Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
Despite Beijing’s threats centered on the ‘red line’ of the Taiwan issue, Washington only looks to ramp up its arms sales, which will no doubt earn more condemnations alleging violation of the ‘One China’ policy.
Reuters points out the US is content to further build up ‘Fortress Taiwan’ while “needling China” – as it “plans to sell as many as seven major weapons systems, including mines, cruise missiles and drones to Taiwan, four people familiar with the discussions said, as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on China.”
The Trump administration is throwing caution to the wind, given the reality is that this many sales at once is “a rare departure from years of precedent in which U.S. military sales to the island were spaced out and carefully calibrated to minimize tensions with Beijing.”
Here’s Taiwan’s shopping list, in various phases of passing US legal hurdles and discussions, according to the new Reuters report:
- Drones that can see over the horizon for surveillance and targeting, coupled with advanced missiles and coastal defenses that include smart mines and anti-submarine capabilities to impede a sea invasion…
- A Lockheed Martin-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), essentially a truck-based rocket launcher, is among the weapons Taiwan wants, people familiar with the negotiations said.
- at least four large sophisticated aerial drones to Taiwan for what could be about $600 million.
- under discussion are land-based Boeing-made Harpoon anti-ship missiles to serve as a coastal defense against cruise missiles.
- Other systems include “underwater sea mines and other capabilities to deter amphibious landing, or immediate attack,” Taiwan’s de facto ambassador here to United States said in July.
Anti-tank missile systems are also said to be under consideration, at a moment Chinese PLA naval and aerial drills near the island have been on the uptick.
Beijing has repeatedly signaled that it considers reunification as a landmark mission and won’t stand idly by as external forces intervene in what it sees as inter-China affairs.
Absolutely Taiwan didn’t want to buy any weapons but the evil USA is “pushing” them to.
Thats partly correct. Taiwan need to update its many old weapons just as anyone else.
They wanted to buy F-35 but Americans didn’t want to sell them because too many Chinese spies, so Taiwan said ok, any plane and Americans said here’s some F-16. I think they should had accept the offer for the F-35.
It is both. Taiwan politicians want to dance with Trump. Now they got what they wished for. Just some dangerous games being played.
American soldiers wont’ die if China and Taiwan have military conflicts. US arm manufactures only benefit from any wars.
American soldiers won’t die but most of the Chinese soldiers will drown like rats.
Nothing to stop an air assault, and this will only make china more determined to attack or invade taiwain sooner rather than later, GREAT JOB TRUMPY! MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN? HAHAHAHAHA!!!
The US wants China to make that mistake of invading Taiwan. What China can do is close all air and sea traffic to and from Taiwan except for Chinese and Taiwan national planes and ships, that will stop any US interferences.
Far out.
but what about computer processors and graphics cards and such!!! lmao
Well all that can be innovated and produced many parts of the world.
I am more worried for chinese raking photos of my behind and listen to, what we talk about. That goes for USAs. as well.
You do have a valid point; China can always suck up to the US to get those parts..
” What China can do is close all air and sea traffic to and from Taiwan ” Good luck with that. The first thing ZioAmerica will do is violate the closures. Then what ?
Its’ going to happen anyway and it may as well be on Chinese terms, just make sure that some nuclear attack subs are off US shores before the action starts.
Chinese subs should be off US shores at all times either way.
Container ships are pretty effective taking out Arleigh Burke class cruisers…;)
Do you even read the comments or just post blindly ?
I spin my dreidel…
Oy Gevalt !
Its outbalancing not making Trump great.
Its about leacig Viethnam, Philipine and Malaysia helpless as well.
Yes. China will just make more and better weapons to counter whatever sales US is making to Taiwan. Taiwan still only has limited resources to counter China’s military.
It is all the commercial gains from US arms makers.
Muscle flexing started
China procrastinated far too often with their complaining which gave the US the ammunition to keep up their aggravations, China should counter by selling off US bonds, limit US officials in China, offer tax incentives and cheap loans to US/EU corporations to operate in China.
An ideal tilt-for-tat would be selling hi tech weaponry to Iran after the UN arms embargo is lifted next month.
But I don’t know if China would follow through with such an action?!
Presenting the religios infected dwarfs as some alternative is having no perspective compared to the wworld economy. China even print their money for them:)
China could. But China is not as desperate as Trump is.
The probems are, that we dont want to operate in China as their systems are. We also dont want dumping prices as well as all the cheep and therefore not good products from there.
You seemes to forget, that USA bonds gives an important income. Its also having eggs in 2 baskets.
But of course some small change might be a good possibility. But the reation will be Chinese products will be taxed more and for good reasons.
No pain no gain, as the saying goes.
Not really.
China could assist any anti-US elements. But China has not done so. China is just not afraid and in low-ground like what US is going through right now.
Even India is using some exiled Tibetans for propaganda purposes. All desperate moves.
China is active in supplying weapons to Iran, Hezbollah, etc..
China is going to be 7X as upset.
Fine with me.
When we comment killing Urigurs and all Tibethians going to school and cant leave before they are converted ti Han Chines, we are blamed and even sanctioned. Hong kong too.
More should unite in NO MORE.
How about the cowardly Turkish Islamic Party Uyghur head-choppers that killed Syrians and stole their homes and farms return to China and defend their brothers? Every hear the Uyghurs IN China denounce their debased Islam of Saudi Wahhabism or their TIP headchopper land-thieve brothers in Syria? No?
I say, “Fuck the Uyghurs. As long as even ONE of you is in Syria, then the rest of you back in Chinese reeducation camps can learn Mandarin. NO sympathy for you fucking head-chopping Wahhabized bastards. Flee to Saudi Arabia if you don’t like it in China.”
