPS and communication systems while concurrently launching advanced cyber intrusions into Taiwanese systems.

“The PRC will also likely complement its air and maritime blockade operations with concurrent electronic warfare, network attacks, and information operations to further isolate Taiwan’s authorities and populace and to control the international narrative of the conflict,” according to the report.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/does-china-have-plans-invade-ta...

And about those happy holiday-going mainland Chinese... It seems like a whole lot of them are not going anywhere at all, due to lockdowns - even if the building they are in is burning down, as happened recently in Urumqui. And it seems more than a few of them have had enough of a policy that has seen people starve, be driven to suicide, die due to inability to access medical care - all in pursuit of policy that has failed everywhere it's been tried (New Zealand, Australia...) and has NO EXIT STRATEGY.

Thousands of Chinese are - at great personal risk - saying 'enough'. Good on 'em.

BTW - an elderly and scholarly Chinese-speaking Japanese student of mine brought up something today WRT to the demonstrations there that I haven't seen mentioned elsewhere. This, in particular, regarding the blank white sheets of paper demonstrators can be seen holding up.

While Westerners might regard black as the opposite of white, for Chinese - according to him - white represents the antithesis of *red*.

Re: other colors - such as the Green China myth, I suppose that can wait for another time.

"If you have a right to respect then other people don't have a right to an opinion."

- Thomas Sowell

#2.2

The Taiwanese people were always divided on independence from China. I was surprised that they elected a leader with whom this was such a trigger issue. They are Chinese, first, and are deeply engaged in that culture. Many go to school in China or have careers there. China is a favorite vacation and holiday destination. A Taiwanese delegation was invited to the CPC convention last month, and there are many long-standing scientific conventions between the mainland and Taiwan. There is also no serious industry-destroying competition between the two. China would naturally want Taiwan to succeed. In another decade or so, the split caused by the revolution will pass into history, and few Chinese will have a living memory of these events. It's an ancient civilization and China can afford to wait until things progress naturally.

The West is always projecting their own stereotypical reactions, prejudices, paranoia, predatory nature onto the Chinese, which is why they are always wrong about everything Chinese. (This has actually been going on for hundreds of years between China and the West.) China never had a plan to attack and seize Taiwan. That is an absurd Western obsession. It makes perfect sense to the Chinese that the time for reuniting will come after those generations alive at the time of the split have all passed on. They have five thousand years of experience in splitting and reuniting. They are certainly not going to allow a predatory entity like the US take control of their territory in order to threaten their sovereignty and their system of government.

It was a profound mistake on the part of the US to demonize China and its government with lies and misinformation. The unintended consequences of this decision will forever change the Western world. For the past fifteen years, or so, the US has focused the world's attention on China. They pushed a narrative about the unspeakable evils of the Chinese government — and the suffering of the oppressed Chinese people. Meanwhile, the US makes a show of sending battle fleets to the China seas to "keep the shipping lanes open" by force, if necessary — shipping lanes that are never, ever closed. Who doesn't chuckle over this nonsense?

But what the people of the world, including the Taiwanese, have actually seen makes the ongoing US narratives all an elaborate deception. They saw two successful olympics and contented Chinese families enjoying colorful street festivals. They saw the Chinese people in motion, traveling across China visiting unique vacation destinations on the world's largest and most sophisticated high-speed rail system — transportation that the people could all afford. They saw poverty eradicated, after a forty year government effort to rebuild the infrastructure and the economy so that it was accessible to all. They saw the world's most advanced 5G network in action, bringing telephone connections and access to useful information, to all the people, even those who lived in the most remote areas of China. They saw modern cities, well designed roadways, profound improvements in air quality, a profusion of trees in and out of the cities due to China's reforestation of the entire country, schools filled with students, parks filled with strollers, and very little crime anywhere. China is one of the safest countries in the world.

The lives of people in the US and the lives of people in China are wide open for comparison. There are about 100,000 US expats living and working in China, who send back word and post videos about their lives. China's government is highly rated by the Chinese People; the highest such rating in the world. The Taiwanese need only look at Europe today, to see what happens to countries who allow the US to control them. People's lives are used up and thrown away by the predatory Americans, with no reparations. The Chinese witnessed what happened to the people of Afghanistan, after the Americans stole their money and left. They saw because China has been flying in doctors, food, and medical supplies for the Afghan people, ever since.

As early as 2008, the US pivot to Asia was on the State Department agenda. US operations in Ukraine began in earnest in 2010. The requisite funding for these strategic operations for Empire came during the Obama years, especially from 2013, onward. During this time, ISIS was created and funded and the war across the Middle East was expanded, deliberately destroying nations and populations. The US strategic operations for Empire were active in Afghanistan even before the fall of the Soviet Union. Leaving out the events of 9-11, which looks more like a false flag with each passing day, I wonder if anyone can clearly state the US objective of the budget-busting war years we all endured? Can anyone point to what we achieved at such great cost? Probably not, because these wars are simply part of a much, much larger operation, that is still unfolding.

The neocons and cloaked nazis, who now occupy and control the business end of the Federal government, remain convinced they will win the entire world, on behalf of the US oligarchs. In truth, they have already lost. The US Empire operation has been propped up entirely by the flow of American Dollars and PetroDollars. These Dollars will soon lose their power to obstruct free trade among nations using illegal unilateral sanctions to maliciously destroy national economies — and trading nations have already started bypassing the US dollar as the common means of exchange. US hegemony will finally come to an end. At every point along the way, during its vicious quest for Empire, the US has failed to win the hearts and minds of the people in those nations where they intervened. It's no longer enough to threaten foreign allies, forcing them to participate in economic sanctions against a US-designated target nation. Especially when those sanctions backfire and cause harm to their own populations. All of Europe seems to be sleepwalking through a propaganda delusion, or perhaps suffering from Stockholm syndrome.

The future may, indeed, be relocating to the Global South.