Page 16 of 28 FirstFirst ... 68910111213141516171819202122232426 ... LastLast
Results 376 to 400 of 679
  1. #376
    In Uranus
    bsnub's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    30,429

  2. #377
    In Uranus
    bsnub's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    30,429

    Biden again says US would defend Taiwan if China attacks

    US President Joe Biden has again said the US would defend Taiwan in the event of an attack by China.


    Asked in a CBS interview if US troops would defend the island, Mr Biden said: "Yes, if in fact, there was an unprecedented attack."


    The remarks prompted the White House to clarify that the official US policy - which doesn't commit to military action on Taiwan - had not changed.


    Beijing said it "deplores and firmly opposes" Mr Biden's pledge of action.


    The foreign ministry said it had lodged "stern representations" with Washington over the remarks, broadcast in a CBS 60 Minutes interview on Sunday.


    Taiwan is a self-ruled island off the coast of eastern China that Beijing claims as part of its territory.


    Washington has always walked a diplomatic tightrope over the issue.


    On the one hand it adheres to the One China policy, a cornerstone of its relationship with Beijing. Under this policy, the US acknowledges that there is only one Chinese government, and has formal ties with Beijing rather than Taiwan.


    But it also maintains close relations with Taiwan and sells arms to it under the Taiwan Relations Act, which states that the US must provide the island with the means to defend itself.


    Mr Biden's comments, his clearest yet in pledging US military intervention, seemingly run counter to Washington's stance of "strategic ambiguity" - it does not commit to defending Taiwan, but also does not rule out the option.


    In Sunday's interview Mr Biden also reiterated that the US was not encouraging Taiwan independence.


    "There's a One China policy and Taiwan makes their own judgements on their independence. We are not moving, not encouraging their being independent - that's their decision," he said.


    Taiwan responded to Mr Biden's remarks on Monday by welcoming the "US government's rock-solid security commitment to Taiwan". Taipei said it would continue to deepen its "close security partnership" with Washington.


    Only earlier this month, the US agreed to sell $1.1bn (£955m) in weaponry and missile defence to Taiwan, provoking anger from China.


    This is the third time since October last year that President Biden has gone further than the official stance.


    In May, speaking in Japan on his first tour of Asia as president, he said "Yes" when asked if the US would defend Taiwan.


    The White House had quickly issued a follow up saying there was no departure from long-standing US policy.


    This time too the White House issued a statement, downplaying the president's comments: "The President has said this before, including in Tokyo earlier this year. He also made clear then that our Taiwan policy hasn't changed. That remains true."


    Beijing has previously condemned such comments from Mr Biden promising US military action.


    "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory... The Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair that brooks no foreign interference," a foreign ministry spokesman had said in May in response to Mr Biden's remarks in Japan.


    Tensions between US and China - especially over Taiwan - have ramped up after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a controversial visit to the island in August - a trip Mr Biden had said was "not a good idea".


    Beijing responded with a five-day military blockade around Taiwan. The US claims China shot missiles over the island, but Beijing did not confirm this. Taiwan said the missiles China fired flew high into the atmosphere and posed no threat.


    Elsewhere in the pre-recorded interview, Mr Biden also warned Russia not to use chemical or tactical nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine.

    Biden again says US would defend Taiwan if China attacks - BBC News

  3. #378
    In Uranus
    bsnub's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    30,429

    US and Philippines increase military ties over China threat

    The Philippines and US are increasing military co-operation, including doubling the number of troops involved in joint exercises next year, as Manila starts to consider its role in a potential war with China over Taiwan.

    The US and Philippines will next year send 16,000 forces to participate in Balikatan, their main annual bilateral military exercise, said Colonel Michael Logico, director of the Philippine military’s Joint and Combined Training Center, which recently hosted a planning conference with US counterparts.

    “We are going to do a full battle test for operating together, including in Northern Luzon” near the country’s sea border with Taiwan, Logico said in an interview with the Financial Times.

    At annual bilateral defence talks that will be hosted by US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii next week, military leaders will discuss more than 500 bilateral activities for the coming year, an increase from some 300 this year.

    US defence secretary Lloyd Austin and Filipino defence minister Jose Faustino Jr will meet on Thursday — the first time defence ministers from the allies will join the talks, according to two people familiar with the event.

    The stepped up co-operation comes after China’s increasing military activity around Taiwan unsettled senior Filipino officials and won their support for reinvigorating the country’s alliance with the US, which was weakened when then-president Rodrigo Duterte attempted a pivot to China in 2016.

    In a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr in New York this week, Joe Biden said the relationship between the countries had “very deep roots”.

    “We’ve had some rocky times, but the fact is it’s a critical, critical relationship, from our perspective,” the US president said. “I hope you feel the same way.”

    Gregory Poling, a south-east Asia expert at CSIS, a Washington think-tank, said there was “a growing recognition of the role of the Philippines in a Taiwan scenario”.

    “You’re starting to see a consensus emerge within most of the Philippines’ government that the Philippines does need to deepen the alliance with the US,” Poling said.

    Other US allies have also grown worried about the risks that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would pose for them. In recent years, Japan has stepped up consultations, planning and drills with the US for such a scenario.

    “We are a US ally, we are in a strategic location. We are so near that if anything happens in Taiwan we will be involved,” said General Emmanuel Bautista, former chief of staff of the armed forces of the Philippines.

    Pointing to waterways connecting the South China Sea and the Pacific through the Philippines — such as the Bashi Channel in the north and the Sibutu Passage in the south — Bautista said the Philippines was “key terrain” for US-China competition because control of the country could give either side a marked advantage over its adversary.

    Bautista said that navies used sea channels around the Philippines in the second world war to gain critical access for naval battles.

    “Either China or the US will want to seize the Philippines to be able to control the chokepoints and the access to Taiwan” in the event of a conflict, Bautista added. “For the US it’s access for resupplying Taiwan, for China preventing that.”

    One focus is on the islands in the Bashi Channel, only 120km from Taiwan at their northernmost point.

    Lisa Curtis, an Indo-Pacific expert at the CNAS think-tank in Washington, said Manila was “wary of getting stuck in the middle of increasing US-China competition” but the new Marcos government seemed realistic about what Washington might request in the event of a Taiwan conflict.

    “Washington would almost certainly look to Manila as a staging ground for logistics support and US forces. That is why it is important for the US and the Philippines to advance talks on the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement,” said Curtis, in a reference to the 2014 bilateral agreement whose implementation has significantly slowed in recent years.

    Last November, the two countries said they would explore additional sites in which US forces would be allowed a rotational presence — which experts understood to mean US forces could gain access to bases on those islands.

    Logico said a Chinese company’s attempt to gain control of Fuga Island north of Luzon for a development project in 2019 — quickly stopped by the military — made the armed forces focus more on the north.

    “The Chinese have no use for Fuga. It really is about Taiwan, to deny us, and in extension the US, the use of those islands,” Logico added.

    Several current and former Filipino military officials said the Philippines would be the most suitable corridor for US forces to resupply Taiwan with munitions in wartime. According to two people in Manila familiar with the situation, Filipino and US forces have started discussing options for this.

    Subscribe to read | Financial Times

  4. #379
    In Uranus
    bsnub's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    30,429

    US's Harris, Japan's Kishida condemn China's actions in Taiwan Strait

    U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris reaffirmed Washington's commitment to Japan's defense during a meeting on Monday with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo in which they condemned China's actions in the Taiwan Strait."They discussed the People's Republic of China's recent aggressive and irresponsible provocations in the Taiwan Strait, and reaffirmed the importance of preserving peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," the White House said in a statement.

    Harris' trip to Asia, which will include a stop in South Korea, comes days after Chinese officials were roiled by an explicit pledge by U.S. President Joe Biden to defend the Chinese-claimed island.

    China sees democratically ruled Taiwan as one of its provinces. Beijing has long vowed to bring Taiwan under its control and has not ruled out the use of force to do so. Taiwan's government strongly objects to China's sovereignty claims and says only the island's 23 million people can decide its future.

    Aides said Harris would work to build a unified approach to that challenge within the region, where leaders have warily watched the increased tensions between Washington and Beijing.
    Biden is expected to hold his first face-to-face meeting as president with China's Xi Jinping during November's meeting of the Group of 20 nations in Indonesia.

    Harris, who is leading the U.S. delegation to the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, also discussed North Korea's recent ballistic missile test with Kishida, as well the importance of resolving the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea, the statement said.

    "The alliance between Japan and the United States - it is a cornerstone of what we believe is integral to peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region," which includes China, Harris told Kishida during a portion of the meeting at Tokyo's Akasaka Palace that was open to press.

    She also called the U.S. commitment to Japan's security "ironclad."

    US'''s Harris, Japan'''s Kishida condemn China'''s actions in Taiwan Strait | Reuters

  5. #380
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    96,555
    Oh god, cue more chinky whining.

  6. #381
    Days Work Done! Norton's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Last Online
    Yesterday @ 07:05 PM
    Location
    Roiet
    Posts
    34,895
    Quote Originally Posted by bsnub View Post
    Japan's Kishida condemn China's actions in Taiwan Strait
    Of course they did. Korea, Phillipines, Singapore, India, Malaysia, and hell, maybe even Thailand to soon follow.

    I repeat, there will be no China invasion of Taiwan.

  7. #382
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    96,555
    Quote Originally Posted by Norton View Post
    Of course they did. Korea, Phillipines, Singapore, India, Malaysia, and hell, maybe even Thailand to soon follow.

    I repeat, there will be no China invasion of Taiwan.
    The parasites will still nick all their fish though.

  8. #383
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    left of center
    Posts
    20,590
    In need of parking spaces


    • US Air Force to deploy nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to Australia as tensions with China grow


    The United States is preparing to deploy up to six nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to northern Australia, a provocative move experts say is aimed squarely at China.

    An investigation by Four Corners can reveal Washington is planning to build dedicated facilities for the giant aircraft at Tindal air base, south of Darwin.

    The US has drawn up detailed plans for what it calls a "squadron operations facility" for use during the Northern Territory dry season, an adjoining maintenance centre and a parking area for "six B-52s".

    Becca Wasser from the Centre for New American Security says putting B-52s in northern Australia is a warning to China, as fears grow Beijing is preparing for an assault on Taiwan.

    "Having bombers that could range and potentially attack mainland China could be very important in sending a signal to China that any of its actions over Taiwan could also expand further," she says.

    The bombers are part of a much larger upgrade of defence assets across northern Australia, including a major expansion of the Pine Gap intelligence base, which would play a vital role in any conflict with Beijing.

    The B-52s have been the backbone of the US Air Force for more than 60 years, with the capability to deliver long-range strikes of both nuclear and conventional weapons. The US documents say the facilities will be used for "deployed B-52 squadrons".

    "The ability to deploy US Air Force bombers to Australia sends a strong message to adversaries about our ability to project lethal air power," the US Air Force told Four Corners.

    Asked when the B-52s would begin their deployment at Tindal, Australia's Department of Defence declined to comment.

    'The tip of the spear'

    Some worry having B-52s rotating through Tindal each year locks Australia into joining the US in any conflict against China.

    "It's a great expansion of Australian commitment to the United States' war plan with China," says Richard Tanter, a senior research associate at the Nautilus Institute and a long-time, anti-nuclear activist.

    "It's a sign to the Chinese that we are willing to be the tip of the spear."

    Mr Tanter sees the planned deployment of the bombers as more significant than the rotation of US Marines through Darwin each year.

    "It's very hard to think of a more open commitment that we could make. A more open signal to the Chinese that we are going along with American planning for a war with China," Mr Tanter says.

    Ms Wasser says the growing importance of northern Australia to the US makes Darwin and Tindal targets in any war with China.

    Her work includes running war game exercises to examine how a potential conflict might unfold.

    She says in the war game scenarios where Australia either joined the fight or allowed Washington to use bases in the Top End, "it did very much put a bullseye on Australia".

    “Ultimately these attacks were not successful because of the long range required and because China had already expended its most capable long-range missiles earlier in the game, … but who's to say that in the future, China might have more advanced missile capability that would be better suited to potentially attacking Australia.”

    More in the article........

    US has big plans for Australia
    Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

  9. #384
    Thailand Expat
    panama hat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Last Online
    21-10-2023 @ 08:08 AM
    Location
    Way, Way South of the border now - thank God!
    Posts
    32,680
    Quote Originally Posted by S Landreth View Post
    provocative
    Virtually on China's doorstep . . . well, 7,500 kms away


  10. #385
    Thailand Expat
    happynz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Last Online
    Yesterday @ 09:47 AM
    Location
    inner suburb
    Posts
    11,661
    Which part is 7,500km away from China?
    Straya is quite a big chunk of dirt.

  11. #386
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    left of center
    Posts
    20,590
    ^The RAAF Base Tindal is about 6,268 km from Beijing. The US B-52 bombers have a combat range of about 14,000 km.


  12. #387
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    left of center
    Posts
    20,590
    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    So the planes could really be stationed anywhere
    You want everyone to understand that a big stick can arrive at a moment’s notice

  13. #388
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Last Online
    Yesterday @ 08:43 PM
    Location
    Where troubles melt like lemon drops
    Posts
    25,222
    Quote Originally Posted by S Landreth View Post
    The RAAF Base Tindal is about 6,268 km from Beijing
    B52 SPEED - 1,046 km/h. About 6 hours to get to Beijing.

    Quote Originally Posted by S Landreth View Post
    The US has drawn up detailed plans for what it calls a "squadron operations facility" for use during the Northern Territory dry season,
    "The dry season runs from May to October,"

    So if, in May to October.

    Quote Originally Posted by S Landreth View Post
    “Ultimately these attacks were not successful because of the long range required and because China had already expended its most capable long-range missiles earlier in the game,
    And if, the Chinese do not have - more capable missiles or any left in stock.

    Quote Originally Posted by S Landreth View Post
    Asked when the B-52s would begin their deployment at Tindal, Australia's Department of Defence declined to comment.
    An if, "Australia's Department of Defence", agrees.

    The plan has a possibility to succeed.
    A tray full of GOLD is not worth a moment in time.

  14. #389
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    left of center
    Posts
    20,590





  15. #390
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    left of center
    Posts
    20,590


    A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, Zhao Lijian, said at a daily press conference in Beijing last night:

    All countries’ defence and security cooperation needs to contribute to regional peace and stability and must not target any third party or undermine their interests. Such a move by the US and Australia escalates regional tensions, gravely undermines regional peace and stability, and may trigger an arms race in the region. China urges parties concerned to abandon the outdated cold war zero-sum mentality and narrow geopolitical mindset, and do more things that are good for regional peace and stability and mutual trust among all parties.


  16. #391
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    96,555
    Quote Originally Posted by S Landreth View Post
    China urges parties concerned to abandon the outdated cold war zero-sum mentality and narrow geopolitical mindset
    While backing its murderous russian war criminal chum, Putin.

  17. #392
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    left of center
    Posts
    20,590
    China threat: Andrew Hastie says Australia needs bombers, missiles

    Defence Minister Richard Marles

    He denied that basing nuclear-capable B-52s in Australia was provocative and would add to regional tensions.

    “I think everyone needs to take a deep breath here,” Mr Marles said.

    “In terms of US bombers, they’ve been coming to Australia since the 1980s. They’ve been training in Australia since 2005. All of this is part of an initiative which was established in 2017. We do defence exercises with the United States, and we do them with their bombers.

    “This is an important investment in the Tindal Air Base for which Australia will be a significant beneficiary.”

    Nuclear-capable B-52 to be regularly based at Tindal


  18. #393
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    left of center
    Posts
    20,590


    U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolts arrived on Guam last week for a dynamic force employment operation that aims to foster unpredictability in overseas deployments, the service said in a news release Wednesday.


    The attack planes, part of the 23rd Air Expeditionary Wing, flew from Moody Air Force Base, Ga., to Andersen Air Force Base.

    “The United States is committed to being ready to execute missions quickly in unpredictable ways and rapidly respond to adversary moves within and across theaters of operation,” the release said.

    The Air Force did not disclose the exact number of A-10s deployed to Guam. A photo posted on Andersen’s Facebook page showed four of the aircraft — complete with their hallmark paintings of jagged teeth on their nose cones — lined up at the base.

    Dynamic force employment “is designed as a way for Pacific Air Forces to exercise their ability to generate combat air power from dynamic force elements while continuing to move, maneuver, and sustain these elements in geographically-separated and contested environments,” the Facebook post states.

    The A-10, nicknamed “Warthog” for its aggressive maneuverability and those teeth, are designed for close air support of ground forces. It is highly effective against tanks and other armored vehicles and can operate at low speeds and altitude.

    The aircraft arrived about a week after the Air Force deployed an undisclosed number of B-1B bombers from South Dakota to Guam for a bomber task force mission.

    Bomber task force missions are intended to demonstrate the B-1B’s “ability to rapidly deploy anywhere, anytime, and provide lethal precision global strike options for combatant commanders,” the Air Force said in an Oct. 21 news release.


    The American territory of Guam is of growing importance to America’s defense, according to the updated National Defense Strategy publicly released last week.

    “Guam is home to key regional power projection platforms and logistical nodes and is an essential operation base for U.S. efforts to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” the document states.

    “Within the context of homeland defense, an attack on Guam or any other U.S. territory by any adversary will be considered a direct attack on the Unite States, and will be met with an appropriate response,” the document states.

    A $1 billion effort to establish a comprehensive, integrated missile defense system for Guam is underway, an endeavor some lawmakers regard as urgent given North Korea’s stepped-up missile testing and China’s military ambitions in the region.

  19. #394
    Thailand Expat Backspin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    11,260
    Tawain anti China ruling party suffers defeat..looks like singing up to be Ukraine 2.0 isn't going over very well


  20. #395
    Thailand Expat
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    38,456

    What Are the Implications of the DPP's Defeat?

    The DPP's defeat was a rebuke to President Tsai and her attempt to make the midterms a referendum on China.



    Following the defeat of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in local elections over the weekend, John Bolton swings into action doing damage control:

    By demonstrating seriousness of purpose, Taiwan can refute one canard still alive in Washington: that Taiwan’s citizens are insufficiently committed to their own defense. Geostrategist Edward Luttwak recently wrote in these pages of “the persistent fecklessness” of Taipei’s military preparedness, while its “youth can continue to play video games.” Such criticism is unjustified and corrosive, as Taiwan can’t open itself to criticism that it is free-riding on U.S. political and military aid.

    Bolton says that this is a "canard," but the record of Taiwanese military spending speaks for itself. Not only has the Taiwanese government spent relatively little of its own wealth on its defense, but it has also spent it on too many of the wrong big-ticket items that are costly but easily destroyed and not so easily replaced. Bolton says that Taiwan "can't open itself to criticism that it is free-riding," but of course that is what their government has been doing for decades.

    What worries Bolton so much is that there might not be as much tolerance for such free-riding as there used to be. That is why he repeatedly warns about phantom "isolationists" that he thinks might cause problems for the hawkish agenda he is pushing. He needn't worry so much, since the only competition in Washington over Taiwan seems to be how to outdo the other side in expressing unflinching support. Of course, this reflexive support reinforces the very free-riding in question that Bolton is working overtime to deny.

    The Taiwanese local elections turned primarily on local issues, as one would expect, but the DPP's defeat was nonetheless a rebuke to President Tsai and her attempt to make the midterms a referendum on China. It is natural that the party that has been in power for six years would face a midterm backlash, and that accounts for much of the drubbing that the DPP received. This was an election decided in large part by anti-incumbency sentiment and poor turnout from the ruling party's supporters.

    It is not impossible for the party to recover and win the next presidential election, but it seems likely to make it more challenging as they try to extend their control of the presidency to a third consecutive term. Bolton tries to spin the result as having little beating on the presidential election in 2024, but the fact is that this was a significant setback for the ruling party and it was their worst performance in local elections since 1986. One doubts that Bolton would be preaching the virtues of transcending partisanship if the results had gone the other way.

    The emerging view among many analysts after the elections is that increased support for the Kuomintang might ease tensions with Beijing and reduce the likelihood of conflict in the near term. Depending on who succeeds Tsai as the DPP's standard-bearer, the next election could present Taiwanese voters with a starker choice than they have had before. The Financial Times reports:

    Batto said the DPP’s defeat and Tsai’s resignation from the party leadership was likely to reduce the president’s control over the candidate race, allowing vice-president William Lai from the party’s more hardline pro-independence wing to slide into the nomination unopposed.


    If that were to happen, any easing of tensions with China would likely be a brief lull, and a victory by the DPP led by Lai could trigger a new series of punitive measures from Beijing. The U.S. may soon have to be much more blunt in its messages to Taipei that our government will not support a bid for independence.

    https://daniellarison.substack.com/p...cations-of-the

  21. #396
    Thailand Expat

    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Last Online
    Yesterday @ 04:51 PM
    Location
    Sanur
    Posts
    8,004
    China complain about provocation.

    But it’s ok for China to build island runways in the south China sea?

    It’s ok for China to hold war games over the Taiwan strait?

    The US want to deploy air assets in Australia? Is that provocative or proportional?

    Who will cry if the US wants to deploy a variety of assets in S Korea, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia or Japan?

  22. #397
    Thailand Expat

    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Last Online
    Yesterday @ 04:51 PM
    Location
    Sanur
    Posts
    8,004
    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    The DPP's defeat was a rebuke to President Tsai and her attempt to make the midterms a referendum on China.



    Following the defeat of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in local elections over the weekend, John Bolton swings into action doing damage control:

    By demonstrating seriousness of purpose, Taiwan can refute one canard still alive in Washington: that Taiwan’s citizens are insufficiently committed to their own defense. Geostrategist Edward Luttwak recently wrote in these pages of “the persistent fecklessness” of Taipei’s military preparedness, while its “youth can continue to play video games.” Such criticism is unjustified and corrosive, as Taiwan can’t open itself to criticism that it is free-riding on U.S. political and military aid.

    Bolton says that this is a "canard," but the record of Taiwanese military spending speaks for itself. Not only has the Taiwanese government spent relatively little of its own wealth on its defense, but it has also spent it on too many of the wrong big-ticket items that are costly but easily destroyed and not so easily replaced. Bolton says that Taiwan "can't open itself to criticism that it is free-riding," but of course that is what their government has been doing for decades.

    What worries Bolton so much is that there might not be as much tolerance for such free-riding as there used to be. That is why he repeatedly warns about phantom "isolationists" that he thinks might cause problems for the hawkish agenda he is pushing. He needn't worry so much, since the only competition in Washington over Taiwan seems to be how to outdo the other side in expressing unflinching support. Of course, this reflexive support reinforces the very free-riding in question that Bolton is working overtime to deny.

    The Taiwanese local elections turned primarily on local issues, as one would expect, but the DPP's defeat was nonetheless a rebuke to President Tsai and her attempt to make the midterms a referendum on China. It is natural that the party that has been in power for six years would face a midterm backlash, and that accounts for much of the drubbing that the DPP received. This was an election decided in large part by anti-incumbency sentiment and poor turnout from the ruling party's supporters.

    It is not impossible for the party to recover and win the next presidential election, but it seems likely to make it more challenging as they try to extend their control of the presidency to a third consecutive term. Bolton tries to spin the result as having little beating on the presidential election in 2024, but the fact is that this was a significant setback for the ruling party and it was their worst performance in local elections since 1986. One doubts that Bolton would be preaching the virtues of transcending partisanship if the results had gone the other way.

    The emerging view among many analysts after the elections is that increased support for the Kuomintang might ease tensions with Beijing and reduce the likelihood of conflict in the near term. Depending on who succeeds Tsai as the DPP's standard-bearer, the next election could present Taiwanese voters with a starker choice than they have had before. The Financial Times reports:

    Batto said the DPP’s defeat and Tsai’s resignation from the party leadership was likely to reduce the president’s control over the candidate race, allowing vice-president William Lai from the party’s more hardline pro-independence wing to slide into the nomination unopposed.


    If that were to happen, any easing of tensions with China would likely be a brief lull, and a victory by the DPP led by Lai could trigger a new series of punitive measures from Beijing. The U.S. may soon have to be much more blunt in its messages to Taipei that our government will not support a bid for independence.

    https://daniellarison.substack.com/p...cations-of-the
    Western bloggers/journalists making massive assumptions about Taiwan. Fluff. Clearly pro Chinese.

  23. #398
    Thailand Expat
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    38,456
    The election result was indeed a rebuke against Tsai- why else did she subsequently resign?

    As for the author-

    We are pleased to announce that Daniel Larison will join Antiwar.com as a contributing editor. Dan’s weekly columns will appear on Wednesday, and will start this week.

    Here is Dan’s first Antiwar.com article:

    Six Years Later, Yemen Is Still Being Starved


    Dan maintains his own site at Eunomia. He is former senior editor at The American Conservative. He has been published in the New York Times Book Review, Dallas Morning News, World Politics Review, Politico Magazine, Orthodox Life, Front Porch Republic, The American Scene, and Culture11, and was a columnist for The Week. He holds a PhD in history from the University of Chicago, and resides in Lancaster, PA. Follow him on Twitter.
    Daniel Larison To Join Antiwar.com as Contributing Editor - Antiwar.com Blog

    Hardly a Blogger.

  24. #399
    In Uranus
    bsnub's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    30,429
    Quote Originally Posted by Switch View Post
    Clearly pro Chinese.
    Of course it is, it comes straight from Sabs favorite propaganda website. It is complete shit.

  25. #400
    Thailand Expat
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    38,456
    Intelligent readers are quite capable of reading and deciding for themself snubski. Your constant off topic, ad hom stuff adds nothing to this or any other thread, and just shows what an infant you are.

    So why did Tsai resign from the DPP party leadership after the elections?

Page 16 of 28 FirstFirst ... 68910111213141516171819202122232426 ... LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •