China threatens to nuke hundreds of cities

[Edan]

Our words are backed by NUCLEAR WEAPONS!

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Agathon
Soon those evil Chinese will be invading our countries and starting opium dens in which good white protestant women will become prosituted to their filthy yellow desires.... the Terror of the Tongs!! Help!!!

This frankly racist Sinophobia on Apolyton is becoming ridiculous....

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Timexwatch


Could you at least answer me serious and tell me why Chinese ships in the Taiwan straight and other places would be considered "chinese soil" and cause for nuclear reataliation against the U.S.? If the U.S. simply sunk the PLAN, wouldn't it be against "war logic" to respond with a nuclear strike against U.S. targets?

It's not clear the general said nukes would be used if the US hit a Chinese ship.

The FT reports said: He added that China's definition of its territory included warships and aircraft.

Note that Zhu did not specifcally say that nukes would be launched if the US attacked Chinese warships or aircraft.

It appears that Zhu was answering a question from the FT reporter (most of the other reports I have seen do not mention the comment)

So the reporter likely asked "Are PLA ships and aircraft considered Chinese territory?"

Zhu's response could mean two things:
a) if the US attacks our ships, we'll repond with nukes; or
b) he answered the question as a statement of fact, not related to his earlier comments.

The latter is most likely because if he had meant point A, FT would have reported it as such.

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
That works both ways, Tingkai. What do you think happens if they stop financing our trade deficit? The dollar likely falls quite a bit, Chinese goods become more expensive, and if there is a recession as you say the USA is now buying much less Chinese goods. China's rapid economic growth is now threatened, and China faces the possibilty of a severe recession. The Chinese government, which is tolerated by the Chinese people on the grounds that it lets people get rich, now loses the basis of it's legitimacy. Now the stability of the Chinese regime is threatened.

China would likely repegged the Yuan to the euro, but yes, China's economy would also suffer.

The point still stands that if the US tries to punish China with a trade boycott, the US would suffer major economic consequences. So for the US to state a trade war would be stupid and self-defeating.

[Lancer]

Aha! the party line no doubt, and you heard it here on Poly first.

Did the dear general get his buttocks raped for causing all this hubbub?

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Timexwatch


Could you at least answer me serious and tell me why Chinese ships in the Taiwan straight and other places would be considered "chinese soil" and cause for nuclear reataliation against the U.S.? If the U.S. simply sunk the PLAN, wouldn't it be against "war logic" to respond with a nuclear strike against U.S. targets?

What Zhu said is the similar to what Gywnne Dyer, who has taught at the Royal Military College in Canada and at Sandhurst, said in 1983.

Dyer argued that in any war between nuclear powers, as soon as one side started losing a conventional war, the weaker side would likely resort to nuclear weapons, first tactical weapons. The other side would then respond with nukes and the exchange would escalate to launching ICMBs. And everyone dies.

Would it definitely happen, no. Is it likely to happen, yes.

So starting a conventional war between nuclear powers risks the destruction of world.

Is that risk worth declaring Taiwan official independent, as oppose to its de factor independence?

[Lancer]

Yes, because in any war at this time, China would lose. If they fought us conventionally, China would lose. So they won't, because they know that it would be up to them to escolate, according to Dyer. If they escolated, they might hit a few of our cities, but all of China would be destroyed, and a billion people killed, if the US chose to. China won't attack conventionally, because it's a no win situation. So, Tiawan would be independant. If this happened, the current leadership of China would be shamed, they would fall in a short time, and democracy take root.

It all starts with independance for Tiawan, the rest of China will join Tiawan in time, not the other way around.

Play China's bluff.

[Ted Striker]

Let's give it back to the Portuguese, problem solved.

[Lancer]

Ted, damnit, you going to make this Phil trip or what pal?

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Lancer
Yes, because in any war at this time, China would lose. If they fought us conventionally, China would lose. So they won't, because they know that it would be up to them to escolate. If they escolated, they might hit a few of our cities, but all of China would be destroyed, and a billion people killed, if the US chose to. China won't attack conventionally, because it's a no win situation. So, Tiawan would be independant. If this happened, the current leadership of China would be shamed, they would fall in a short time, and democracy take root.

It all starts with independance for Tiawan, the rest of China will join Tiawan in time, not the other way around.

Play China's bluff.

You're making a gamble that the Chinese government will think rationally in a time of crisis. If you're wrong, the world gets destroyed.

If you're right, we have a massive conventional war, millions of deaths, and in the end Taiwan is just as indepenant as it is now.

Maybe, the communist government falls and in it's place we get Iraq magnified a million-fold with warlords and civil war just as there was in the first half of the 20th century, a civil war that ended with the communists winning.

You're gambling millions of people's lives, perhaps the world, so that Taiwan can have what it already has.

[Lancer]

Well, bring it.

[Lancer]

blah

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Lancer
No, China gets destroyed, not "the world". It's kind of humorous to me that you're using Nixon's strategy of insanity that he used to attempt to force North Vietnam to the bargaining table. Yeah, like China is crazy enough to risk destruction on the outside chance they'll attain Tiawan. You know, the US is ready to lay waste to China. Is China able to destroy America?

Well, bring it.

The only one being insane here is you. No American president would risk the immolation of even one American city. The Chinese aren't going to risk it either.

Try again.

[Lancer]

Originally posted by Agathon


The only one being insane here is you. No American president would risk the immolation of even one American city. The Chinese aren't going to risk it either.

Try again.

blah

[Ecthy]

War crimes charges? There can be no such charges against you when you're a WINNER.