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© Thomson Reuters 2023.Japan urges peace in Taiwan Strait
By Sakura Murakami TOKYO©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
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© Thomson Reuters 2023.
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TaiwanIsNotChina
Peace is the state we have right now. It is up the PRC to maintain it by acknowledging that.
obladi
Can I put quotes around the word "Peace"?
quercetum
Japan’s Achilles heel is Okinawa. If the U.S. military sends help to Taiwan from Okinawa and other bases on Honshu then Japan’s fair game. This would be the perfect chance for China to strike Okinawa and Japan must not give this excuse of opportunity to China.
China U.S. a missile factory. Some think the US and Japan have the opportunity to intercept missiles before they reach their targets. I don’t believe that.
Navy ships versus missiles from the coast. Who do you think will last, but to mention speed and distance to target.
dbsaiya
Pretty rich coming from Japan and Kishida.
Droll Quarry
....Like a mouse offering a snake cheese.
TaiwanIsNotChina
No you can't because there hasn't been a soldier killed in 65 years in conflict between Taiwan and the PRC.
TaiwanIsNotChina
What makes you think Japan will be able to stop the US?
China can also not intercept US missiles very effectively. And planes.
The same applies to ships criminally blockading Taiwan or attempting to invade. And mines in the sea to take care of them as well.
deanzaZZR
It's called Taiwan fatigue. I, for one, would enjoy a week free of any Taiwan news. I don't really get the intense focus at JT. Taiwan has received noticeable coverage the past week or so in the US but it will quickly fade with Tsai staying home and US politicians doing whatever they do when they are back at work in DC.
Samit Basu
Well, Macron got the message from Xi that the Taiwan invasion is imminent and Europe must decouple from the US in order to protect its interests in the aftermath of the Taiwan invasion.
Japan too should get the message and decide now, whether it should declare its formal neutrality or swear to intervene by letting the US use Okinawan bases and be dragged into war, a war that doesn't end with bombing of Okinawan bases, but Tokyo itself as well.
All signs point to a PLA invasion of Taiwan by 2027 or sooner.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/10/lawmakers-condemn-french-president-macrons-betrayal-of-taiwan-00091302
deanzaZZR
Sure, I'll play along. Tell me how the status of Taiwan is critical to Japanese security. Yes, there are a few minor islands close to Taiwan but Naha is 600 kms away from Taipei. Tokyo is 2,000 kms away. To put it in perspective, Paris is a little over 600 kms from Munich. Paris is roughly 2,000 kms from Saint Petersburg.
Clay
Relevant party mindsets go something like this...
US: Lets ramp up pressure on China, arm Taiwan using the Ukraine model, so a heavy-handed approach to convince them to back down in their support of Russia
China: Lets ramp up pressure on Taiwan, distract and divert US/NATO resources, while choking off Taiwan from a 'going concern' standpoint, capital flight, population flight etc.
Cycle of "DOGGIE DOO", bound to keep escalating, only China's got WAY MORE cards, specifically, their clear intention to unify the Arab World with Iran as regional proxy war ringleader and Turkish President their Arab World PR guy. US policy of divide and conquer Suni and Shia - coming to roost BIG TIME, PLUS interest.
Bidens war on energy, dumping oil, ESG, calling LARGE energy producers Pryia States, not to mention decades of war in entire region US has conducted, well Putin and Xi are nobody's fools, they've peeled of OPEC and Turkey in practically no time and at no cost.
Unimaginable what weapons proliferation now making its way into Iran's proxy fighters, most designated terrorist groups, due to massively enhanced and now ongoing and deepening Russian/Chinese/NK and OF COURSE Iranian alliance.
Proxy wars, Ukraine, Taiwan, Mid-East, spreading like wildfire, only we're losing BADLY and about to get LOT worse...Taiwan just another chess piece we're clearly losing!
Rodney
Peace…
The Taiwanese leaders party just lost local elections.
according a recent recent Academia Sinica study of Taiwanese:
-42% want relations with the US to continue as-is, and a mere 39% want even closer ties.
-33% of survey respondents view the US as credible and 56% believe it is not
meanwhile warmongering Kishida is buying experience offensive weapons, weaponizing Okinawa islands close to China failed military spending to the highest level with option to increase more. He also gave USA a new military base in Kagoshima, and refused to prevent US nuclear weapons on occupied Japanese soil.
so peace and Kishida shouldn’t be used in the same sentence.
Clay
Kishida's one of only a few, as NOT much baggage, that can potentially help de-escalate this madness, he's a LOT more pacifist than his peer group after all, and most by far now support a nuclear deterrence, sad reality.
Whole key are people behind US led Ukraine proxy war, that's why this Chinese/Russian/Iranian/Turkish/Saudi Middle East unification agenda is moving so rapidly in fact, as so many exiled Oligarchs originated in Israel. It's CLEAR.