You bastards all should stop killings or kill each other faster, so the rest of us can live in peace.
And the Uriguers in Syria/Turjey also not even come from China.
Half of them live in Pakistan, Kasakhstan, Kirgisistan, Usbekistan, Mongoliet and Tyrkiet.
Now go and repair You football or whatever is on Your neck.
idiot—zero uighers—kahzakstan, Uzbekistan…..few in mongolia, etc
Агентство Республики Казахстан по статистике :Итоги переписи населения Республики Казахстан 2009 года…Численность населения Республики Казахстан по итогам переписи населения 2009 года на момент счета на 12 часов ночи с 24 на 25 февраля 2009г. составила 16004,8 тыс. человек . Доля уйгуров в общей численности населения страны составила – 1,4%.Численность казахов увеличилась по сравнению с предыдущей переписью на 26,1% и составила 10098,6 тыс. человек. Увеличилась численность узбеков на 23,3%, составив 457,2 тыс. человек, уйгур – на 6%, составив 223,1 тыс. человек. Снизилась численность русских на 15,3%, составив 3797,0 тыс. человек; немцев – на 49,6%, составив 178,2 тыс. человек; украинцев – на 39,1%, составив 333,2 тыс. человек; татар – на 18,4%, составив 203,3 тыс. человек; других этносов – на 5,8%, составив 714,2 тыс. человек. Национальный статистический комитет Кыргызской Республики : Перепись населения и жилищного фонда Кыргызской Республики 2009 года в цифрах и фактах – Архив Публикаций – КНИГА II (часть I в таблицах) : 3.1. Численность постоянного населения по национальностям
I hope You soon can install some kind of searchmachine
you despicable fascist racist–UN commission human rights denies Uighers r suppressed—u racists require immigrants to learn your ugly language before they can naturalized, yet Uighers speak their own language—how do you convert to Han? not enough meds
Blocking lie that is people are afraid and also having dirty laundry themselves.
We have been their several times too according China, India, Russia and USA,
No, China won’t care. China has better weapons and more.
China like all Asian care; as they are being continually insulted by the Yank fucks. That is a big NO in their culture.
Isn’t it clear to everyone by now that U.S. is setting up Taiwan to be genocided? A child could see that Taiwan is indefensible, even with any amount of U.S. help. I don’t want to see Taiwan re-absorbed by the CCP, but I didn’t want to see Hong Kong re-absorbed either. Why didn’t we arm the crap out of them?
I don’t even want the CCP to run mainland China. I also don’t want it to rain tomorrow and wish I could fly. So f’king what? I sympathize with the Taiwanese, but – sorry – I’m not willing to die to defend Taiwan. It’s not part of our constitution. Besides, we’ll just give up after a few years and abandon your mostly destroyed island to be taken over by China anyway. Ask the former South Vietnamese how that U.S. ‘help’ worked out.
Arming the crap out of Taiwan for a war they can’t possibly win ONLY guarantees that the PLA will level the place if they decide to invade. What kind of feel-good genocide is THAT?
What you want is just your fantasy. You may even want 7 lovers at one time… Just some wet dream perhaps?
What the fuck does that even mean? Creepy…
” Isn’t it clear to everyone by now that U.S. is setting up Taiwan to be genocided? ” As is Poland. Both will serve as tripwires.
Taiwan is actually far harder to invade than it appears. It has a large and fairly modern military all concentrated on defense.
Even in the past, the CCP had a hard time trying to conquer the Nationalist islands off it’s coast, despite a massive ‘on paper’ advantage.
We’ll have to disagree on this, SnowCatzor. Taiwan’s modernized defenses are not suited to an intense (and prolonged if necessary) standoff missile attack – a strategy that the PLA will certainly use first.
Taiwan is perfectly capable of fending off the ‘invasion of yesteryear’ (ships, aircraft) until the U.S. shows up with sufficient force, and the PLA knows that. Why would they bother? The PLA can soften up Taiwan all day long from the Chinese mainland with all manner of missiles and then move on it. Even then it will be costly, but a price the CCP would be willing to pay *if* they decide to go full retard and invade. I have no idea if they’re really that desperate or insane today but you can’t rule out the possibility.
Taiwan has hardened its most vulnerable defenses against missile attacks, but there’s a point where quantity has a quality all its own. The PLA loves their rockets and missiles, and they have a shit-ton of them that can reach Taiwan. There is no way Taiwan is going to prevent that by taking out all the possible mainland launch sites.
The PLA won’t worry to much about collateral damage. It’s not how they think. Taking possession of the smoking ruins of Taiwan is still a victory for them.
amerikans r genocidal, not Chinese
Yeah but brainwashed communists cant see that
Not true, Taiwan is almost impenetrable. Just look at any video on the subject instead of looking at tanks or soldiers.
Well, my mistake then. I was going off of defense papers on Taiwan. I should have been watching videos.
Interesting part of this is that China’s move could be tied to NK’s move also. Sure US is aware of this and apparently is begging NK for talks, in which NK is not interested for obvious reasons. some historical perspective, NK sent hundreds of thousands of troops to China and played the key role in driving nationalists and US all the way to Taiwan during the Chinese civil war. In all, if China moves to unify the country with Taiwan, there is a good chance NK will do the same.
Time that China sell 7 major weapons system to Iran
I guess dictatorships protect each other. Both governments must go !!!
I really doubt that China will do anything over this. Selling some weapons isn’t enough of a reason to invade. If the US were to build some military bases in Taiwan, that would qualify as a reasonable red line.
Fair comment, but one that I disagree to…. the Yanks continue pushing and pushing and I think this will be the red line – they do not to invade, just disrupt or damage. My view only.
Free HK !!! China must be a democracy !!!