politics

China envoy warns of conflict if U.S. promotes Taiwan independence

28 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© KYODO

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

28 Comments
Login to comment

The United States of Hypocrisy. There seems no difficulty to commercial traffic in the South China Sea, 

Tell that to the Philippine fishermen driven off their fishing grounds by Chinese maritime militia and Coast Guard. Tell that to the Vietnamese who were prevented from exploring for oil inside their own EEZ by Chinese Coast Guard and PLAN ships that threatened to sink the Indian owned oil drilling ship. Tell it to the South Korean fishermen who are assaulted at gunpoint and robbed of their fish by Chinese maritime militia in international waters and sometimes inside South Korea's very own EEZ. Or more recent instance of China claiming as their territorial waters, the waters of Indonesia's EEZ near Natuna Island where Indonesia is pursuing a gas development project and China is screaming at them they are violating China's claimed waters inside the Nine Dash Line. Back in 2012 an Indian Navy ship was making port calls in Vietnam. It was accosted only 45 miles outside of Cam Ranh Bay by a PLAN ship and told to leave China's "territorial waters". Look at a map and you can see how absurd such claims are but that is how China treats its neighbors. China won't do this to the US because they know the US can defend itself.

https://maritime-executive.com/editorials/indonesia-seeks-local-partners-to-offset-beijing-in-south-china-sea

When reading this remember that China considers all of the South China Sea to be their sovereign territorial waters.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3146931/south-china-sea-new-maritime-decree-demands-foreign-vessels

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The United States of Hypocrisy. There seems no difficulty to commercial traffic in the South China Sea, only U.S. objection to building defensive bases in their own neighborhood by the Chinese, and the constant provocation by 'hostile' military maneuvers by U.S. forces whose only effect is to justify tit for tat 'incursions' on Taiwan and Japan by the Chinese . We seem to forget the "Monroe Doctrine" famously used by JFK and ready to be thrust out as the chest of a bully should ANYONE dare encroach on U.S. hegemony of an entire HEMISPHERE. As we see in Ukraine where the U.S. (see puppet aka NATO) is trying to bring hostile forces to Russia's actual border, or in Taiwan where we support a political fantasy antithetical to the best interests of the true Government of China, the PRC, the U.S. is the main element of seeding unrest. If the U.S. were actually true to our own rhetoric, we would favor the Taiwanese People, the ORIGINAL Taiwanese People who Chiang's usurpers displaced in 1945 and favor the 'Chinese' return to their own country and return Taiwan to the true Taiwanese people. But, like Palestine and Okinawa, cultural genocide is how we Humans have always played the 'game' as the strong pave over the history of the less strong, the less pathological. The United States of Unmitigated Greed. If 'G-d' actually 'blesses' the United States of America, try to imagine what kind of 'G-d' that must be...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Not that it is new for them, but the US seems really keen on meddling in these kinds of situations recently. I can't imagine Taiwan is appreciative of American "support" in this matter. By and large they like things the way they are, and probably do not want America beating the independence drum and possibly pushing them into conflict.

The US just wants a nice location to host military bases near China, they don't care about the possible repercussions of the people there.

That isn't even a little bit true. The US does not and has never advocated Taiwan declare independence. The US has always advocated to maintain the status quo. What the US does say is that it will defend Taiwan if the PRC decides to change the status quo unilaterally and attempts to invade Taiwan. The US also knows that setting up one or more military bases in Taiwan would probably invite the very invasion they seek to deter. The whole point of US support for Taiwan is to deter the PRC from invading. It is not to encourage Taiwanese independence. In fact most US policy makers wince when someone in Taiwan starts talking about independence from China knowing the US would not be able to support them if they did declare independence. Taiwan's leadership undoubtedly knows this.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

They (the Taiwanese) like things the way they are, that is why they have mandatory military service, and buy US arms.

Taiwan buy arms from the US because every other nation is too afraid of Chinese economic retribution to sell them anything. Taiwan also build some of their own weapons including warships, fighter aircraft and a variety of missiles. They are in the process of constructing eight submarines in their own yard in Kaohsiung.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Depends on whether you mean ethnicity or citizenship. They are the former, not the latter.