Unclear if Kishida's familiar with this crowd, same group now pushing US into Chinese redzone with Taiwan, strictly for their Kremlin agenda naturally. He needs to have a serious heart-to-heart chat with their Ukrainian puppet President in advance of such meeting, called it advanced prep, then make his way to an undesignated location, likely NYC. After all, he's about the only serious guy that's rational, knowledgeable, experienced, available and in control these days.
OssanAmerica
Japan is urging peace. The people of Taiwan want Peace. The entire region and world want peace. Only China is threatening to upset that peace.
Really nothing more to say. Unless one is advocating war and death, or is in denial of reality.
Clay
Wouldn't it be nice if EVERYTHING was so BLACK and WHITE, I envy you!
TaiwanIsNotChina
Is what we have right now in the Pacific thanks to the US.
Do you honestly believe the KMT will take one step towards unification with the mainland OR stop a single weapons sale?
So like 81% want the same or better relations with the US? I'll have to keep that in mind as proof of my points.
All good moves. All we need to add on to that is putting a lighthouse on the Senkakus.
deanzaZZR
I'm not following. If China and Taiwan unite shipping to Japan is automatically cut off? But Japan is a leading trade partner of both Taiwan and China.
As to your other points give me one example of China invading Japan. I can think of at least two times Japan attacked China and two times it attacked Korea.
Ming China's relationship with the Ryukyu Kingdom was both peaceful and beneficial for both sides.
Fredrik
This is not true. Yes, most individuals want peace, but there are economical factors in the equation.
This is just as childish as if UK would simulate strikes against Scotland.
Well, then let's change this. Let ROC represent "China" in UNSC, and let's officially recognize them (well, Putin would probably put in a veto, but well).
quercetum
Everyone wants peace. It's only declaring Independence that upsets the equilibrium. Status quo is the best for everyone.
Clay
That was quick, too sensitive a matter regarding Taiwan?!
deanzaZZR
Ah, the trusty old "could" argument of the Pentagon, CSIS and other entities in the Beltway. I know it well.
China, Taiwan and Japan are all strongly trade dependent, especially so with regards to energy supplies. The American 7th Fleet isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I wonder why folks like you worry so.
Clay
Agreed, see above, Mid-East next logical proxy front, Taiwan's simply pawn being played by both sides, but China wins this 'poker game' as it destroys EVERYONES belief in Taiwan's long-term independence, cutting off oxygen ever so gradually, it'll be decades likely.
quercetum
That's the kind of trash that's put out there by the miltary think tanks. They are order made reports tailored to their interests.
Lepyon
The island referred to as Taiwan has never belonged to China. It was previously colonized by imperialist Portuguese and Dutch, who were then followed by Chinese mainlanders with another wave post-WW2. Therefore, the only peaceful and just solution is to return it to its rightful owners, namely the indigenous peoples who inhabited this island before all the imperialist intrusions.
Samit Basu
@Lepyon
Yes it did, since Imperial Japan acquired Taiwan from China via the Shimonoseki Treaty. Shimonoseki Treaty proves that China owned Taiwan until that point.
If you want to say People's Republic of China never owned Taiwan, that's true, but Taiwan belonged to Qing China until 1895, then was returned to its successor state Republic of China in 1945.
The PROC's claim to Taiwan is that it's the successor state of ROC inheriting all its territories in 1948 and the ROC no longer exists.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Shimonoseki
deanzaZZR
Sorry, Lepton, It's true, China was mostly focused on threats from the north throughout history and wasn't focused on the maritime territories but Chinese did start to settle the Penghu/Pescadores/澎湖 all the way back to Song Dynasty China (11th century). Formal annexation didn't happen until the late 17th century under the rule of Emperor Kangxi.
"On 6 March 1684, Kangxi accepted Shi's proposal to set up permanent military establishments in Penghu and Taiwan. The final recommendation for annexing Taiwan was presented on 27 May. It was accepted by Kangxi, who authorized the establishment of Taiwan Prefecture, a new prefecture of Fujian Province"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Taiwan
TaiwanIsNotChina
No, an invasion and killing everyone also upsets the equilibrium. China says openly it will happen one day.
diagonalslip
OssanAmerica
In this case, it is. It's not Taiwan that's threatening China.
As I said, some are in denial of reality.
quercetum
That's not the way humans operate. You'd have to return North America and Australia to the natives. The Taiwanese are also not the natives. They come from mainland China but just at different periods. Even the Pacific Islanders were immigrants. So how far do you go.
Toshiaki Amari
I am interested in what is happening here and I hope that it can turn out for the best because it is worrying to see. I hope that more changes can be made with this because Taiwan and China are huge for Japan’s international relations moving forward. I really hope that it can work out well.