China Claims Vietnam and North Korea

[David Floyd]

Yeah, but for one thing they're not building up their navy in any relevant way if they want to go after Taiwan, much less Japan, which has the strongest navy in Asia (except for the US Navy, of course ).

[MichaeltheGreat]

Japan's navy is seriously deficient in FAD assets, and is not trained or structured to operate in large formations. A bunch of individual destroyers and frigates ain't going to do much.

Taiwan's navy has one big problem - it has to operating from Taiwan.

[David Floyd]

Japan's navy is seriously deficient in FAD assets, and is not trained or structured to operate in large formations. A bunch of individual destroyers and frigates ain't going to do much.

True, but compared to the Chinese navy, or any other navy in Asia, I don't see how they could lose.

[Dr Strangelove]

Gee, a source sure would taste real good right about now.

I don't think the hinese government is really that crazy. The loss of goodwill around the world would be devastating to China because it would ruin their trade and hence, their economy.

[monolith94]

I… er… think it was a parody, strangelove…
hence the amateurish paint .bmps

[Lord Merciless]

The source: http://www.onion.com

That was good laugh.

[The Mad Monk]

While a parody, I think it does have a valid point: if China claims Taiwan on the basis of it being 'a former Chinese territory', what keeps it from pressing a similar claim on Vietnam/Korea/etc?

Note that I'm not discussing their abilty to back the claims, just justify them.

[Urban Ranger]

TMM,

Taiwan is not "former" territory, it is current territory. Neither the PRC nor the ROC has given up claims to each other's land.

[Gatekeeper]

UR:

Heh. I prefer Taiwan's method of governance, though. They're renowned internationally for their MP-on-MP fistfights!

Gatekeeper

[The Mad Monk]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
TMM,

Taiwan is not "former" territory, it is current territory. Neither the PRC nor the ROC has given up claims to each other's land.

So...the claims are legaly equivalent?

[TheStinger]

Taiwan should just declare independence and get on with being what they are, a soverign nation

[Urban Ranger]

Gatekeeper,

Those are spectacles I don't want to miss


TMM,

Surely not. The PRC has a much smaller claim


TheStinger,

Doesn't work, because a) there is a large contingent of unification supporters in Taiwan, particularly among the business community b) of the constitution

[The Mad Monk]

Hmmmm...so...Taiwan could attack mainland China (for argument's sake, bear with me here), and legitimately use the identical claims and logic to justify such an attack to the rest of the world?

[TheStinger]

Do the business comunity have more votes?

Constitutions can be changed.

[Urban Ranger]

TMM,

Possibly, except that ROC isn't a recognised country. Besides, why would it want to do that? That's just courting disaster. Even if the PLA couldn't take over Taiwan, its export-oriented economy will collapse.


TheStinger,

Not that it has more votes but it has a lot of influence. Sure the constitution can be changed but the pro-independent faction will not be able to find enough support for that. The island's economy is in the pits right now and the Democratic Progressive Party has done a lot to worsen the situation. Surely they aren't very popular right now.