Ignoring the fact that the Taiwanese are Pacific Islanders, not Chinese. The Chinese are immigrants to Taiwan.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Well that's just a completely stupid comment. Taiwan is very clearly it's own country. It is self-governed with itss own government 

So here is the problem with that statement. When the KMT fled the mainland and set up government (dictatorship then) on Taiwan they called themselves the Republic of China. They do not consider themselves to be their own country. Not officially.

The Republic of China was founded by Dr. Sun Yat-sen after the defeat of the Qing dynasty circa 1912. It was the first Chinese republic but it immediately came under strain from local warlords followed by Mao. Dr. Sun passed and Chiang Kai-shek became the leader of the ROC and Dr. Sun's political party the KMT. Chiang defeated the warlords and was oh so close to crushing Mao but the invasion by Japan forced him to turn his forces to the Japanese. In fact Chiang was fixated on crushing Mao and it took a major intervention by his own supporters to get Chiang to turn his attention to fighting the Japanese. With the pressure off Mao hid in northern China biding his time and resting/training his forces until the USSR could enter the war and run the Japanese out. That freed Mao's refreshed and Soviet equipped troops to sweep Chiang's war weary army from China.

But ever since the government on Taiwan has maintained the position that as the heirs to Dr. Sun's first republic they are the rightful government of all of China, not the CCP. Taiwan has never taken a different position on the matter and as such they remain in a state of civil war with the rest of China that is controlled by the CCP. Taiwan has never recognized the legitimacy of the CCP to govern the rest of China. The government of the ROC in Taiwan claims to be the only legitimate government of all of China.

Since 1949 a couple of generations of Taiwanese have lived their lives with no particular relationship to mainland China but they have never declared independence from them. There is really no interest in doing so. Poll after poll shows overwhelming majorities of Taiwanese want to maintain the status quo. It may come to pass if everyone keeps their mouths shut and gunpowder dry that the ROC on Taiwan may outlive the CCP in the rest of China and in the fullness of time all of China will be the ROC, and not the PRC. Time will tell.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Taiwanese are Chinese !

Depends on whether you mean ethnicity or citizenship. They are the former, not the latter.

If Taiwan is its own country then we wouldn't be having this discussion

Taiwan is very clearly it's own country. It is self-governed with itss own government and laws. America should blow China out of the water if China touches Taiwan.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Ulysses -

Taiwanese are Chinese !

Where do you think they came from ?

I suggest you ask a Taiwanese person if they are Chinese.

If Taiwan is its own country then we wouldn't be having this discussion !

Obviously !

0 ( +1 / -1 )

China's Ambassador to Washington (Qin Gang) can warn of military conflict as much as he likes, but he'd be better off quietly advising his masters back in Beijing to get their filthy hands off Taiwan and to stop thinking that Taiwan belongs to China - then there would be no provocation at all from any democratic-country (including USA) in the world, and the Taiwanese people can continue to enjoy a peaceful existence on this planet without the fear of being terrorised by China.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I can't imagine Taiwan is appreciative of American "support" in this matter. By and large they like things the way they are,

They (the Taiwanese) like things the way they are, that is why they have mandatory military service, and buy US arms.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

By and large they like things the way they are, and probably do not want America beating the independence drum and possibly pushing them into conflict.

Of course Taiwan likes things they way they are, they are a functioning independent state and have been for decades. China wants Taiwan under it's direct control. The only way to get that, as they have nothing to temp Taiwan to join China voluntarily, is via invasion.

China harps on about Taiwan being recognized as independent when it is already recognized as that by the people of the world. It is only through lip service to a "one China" policy that keeps Taiwan free of invasion.

More nations need to follow Latvia's example and open up Taiwan trading missions under the right name and not under the name of Taipei.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

China gives out more warnings than the number of Covid cases that spread from the country. Perhaps the world give China a time out. They act like little children.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Not that it is new for them, but the US seems really keen on meddling in these kinds of situations recently. I can't imagine Taiwan is appreciative of American "support" in this matter. By and large they like things the way they are, and probably do not want America beating the independence drum and possibly pushing them into conflict.

The US just wants a nice location to host military bases near China, they don't care about the possible repercussions of the people there.

@Pacificpilot

The number of people who don't realise that Russia has [sadly] not been communist for a long time is always impressive to me.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

China is the bully of the East. Russia is the bully of the West. Both are bully puppets of Xi and Putin. And both of these classic communist countries have become dictatorships and oppressors of minorities and the meek. Their citizens are too afraid to speak up against their strong armed rulers. And who are their loyal allies? Other dictatorships like Syria, North Korea, Iran, Myanmar, Belarus and Turkey. The time has come to disband the United Nations. It’s a failed system and ineffective to address important world issues. No country should have veto powers. Citizens of each country should choose their own representatives to a New World organization. The time is now.

5 ( +10 / -5 )

"If the Taiwanese authorities, emboldened by the United States, keep going down the road for independence, it most likely (will) involve China and the United States, the two big countries, in a military conflict,

China is seventy years too late. Taiwan became independent the moment the Chinese civil war ended and they had not been defeated or overrun by the communist forces. China now looks for any excuse to begin another war now that it has the military might to invade and win against Taiwanese forces. Let hope they dont try to finish their invasion of South Korea now they are stronger. After that they may just want to invade Japan to set right the loss they suffered at Japans hands. Jinping is all about getting back at history for everything that did not go China's way. Tibet was first on China's list and Taiwan is first on Jinping's list.

China will not let others live in peace as it wants to build a world wide Empire under Chinese control.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

TokyoLivingToday 01:44 pm JST

Don't mess with China..

The decadent and moribund self-proclaimed "champion" of the western civilization won't be a rival against the unstoppable rising power of the great Red Dragon from the East..

History repeats itself..

Time to the rise of eastern civilization..

You will see it with your open mouths..

Western Roman Empire 2.0.

Ha ha ha ha ha.... In China, some parts of the country still use human waste to fertilize crops, and you think they are a great power? The joke I needed today. Thanks.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Taiwan isn't a country its China and Taiwanese are Chinese.

You sir need to your brain to be reprogrammed, the CCP seems to have done irreparable damage!!!

12 ( +15 / -3 )

Taiwan has been independent for over 70 years. If Beijing doesn't understand that, then that lack of comprehension is at the root of the problem. Is Xi going to go to war with an independent, sovereign state? The recent saber rattling from him would indicate that Taiwan had better be prepared to fight to defend itself. The question then becomes, will any other of the world's free countries risk helping Taiwan defend itself?

Unlike Russia, China has the economic capacity for a prolong war. However, if the democracies of the world decide to stand up to Chinese aggression, they stand a real chance of saving Taiwanese independence.

History teaches us that the sooner one stands up to a bully, the better one's chances of succeeding in preventing the dictatorship from expanding. If Taiwan is not defended, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand will all be at risk. Eventually, China could achieve world hegemony.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

If Taiwan chooses to declare sovereignty the entire world must protect and support them. Unlike China, Taiwan is a peaceful constructive member of the International community.

Taiwan, (ROC) has never been under the control of the PRC (CCP). So it's not reunifying a breakaway province, it's invading another country. Fascist China can take a hike.

11 ( +14 / -3 )

China is a fascist state. It will never be allowed to win against democracies.

14 ( +19 / -5 )

China plans to take back Taiwan and there's not much stopping them.

The USA military is spread way to thin and rapidly appearing to be getting wimpy.

Taiwan isn't a country its China and Taiwanese are Chinese.

The west is just using Taiwan as slaves .

Russia, China , Iran and North Korea think Biden is ,and trump was incompetent .

Japan in a precarious balancing act.

-17 ( +5 / -22 )

Don't mess with China..

The decadent and moribund self-proclaimed "champion" of the western civilization won't be a rival against the unstoppable rising power of the great Red Dragon from the East..

History repeats itself..

Time to the rise of eastern civilization..

You will see it with your open mouths..

Western Roman Empire 2.0.

-23 ( +3 / -26 )

Taiwan needs to be acknowledged as a country and protected from China at all cost. China is the trump of countries: wide, corrupt, propensity to lie, and fragile ego. They would rather blitz the media with distractions than address the issues being presented before them about their country.

19 ( +25 / -6 )

With biden as "president" china has no fears of moving against Taiwan. They will for sure attack Taiwan before Trump is back as president in 2024.

-16 ( +5 / -21 )

"President Joe Biden has been urging Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan."

Russia, now China, everybody gets warned which is good for improving domestic numbers but bad for the peace of the world.

I liked Trump's approach with North Korea...

1 ( +14 / -13 )

What's the CCP smoking? They are already independent with a separate government and military.

22 ( +30 / -8 )

God bless the country of Taiwan.

26 ( +33 / -7 )

This was on NPR, not an unnamed media, I listen to the interview on NPR

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites