Is China Preparing a 'Special Military Operation' In Taiwan?

[Candice]

Don't let fear of China cloud your mind I would say.

It’s not about “fear”. It’s about facing the truth of reality, which is that China will re-unify with Taiwan may it be peacefully or through force. And as it stands the majority of Taiwanese do not want re-unification, they want to maintain the inbetween status that is the current status quo, a declaration of Independence means war, the pragmatic route to ensure peace and trade with China is to maintain the “status quo”. However if Taiwan buys more US weapons they are viewed as a legit threat to the mainland and China may decide to “re-unify” through force in order to pre-empt having a Ukraine situation so close to their border. Ignoring all of this is wishful thinking.

 

[youlik]

Certain analogies with Ukraine are quite obvious. China has clearly shown its disinterest in solving this problem militarily, however, external forces (read the Americans) are also obviously working to "re-educate" the Taiwanese Chinese, and this work may eventually lead to the creation of a hopeless situation for China, when there will be only one solution and it is clear what.

Spoiler: Russian spelling

Определенные аналогии с украиной просматриваются вполне очевидно. Китай ясно показал свою незаинтересованность решать эту проблему военным способом, однако внешние силы (читай американцы) тоже очевидно проводят работу по "перевоспитанию" тайваньских китайцев и эта работа в конце концов может привести к созданию для китая безвыходной ситуации, когда решение будет только одно и понятно какое.

 

[luc]

It’s not about “fear”. It’s about facing the truth of reality, which is that China will re-unify with Taiwan may it be peacefully or through force. And as it stands the majority of Taiwanese do not want re-unification, they want to maintain the inbetween status that is the current status quo, a declaration of Independence means war, the pragmatic route to ensure peace and trade with China is to maintain the “status quo”. However if Taiwan buys more US weapons they are viewed as a legit threat to the mainland and China may decide to “re-unify” through force in order to pre-empt having a Ukraine situation so close to their border. Ignoring all of this is wishful thinking.

Maybe I don't know enough about the situation, but it seems to me the "status quo" is just an illusion fueled by the West, which is rapidly losing its grip on the world. Reunification (or an alliance based on a new regime) is probably the only option. It's basically either the West or the East at this point, not only for Taiwan.

And quite frankly, a good "re-education" is precisely what all Western countries, and those who have been under Western dominance/influence, desperately need. Their populations have been brainwashed into oblivion.

 

[Candice]

it seems to me the "status quo" is just an illusion fueled by the West

I completely agree it’s an illusion, I merely shared it’s what the majority want. May it be willful ignorance, naivety or wishful thinking. It’s mostly based on them just wanting to get on with life, not really due to US influence. Do you really think the rice farmer down the street cares what the West thinks? They can’t even speak English, how could they be brainwashed by westerners? They don’t even watch western tv here, it’s all Chinese soap operas and silly Taiwanese news. I’m really not sure where this “brainwashing” would be coming from. It’s a completely different story in a big city like Taipei. Since I’ve never lived there I can’t comment.

And quite frankly, a good "re-education" is precisely what all Western countries, and those who have been under Western dominance/influence, desperately need. Their populations have been brainwashed into oblivion.

If I could choose I’d prefer a Russian “re-education” rather than a communist Chinese version.

In Taiwan it’s really only the people in the cities that are brainwashed in to what I’m gathering you’re referring to “western influence”, where I live the local people are very conservative. They’re also very religious and most of my town go to church on Sunday’s, I know you’re Christian, wouldn’t you consider that a “western influence”?

 

[luc]

In Taiwan it’s really only the people in the cities that are brainwashed in to what I’m gathering you’re referring to “western influence”, where I live the local people are very conservative. They’re also very religious and most of my town go to church on Sunday’s, I know you’re Christian, wouldn’t you consider that a “western influence”?

Thing is, those people in the cities are running the show. The Chinese won't put anybody in "re-education camps". What they will do (hopefully) is mercilessly silencing the Western 5th column and the pro-Western opposition, take control of all media, including the internet, and generally ban all pro-Western shills from all airwaves for good. The conservative farmers have nothing to fear from this, in fact they should celebrate it.

 

[SOTTREADER]

I completely agree it’s an illusion, I merely shared it’s what the majority want. May it be willful ignorance, naivety or wishful thinking. It’s mostly based on them just wanting to get on with life, not really due to US influence. Do you really think the rice farmer down the street cares what the West thinks? They can’t even speak English, how could they be brainwashed by westerners? They don’t even watch western tv here, it’s all Chinese soap operas and silly Taiwanese news. I’m really not sure where this “brainwashing” would be coming from. It’s a completely different story in a big city like Taipei. Since I’ve never lived there I can’t comment.


If I could choose I’d prefer a Russian “re-education” rather than a communist Chinese version.

In Taiwan it’s really only the people in the cities that are brainwashed in to what I’m gathering you’re referring to “western influence”, where I live the local people are very conservative. They’re also very religious and most of my town go to church on Sunday’s, I know you’re Christian, wouldn’t you consider that a “western influence”?

What is the Chinese mindset that you fear so much? For me it's the points system for citizens and supposed lack of privacy rights but I am not sure if my understanding of these elements as they relate to China is tainted by Western propaganda. I've been looking more into the development within China and I am beyond amazed - I don't see the dystopia.

Even their dystopian cities have hope e.g.

 

[luc]

What is the Chinese mindset that you fear so much? For me it's the points system for citizens and supposed lack of privacy rights but I am not sure if my understanding of these elements as they relate to China is tainted by Western propaganda.

It's not that China isn't an authoritarian system, but the social credit thing seems to be an invention by Western propaganda, at least to a large degree:

 

[Adobe]

'Update(11:17ET): In another ominous sign signaling China intends to escalate its threatening and retaliatory military drills now encircling Taiwan, state-run Global Times has cited a source saying that a PLA aircraft carrier group with a nuclear-powered submarine has now joined the ongoing exercises off Taiwan.'

'Additionally, the English-language government mouthpiece GT is now calling the five-day drill that have commenced a rehearsal for a "reunification operation" - and says that after Pelosi's provocative and damaging visit, "exercises blockading" Taiwan are to "become routine". '

'This as Japan's Foreign Ministry has said Thursday evening (local time) that five missiles fired by China have landed within Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Taiwan's defense ministry, has meanwhile said 22 more Chinese air force jets have buzzed its airspace."

"FLASH: 5 ballistic missiles launched by China fell into Japan’s exclusive economic zone during military drills near Taiwan. Japan lodged a diplomatic protest in response. Take a look:pic.twitter.com/LXBxEB3Q5j "

"According to China's People's Daily, this has included PLA command dispatching "hundreds" of fighter jets to enter airspace off the northern, southwestern and southeastern airspaces of the island, at a moment Taiwan's defense forces are on a heightened state of alert. On Wednesday some half a dozen jets were reported as having breached the 'median line' separating the Taiwan Strait. Beijing is promising in essence this is only the beginning. "

WATCH: More than a hundred PLA warplanes including fighter jets and bombers conducted joint reconnaissance, air assault and support missions, and more than 10 destroyers and frigates conducted a joint blockade, alert patrol and reconnaissance, around Taiwan island on Thu. pic.twitter.com/xa0YU4K5U5
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) August 4, 2022

"And more alarming, China launched a series of ballistic missiles into waters off Taiwan, with some having flown over the island. "

Article with photos maps and links below:

Chinese Military Drills A Rehearsal For Taiwan "Reunification Operation": State Media | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

 

[Adobe]

BEIJING, August 4. /TASS/. Beijing has cancelled a bilateral meeting between the Chinese and the Japanese foreign ministers in Phnom Penh over a G7 joint statement on Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular briefing on Thursday.

Article:

Beijing cancels meeting between top diplomats of China, Japan over G7 statement on Taiwan

According to the Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, the statement justifies US moves in violation of China’s sovereignty

tass.com

 

[lilies]

EU state may become major chip maker – Reuters

US chipmaker Intel is close to clinching a deal with Italy to build an advanced factory in the country for the production of semiconductors, Reuters reported on Thursday. The investment is part of a larger plan to increase chip production in the EU to reduce reliance on Asia. The deal for the semiconductor packaging and assembly plant will initially be worth $5 billion, Reuters says, citing its sources. The agreement looks likely to be reached by the end of August, the agency added.

The investment in Italy is part of a wider plan by Intel, the world’s largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, to invest $88 billion in building capacity across Europe, in a bid to cut reliance on chip imports from Asia, particularly in light of current tensions between China and Taiwan.

The world's largest semiconductor foundry is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), which produces over 90% of the most advanced semiconductors used in the global industry. A global chip supply crunch triggered by the coronavirus pandemic has curbed the output of Europe’s strategic car industry. Semiconductors are also used in computers, household appliances, and numerous other items.

Reuters reported earlier that Rome is ready to fund as much as 40% of Intel's total investment in Italy, which is expected to rise over time from the initial $5 billion.

The EU wants to develop innovative semiconductor facilities on its territory. The European Commission made a total of more than €43 billion of policy-driven investment available under its Chips Act until 2030.

There are massive server infrastructures nurturing entire internet-realms in their server-bellies. Clouds, Amazon, Alibaba, Netflix, Steam, all kinds of retailer sites, government networks. If all those major internet networks reduce capacity, because no longer available spare chips from TSMC.. well then its digital-austerity = starvation regards computer processing capability. Digital renting prices might go up, data transfer quotas might restrict amount of data, no more ZOOM or similar video-meeting sites etc.. chip shortages could collapse nowadays high-speed data transfer bonanza all over the world.

 

[Pierre]

"FLASH: 5 ballistic missiles launched by China fell into Japan’s exclusive economic zone during military drills near Taiwan. Japan lodged a diplomatic protest in response. Take a look:pic.twitter.com/LXBxEB3Q5j "

According to this source China launched 11 ballistic missiles in total at the Taiwan Strait:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1555133570557120514

 

[Haiku]

Or are we seeing what China is wanting to do right now. Start war games around the island. Extend war games for an undetermined amount of time. Send a few missiles into the water around the island daily with or without any warning. Air traffic will stop. Sea traffic will stop. Taiwan cannot import or export until China ceases. Taiwan loses money each day it cannot freely operate. The cost to China, minor compared to the loses to Taiwan, Billions. Taiwan folds under the pressure. Just a thought, Haiku …

 

[youlik]

Z is already there, now we expect V and O

The
Chinese military equipment involved in the Chinese province of Fujian against the background of a sharp aggravation of relations with Taiwan was marked with special tactical signs "Z" on the Chinese armored vehicles. The corresponding photos were published by residents of the southern Chinese province.

In the presented image, which appeared in the Chinese messenger "We Chat", you can see that the Dongfeng Mengshi EQ2050 armored car of the People's Liberation Army of China is marked with a special tactical sign "Z". What exactly caused the application of the "Z" mark on military equipment remains unknown, however, judging by the information of local residents, such a case is far from the only one, although the phenomenon of special marking is not widespread.

According to a number of assumptions, in this way the PLA Armed Forces mark individual groups of their units to ensure effective interaction, however, it is suggested that in this way the PRC supports Russia in its special military operation, especially since the situation is completely different in neighboring Taiwan. Nevertheless, by the current hour there are no official statements on this matter from the Chinese authorities and the PLA command.

На китайской бронетехнике заметили тактический знак «Z»

China fired DF-15 hypersonic missiles towards Taiwan
China has fired two hypersonic missiles towards Taiwan.

A few hours ago, the forces of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) carried out strikes with two DF-15 hypersonic missiles on the waters of the Taiwan Strait. The strikes were carried out from distances of about 850 kilometers, and during them missiles flew over the island, which is the first case of the use of such weapons against Taiwan.

According to Chinese sources, the missiles were launched at the same target from different directions – one of the missiles covered a distance of about 850 kilometers, while the second – about 865 kilometers. The missiles crossed the airspace of the island of Taiwan and fell into the sea. We are talking about hypersonic missiles that develop a flight speed of up to MACH 6.

At the moment, Taipei does not comment on missile launches from the PRC, while, remarkably, at the time of the launches, sirens were not turned on in Taiwan. This is attributed either to the fact that no serious threat was seen on the island, or rocket launches were simply not recorded.

It is noteworthy that the Chinese hypersonic ballistic missiles DF-15 are capable of carrying a nuclear warhead with a capacity of up to 350 kT, however, during the current launches, the nuclear warhead was not used.

Китай выпустил в сторону Тайваня гиперзвуковые ракеты DF-15

 

[Candice]

What is the Chinese mindset that you fear so much? For me it's the points system for citizens and supposed lack of privacy rights but I am not sure if my understanding of these elements as they relate to China is tainted by Western propaganda. I've been looking more into the development within China and I am beyond amazed - I don't see the dystopia.

Even their dystopian cities have hope e.g.

Once again @SOTTREADER I do not fear the "Chinese mindset". You appear to have misinterpreted my posts. I said "SA dystopia", SA is short for South Africa. When the economy finally collapses, the riots and looting will be much worse than before, I'm not interested in being there for that. So I choose to remain in Taiwan as even under a potential invasion by the mainland, it's preferable to me than trying to survive through a SA "dystopia". Chinese and Taiwanese "mindset" is all about family well being and community. If there is a crises, may it be comets, an ice age or reunification through force, the "Chinese mindset" is what will see them through it. It's why I choose to live here, because in the coming times, it's a strong community "mindset" which will hopefully get us through to a better world.

So I will state, because maybe it's not clear. I'm not anti-China. I'm not pro the west. I am however not pro "re-education" as I don't really know what that entails. I was sharing my perspectives from the ground living amongst Taiwanese people. They're not all brainwashed by western nonsense, but just like in your countries their opinions and wishes are not listened to by the elite, the psychopaths in government or the military. Just look how in Canada, the UK, Australia etc., the government made really absurd decisions on your behalf.

Also to them tensions between their government with China is normal, there is nothing they can do about it. They are desensitized to it, so they choose to ignore it. It would otherwise take up a lot of their energy worrying about potential war, it's already been decades. And yeah maybe they should pay attention and put pressure on their leaders to choose neutrality and peace. I'll never know since I don't talk politics with my Taiwanese friends unless they bring it up, it's not considered polite conversation.

 

[ApotheosisMMC.]

Main statements of the Chinese Foreign Ministry:

China suspends dialogue with the United States at the level of regional military commands;

CHINA cancels working meetings with representatives of the US Defense Ministry;

China temporarily suspends cooperation with the United States in the fight against illegal migration;

China suspends cooperation with the United States in the fight against drugs;

CHINA suspends Sino-American climate change talks;

China suspends cooperation with the United States in the field of justice;

China suspends cooperation with the United States in the fight against international crime.


Apparently more "patrolling" of US ships is coming.


US Postpones Missile Tests to Lower Tensions with China on Taiwan

The White House announced a series of steps aimed to defend a “free and open Indo-Pacific” following Chinese firing of at least 11 ballistic missiles into waters encircling Taiwan on Thursday, a day after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrapped up a visit to the island that enraged Beijing.

“China has chosen to overreact and use the speaker's visit as a pretext to increase provocative military activity in and around the Taiwan Strait,” said John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council on Thursday.

Kirby told reporters U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has directed the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and the ships in her strike group to remain in the vicinity to “monitor the situation.” He said Washington will also conduct “standard air and maritime transits” through the Taiwan Strait in the next few weeks.

He promised “further steps” to demonstrate commitment to U.S. allies including Japan, which announced that five of the Chinese missiles landed within their exclusive economic zone.

China is pushing to change the status quo on Taiwan, Kirby claimed.

“They're boiling the frog,” he said. “They're taking the temperature up to a higher level with perhaps the intention of maintaining that sort of intensity or at least being able to conduct those kinds of operations on a more frequent regular basis going forward.”

To reduce tensions, Kirby said that Washington is postponing a long-planned test of an Air Force Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile.

“We certainly would like to see tensions deescalate,” Kirby said in a response to a VOA question. He said the United States continues to keep lines of communication open with Beijing, however, “you don't need diplomacy to just simply stop doing something that's escalating tensions and putting peace and security in the region at risk.”
US Postpones Missile Tests to Lower Tensions with China on Taiwan