tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7152221.post111578740530147814..comments2024-03-23T07:49:50.940-05:00Comments on The Middle Ground: The Importance of Being TaiwanUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7152221.post-1115880432097951032005-05-12T01:47:00.000-05:002005-05-12T01:47:00.000-05:00Something lots of people forget is that we promise...Something lots of people forget is that we promised Japan that the US would look out for Japan's economic interests at the end of WW2(i.e. we'd make sure that they had enough raw materials so they'd never feel compelled to go to war ever again). I wish those that yammer about how we need to honor our agreements with allies would remember that.<BR/>Taiwan, as Kat so elegantly pointed out with the geography lesson, is critical to maintaining that indepence for Japan. If we don't do it Japan will have to. That's ugly for east Asia, and because of the amount of trade we have going with Asia for us too. <BR/><BR/>Another thing to keep in mind: Taiwan actually has an indigenous population that didn't come over with the Koumintang(KMT). They never really wanted to be part of China anyway. If self determination of an ethnicity is something to be defended(ala the Palestinians) it ought to be respected here as well.<BR/>RyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7152221.post-1115857793103554772005-05-11T19:29:00.000-05:002005-05-11T19:29:00.000-05:00Basically, this is a question of whether we contin...Basically, this is a question of whether we continue to maintain dominance over an area or allow China's expansionism to go unchecked and give them a strategic point. <BR/><BR/>Taiwan is very close to the disputed islands and thus Japan. China continually makes noises at Japan that sound very much like nationalistic painting of Japan as a continued natural enemy of CHina. Just in case. <BR/><BR/>Taiwan holds together the center of control for the China Sea and essentially splits our area of control in half and directly threatens control of the shipping lanes which are important, not just to China, but Japan, S. Korea, Australia and the US. <BR/><BR/>I'd say if China makes a physical move to retake Taiwan it must be considered a direct threat or first move to confronting the US, Japan, Australia, South Korea, etc.<BR/><BR/>Look at this from a military strategic point, not a political/emotional point.Kathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05208095650375780838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7152221.post-1115829455815655352005-05-11T11:37:00.000-05:002005-05-11T11:37:00.000-05:00I go back and forth on this.China eventually will ...I go back and forth on this.<BR/><BR/>China eventually will move on Taiwan. We have significant intrests on that island. <BR/><BR/>On the other hand, China is a better place than it used to be. Hong Kong is not as screwed up as I thought it would be by now. Maybe a Chinese reannexation of Taiwan wouldn't be as disasterous as it would have been 20 years ago.<BR/><BR/>On the third hand, most of the Taiwanese, our friends, were born into independance. Should we, as a nation, not help preserve that independance?<BR/><BR/>China cannot even think about matching us on the water. They absolutely do not have the capability. But they can do other things that we will not like in order to make us face them on land.<BR/><BR/>Like I say, I'm kind of all over the place on this issue.Gadflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03101913882165730041noreply@blogger.com