[Aktungbby]

This latest aggression is movement against perceived economic weakness in the West

Precisely! That's why China and Russia are rattling sabres now. Formosa and Hong Kong are not tough areas to encompass (Naval) and certainly do not have entirely pro-Beijing leanings to begin with. As with ol' Adolf marching into the Rhineland, we're being tested. Let's hope we don't make the same non-proactive response of postwar 1939 Britain and France and not let more Tibets go unanswered. Sooner is better than later as history, miserably, has proven. Formosa would force the Sino response as the Doolittle Tokyo raid did the Japanese in WWII...imho. The political and legal statuses of Taiwan are contentious issues. The People's Republic of China (PRC) claims that the Republic of China government is illegitimate, referring to it as the "Taiwan Authority". The ROC, however, with its own constitution, independently elected president and armed forces, continues to view itself as a sovereign state. The present territory of the state has never been controlled by the PRC. Internationally, there is controversy on whether the ROC still exists as a state or a defunct state per international law due to the loss of membership/recognition in the United Nations and lack of wide diplomatic recognition. In a poll of Taiwanese aged 20 and older taken by the TVBS in March 2009, a majority of 64% opted for the status quo, while 19% favored independence and 5% unification. In an impending confrontation Formosa is the #1 big chink in Sino armor, politics and 'face saving-wise'. And for all their present land grabbing shows their temerity in really pushing hard for now... Bully's are all alike-never satisfied...and 1/7 of the world's population is hungry and bullish!