Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Taiwanese counterpart Tsai Ing-wen. Photo: VOA
Frank Chen, Asia Times: How Xi aims to take Taiwan without pulling a trigger
Will Taiwan be reduced from a self-ruling democracy to a special administrative region of Beijing even without going through a fight?
Rumors have swirled on both sides of the Taiwan Strait since the beginning of last year that Chinese President Xi Jinping was mulling taking back the wayward, self-ruling island of Taiwan in one fell swoop amid growing militancy among the Chinese masses.
Some have gone so far as to suggest that by the early 2020s the two sides would be in a state of belligerence as Xi, unlike his predecessors, has no scruples against waging a full-blown war to recapture what Beijing considers a renegade province.
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WNU Editor: I have always believed that when China makes the decision to take-over Taiwan .... and they have been mulling this for a very long time .... they will do so when they have the military resources available that can effective enforce a blockade of Taiwan using the Cuban missile crisis and how the US Navy blockaded Cuba as their model. This will of course open a number of retaliatory measures from the U.S. and from China's neighbors .... and I include economic sanctions and a military response to such a crisis. Will this be successful to deter China .... I do not know. But I do know that the enormous political/economic/and national security impact of a successful Chinese takeover of Taiwan cannot be underestimated. It will completely change the geopolitical situation in Asia, and it will directly impact the national security interests of the U.S. and its Asian allies. This discussion has so far been off the grid within think-tanks and foreign policy specialists. My suggestion is that they should start thinking about this now.
