personally I ask the questions: Why do we need to be the world police anyways? I'd love to see the US take a more isolationist approach and actually have a department of defense, not a "department of preemptive strikes". There really is a difference between sticking our nose into people's business and saber rattling and actual defense.

Has China rattled sabres with Taiwan lately? Are they still pushing to take Taiwan?

so we should too because everyone else is?

You don't even know what I'm talking about.:doh:

well if that was a question rather than sarcasm...then I'm not sure if china has or not. My guess is either yes, or they have thought abut it.

Not since the last straits incident which was back in the Clinton era IIRC, and the US solved that by shoving a carrier through the straits. The PRC at the moment is more focused in the direction of Vietnam, the Phillipines and the Spratleys. The guys in Beijing know that their continued existence in power is tied into Chinas economic progress, and that economic progress is tied into trade, and Taiwan is one of the PRCs biggest trading partners. Furthermore, they know that the only way they can take Taiwan and not wreck the PRC in the process is to do it quickly and bloodlessly, however Taiwan is a tough nut and won't go without a fight, so the PRC will have to a) take the US out of the equation through politicking and b) force the ROC into a position where it knows it cannot win, and then remove its ability to fight. A HANE would do the trick, I don't know how well hardened the ROCs stuff is, but the disruption in the infrastructure and civilian population would be enough to slow down deployment, and then when PLA paratroopers start dropping in, then the chaos sets in.
To be honest though, I don't see the PRC doing anything Taiwan related for another 5-10 years, it just hasn't got the ability to do it and not self-destruct in the process, and the people in power know that.

Good point. There's a reason they stopped calling it the Department Of War.

I think you're right about the time. If I recall, they were really rattlin' sabres in the 90s. Didn't they launch a "test missle" that just happened to pass over Taiwan?:dead: Hopefully the PRC will chill out about reunifiying Taiwan as the old guard dies out. I don't see the PRC upsetting the economic apple cart anytime soon.

The Vietnam issue could be interesting in the future, as their economy grows and competes with the PRC.:hmmm: