China has begun its second day of military drills targeting Taiwan, in what it says is punishment for “separatist acts” after the inauguration of its new president on Monday.
The exercises, which involve Chinese military units from the air force, rocket force, navy, army, and coast guard, were announced suddenly on Thursday morning, with maps showing five approximate target areas in the sea surrounding Taiwan’s main island. Other areas also targeted Taiwan’s offshore islands, which are close to the Chinese mainland.
China’s defence ministry said the drills on Friday were testing its military’s ability to “seize power” and occupy key areas, in line with Beijing’s ultimate goal of annexing Taiwan. Taiwan’s government and people reject the prospect of Chinese rule, but China’s ruler Xi Jinping has not renounced the use of force to take the island. Western intelligence has claimed Xi has told the People’s Liberation Army to be capable of an invasion by 2027.
What Bartsbigbugbag meant to say is “the US has been actively inching closer to China for decades and has completed a full military base / trade wall that spans across the entire set of islands - Japan, Taiwan, Philippines - outlining the entire east / south China seas and reducing China’s economic/military power”
China has ample reason to be pissed at this. It’s actually a very impressive contain if you look at the positions of our military bases and trade routes. But it’s also just normal Risk-style territory control that all superpowers play with. Nobody is really the bad guy here, and the island countries like their situation - like Japan, historic enemy of China - gets to enjoy doing nothing while America basically runs their entire military for them
Look, as long as the CCP is in control in China I couldn’t give a shit what they want or what they think they’re entitled to. The Chinese government 100% is the ‘bad guy’ here, it is not a normal state by any stretch of the imagination. If the US is standing in the way of them and their imperial ambitions that’s good.
Japan should be able to do nothing (as opposed to worrying about their “enemy”). Everyone is happy with the arrangement except China, who is doing just fine without invading Taiwan.
They still get to go out and strip-mine the oceans for fish, it’s purely about the CCP pretending it’s entitled to some kind of military advantage in the region that would allow them to push their neighbors around.