China improving its military potence rapidly

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

How many Taiwanese lives is China worth? If we don't protect them, the answer is all of them. The Chinese Communist party will steal everything the Taiwanese have worked so hard to achieve over the past half-century.

Or they will treat it like Hong Kong and keep the money rolling in? The Chinese are many things but stupid they aint. The Chinese would have nothing to gain by "stealing everything" and everything to gain buy allowing business as usual and the PRC skims off a healthy slice of profits.

I don't particularly care about Taiwan because I'm a practical person who doesn't believe that the US has any business or real ability to enforce its will upon the world other than being a haven for the poor and disenfranchised, but can you accept responsibility for the fate of Taiwan?

I don't accept any responsibility for Taiwan. Not my problem, not even a US problem. As far as I am concerned this is between China and Japan

Will you vote to protect Taiwan? Will you fight for her? Will you do nothing to save all those people?

Since you asked

no
no
yes

Before we all get maudlin about "saving" Taiwan, we need to be clear on what exactly we are "saving" them from. Please realize that it has only been relatively recent that they have had "free" elections (free with a very large *). The KMT, which is in power again, does not have clean hands.

In analyzing this issue, it is folly to presume that one side is the white hatted "good guys" and the other side the black hatted "bad guys". Both sides are wearing very very dark gray hats.

Here is a question for you. Can you look a military member in the eyes and say, "you need to sacrifice your life for Taiwan. Your life is not as valuable as a trade agreement?" I sure couldn't.

I am pretty stingy about throwing away American lives these days. American lives are pretty valuable to me. I have not seen anything in Taiwan that would be worth American's dying over.

Just one old guy's worthless opinion.