China sharpens language, warns Taiwan that independence 'means war'

[Kwasaki]

On 1/29/2021 at 8:15 AM, ThailandRyan said:

Time to send in the Reaper Drones when China pushes to far, and then for Taiwan to take an Offensive posture and fire a few over the bows of the frigates china sends.

You want a war then. 

[Pilotman]

50 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

You want a war then. 

At some point, bullies always, but always have to be faced and countered. If that means war, ( actually, lets call it a serious confrontation) then so be it. The alternative, over time, may be far worse. China is a running sore to world peace,  and as we have seen to the world's health, and needs to be confronted and stopped. 

Edited January 30, 2021 by Pilotman

[ctxa]

2 hours ago, Pilotman said:

At some point, bullies always, but always have to be faced and countered. If that means war, ( actually, lets call it a serious confrontation) then so be it. The alternative, over time, may be far worse. China is a running sore to world peace,  and as we have seen to the world's health, and needs to be confronted and stopped. 

Sorry to say, but that it's pure <deleted>.

[Pilotman]

Just now, ctxa said:

Sorry to say, but that it's pure <deleted>.

yes it always is with appeasers and their mates, until it all goes wrong and then they call in the Military to sort out the <deleted> that they produce. Makes me sick to the stomach that some people just don't learn anything from history. 

[ctxa]

1 hour ago, Pilotman said:

yes it always is with appeasers and their mates, until it all goes wrong and then they call in the Military to sort out the <deleted> that they produce. Makes me sick to the stomach that some people just don't learn anything from history. 

Question is how is china running sore to world's peace?

[Pilotman]

3 minutes ago, ctxa said:

Question is how is china running sore to world's peace?

China sharpens language, warns Taiwan that independence 'means war'

so you didn't read the quote from, China then? Or perhaps you thought they are joking, or misquoted?   

[ctxa]

1 hour ago, Pilotman said:

China sharpens language, warns Taiwan that independence 'means war'

so you didn't read the quote from, China then? Or perhaps you thought they are joking, or misquoted?   

 

Yes and it is well said. Same like I hope my country (Spain) does if Catalonia suddenly declares independence.  

 

Chiang Kai Shek's ROC lost a civil war, and they kept Taiwan because they Americans put their warships in between. Reunification is inevitable

Edited January 30, 2021 by ctxa

[Kwasaki]

2 hours ago, Pilotman said:

At some point, bullies always, but always have to be faced and countered. If that means war, ( actually, lets call it a serious confrontation) then so be it. The alternative, over time, may be far worse. China is a running sore to world peace,  and as we have seen to the world's health, and needs to be confronted and stopped. 

Nonsense jaw jaw not war, the west should back off interfering.

Has no-one learnt the lesson of fighting Asians, Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan who won the war in those places, and picking on Iran and Russia is even more crazy.  

[Scott]

Keep it civil.  Two posts removed.

 

[mlmcleod]

On 1/29/2021 at 7:15 AM, WineOh said:

On 1/29/2021 at 6:19 AM, webfact said:

China believes that Taiwan's democratically-elected government is moving the island towards a declaration of formal independence

 

One can only hope that this one day comes to pass.

 

Let's set the record straight now.. Is Taiwan officially a part of China or not?

If not then surely any attempt to capture it by the Chinese is an act of war in and of itself, and the international community is obliged to take Taiwan's side in any potential conflict that may ensue? ????

Taiwan has always been independent as the Republic of China.  The "People's" Republic of China chooses to ignore that fact along with most of the countries in the world.

[tonbridgebrit]

40 minutes ago, mlmcleod said:

Taiwan has always been independent as the Republic of China.  The "People's" Republic of China chooses to ignore that fact along with most of the countries in the world.

Taiwan has always been independent ?  Let's look at history.

A load of Chinese turned up in Taiwan a few hundred years ago, and stole land and carried out genocide on the indigenous population. The indigenous people were not Chinese, they were/are Polynesians.

Japan then beat China in a war, in the 1890s, and took over Taiwan. Most of the population at that time were Chinese. Japan lost World War Two in 1945, they were forced to give Taiwan back to 'China'.

'China' was, back then called Republic of China. So, you accept that, prior to 1945, Republic of China was made up of mainland China ? Surely, you do ? Okay, 1945, Taiwan was given back to China.  Okay, 1949, Chiang Kai Shek lost the civil war in China, and went to Taiwan. Mao Zedong declared China's new name as Peoples' Republic of China.
So, surely, you accept that between 1945 and 1949, the Republic of China was made up of mainland China and the island of Taiwan ? And from 1949 onwards, Republic of China was made up of Taiwan only.

Okay, if Mao Zedong had of attacked Taiwan prior to 1949, (1949 was when Mao Declared China's new name) well, you accept that would have been part of a civil war ?  As in, prior to 1949, war between China and Taiwan would have been "Republic of China is attacking  Republic of China".  Surely, that's a civil war ? Do you accept this ? And prior to 1949, Mao taking Shanghai and Mao taking Taiwan,  would have been the same thing ? What's the difference ? There's no difference.

Let's get back to Chiang Kai-Shek, the founding father of moderrn-day Taiwan.  Chiang Kai-Shek was the political head of mainland China, Republic of China, between 1928 and 1949, you accept that ?

Edited January 30, 2021 by tonbridgebrit

[kingdong]

On 1/29/2021 at 2:20 AM, robblok said:

 

The history of Taiwan can be explained both ways but given the history id say it should remain as it is. But it can't without serious help of the USA. China is not to be underestimated. The sheer number of people they have and disregard for life would help them.. Look at the difference in population.

 

 

Do you honestly think the usa will interfere militarily against china? Do you think the west will be in the financial position,( i,e the corona pandemic) to want to get involved?perhaps the west should mind its own buisness as the alternative could very well be ww 3.

[mfd101]

The history of Taiwan is one thing. The democratically-expressed views of a majority of the current  inhabitants is another.

 

The Chinese government has no more interest in what the citizens of Taiwan think than it has in the views of its own people. If The West still stands for anything at all, it has no choice but to stand with the people of Taiwan against the authoritarians of the mainland, and that includes conventional warfare clashes if necessary.

[mike787]

Yea....whatever....I would fight to die than concede to slow miserable death under Chinese rule. 

[rabas]

21 hours ago, heybruce said:

"strategic importance" is an understatement.  Taiwan is critical to the modern global economy:

 

"Only three firms in the world are able to make advanced processors: Intel, TSMC, whose home is an earthquake-prone island which China claims as its territory, and Samsung of South Korea, with a nuclear-armed despotic neighbour to the north. The Semiconductor Industry Association, an American trade body, reckons that 80% of global chipmaking capacity now resides in Asia."  https://www.economist.com/business/2021/01/23/chipmaking-is-being-redesigned-effects-will-be-far-reaching

 

Intel is falling behind in state of the art chip manufacture; much if its production is being outsourced to TSMC in Taiwan.  The facilities that manufacture these chips would take years to build, and, once built, would be years out of date because the manufacturing technology is constantly advancing.

 

If you don't like a globalized economy, tough.  You're living in one.  The devices you are using to communicate with at this moment are made with chips manufactured in Taiwan.  If China captures this manufacturing capability it will control a keystone of the world economy.  If these manufacturing facilities are destroyed in a war to take Taiwan the world economy will be crippled for years if not decades.

 

Taiwan must remain independent.  Western powers must do what it takes to enable this.

 

You are right and make a good point. However, it's more complicated. Taiwan is only a global resource for IC manufacture, they run factories. If you want to make a SotA IC today, you must first buy billions of dollars of the most sophisticated technology on Earth, just for one factory. This mostly comes from US/Japan/Europe and the US is still on top.

 

If China ever took over Taiwan, IC manufacturing would collapse because It can't survive without a constant supply of high tech machines and support from manufacturers who maintain them. I doubt anyone would help China get it up and running. The world's machines would just go to new factories elsewhere. 

 

[ctxa]

37 minutes ago, kingdong said:

Do you honestly think the usa will interfere militarily against china? Do you think the west will be in the financial position,( i,e the corona pandemic) to want to get involved?perhaps the west should mind its own buisness as the alternative could very well be ww 3.

What many people need to understand, is that although the West always accuses China of propaganda and brainwashing. Both parties eventually extensively use those tools, as it’s a very powerful way to legitimize the one in charge and convince the population. And yes, it works both ways in China and in any other country. 
 

Naturally China and the USA are competitors. And competitors never get along well because eventually humans care about their own interest rather than at their competitors’ interest (as it’s natural and normal). So China bad on one side, USA bad on the other, and mutually inventing or exaggerating stories to bash each other is to some degree normal. 
 

I am a white European guy, who has lived in China for many years. And yes, sometimes I’ve had fights with locals (alcohol, lol), been dealt by the police, and no the police won’t torture you, they won’t kill you, they won’t send you to concentration camps it’s hardly any different to what they would do back in my home country. 

 

The Uighur matter. In November 2019 I was in Urumqi (capital of Xinjiang). There is significantly more police control than in other regions of China, but it makes sense when in 2015 600 people died of terrorism. I never was questioned by police, as I abide by the rules and didn’t do things as taking pics where it clearly said do not. I don’t know if detention camps exist or not, I obviously didn’t see one, but what I saw was plenty of local Uighurs who didn’t look much like they were oppressed at all. 
 

When it comes to Corona. Many people think that China is to be blamed for allowing everyone to go out. And sure, things could have been done better. On the 31st of December of 2019, I was at a business dinner in the city of Shenzhen and someone commented that he saw on some group chat in his WeChat app that something was happening in Wuhan. By the 9th of January my wife and I cancelled the plans that we had of driving from a place in which we were gonna stay for the Chinese New Year to Wuhan (an hour and a half away) because everyone in China knew by that point that transmission was out of control in Wuhan. So why did not western countries close their gates to flights from Mainland China then? 
 

The Taiwan issue, once again is just a tool for propaganda between China, Taiwan and the USA. Except for some people who politicize it on all sides. I have a Taiwanese guy working at my company who loves China and Taiwan, I have been to Taiwan with my Chinese wife... you get the idea, ordinary people don’t care about it, they certainly see each other as though being the same. 
 

Sure, you can call me Wumao, commie or whatever. I don’t care what you call me and specially I don’t care about politics and I don’t wanna get into them , because politics have never fed me or my family. But I feel it is my duty to try and offer some insight on all of this specially when some people are crazily asking for a war with China, it is my duty for say this words as I can only be grateful to China for the many chances it has offered to me, to my career and to have my own company. Personally I have never ever experienced any mistreatment from the Chinese government. (Sure certain  things are overly complicated for foreigners, but never been mistreated at all). 

Edited January 30, 2021 by ctxa

[Gulfsailor]

19 minutes ago, rabas said:

 

You are right and make a good point. However, it's more complicated. Taiwan is only a global resource for IC manufacture, they run factories. If you want to make a SotA IC today, you must first buy billions of dollars of the most sophisticated technology on Earth, just for one factory. This mostly comes from US/Japan/Europe and the US is still on top.

 

If China ever took over Taiwan, IC manufacturing would collapse because It can't survive without a constant supply of high tech machines and support from manufacturers who maintain them. I doubt anyone would help China get it up and running. The world's machines would just go to new factories elsewhere. 

 

The future technology is EUV lithography, whose market is completely dominated by ASML, a Dutch company. They’d happily sell to anyone...

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, rabas said:

 

You are right and make a good point. However, it's more complicated. Taiwan is only a global resource for IC manufacture, they run factories. If you want to make a SotA IC today, you must first buy billions of dollars of the most sophisticated technology on Earth, just for one factory. This mostly comes from US/Japan/Europe and the US is still on top.

 

If China ever took over Taiwan, IC manufacturing would collapse because It can't survive without a constant supply of high tech machines and support from manufacturers who maintain them. I doubt anyone would help China get it up and running. The world's machines would just go to new factories elsewhere. 

 

Yes, it is more complicated.  However the fact remains that it would take many years to replicate Taiwan's chip manufacturing facilities.  The western world could either depend on China for these essential chips during this time, or attempt to do without.  Either option leaves China with a stranglehold on the world economy. 

 

While the west would desperately attempt to build similar or better facilities, China would be doing the same with the advantage of holding the major chip making facilities.  The west would have the advantage of having the facilities that make the machines for the individual steps in the manufacturing process, but China would have the advantage of holding examples of these machines which could be reversed engineered.  I know, none of this is easy, figuring out how to build precision equipment from a copy on hand is a major undertaking.  Finally, if a war were to start between North and South Korea the situation would get much worse for the west, and strengthen China's hand considerably.

 

There is no scenario in which China seizing Taiwan is not a crippling economic blow to the west. 

 

 

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, Gulfsailor said:

The future technology is EUV lithography, whose market is completely dominated by ASML, a Dutch company. They’d happily sell to anyone...

The immediate future probably is EUV lithography, dominated by the Dutch.  However the present is dominated by facilities in South Korea and Taiwan.  Who knows what lies beyond the immediate future?

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, kingdong said:

Do you honestly think the usa will interfere militarily against china? Do you think the west will be in the financial position,( i,e the corona pandemic) to want to get involved?perhaps the west should mind its own buisness as the alternative could very well be ww 3.

As things currently stand the west can either preserve Taiwan's independence or give China control of the advanced microprocessors that run the world.  See my  earlier post: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1203769-china-sharpens-language-warns-taiwan-that-independence-means-war/page/6/#elControls_16210247_menu

 

The west, led by the US, needs to make it clear that the cost of seizing Taiwan by force will be unacceptably large.

[rabas]

57 minutes ago, Gulfsailor said:

The future technology is EUV lithography, whose market is completely dominated by ASML, a Dutch company. They’d happily sell to anyone...

Lithography is one of a very large number of essential complex technologies needed to make modern ICs.

 

3 minutes ago, heybruce said:

Yes, it is more complicated.  However the fact remains that it would take many years to replicate Taiwan's chip manufacturing facilities.  The western world could either depend on China for these essential chips during this time, or attempt to do without.  Either option leaves China with a stranglehold on the world economy. 

 

While the west would desperately attempt to build similar or better facilities, China would be doing the same with the advantage of holding the major chip making facilities.  The west would have the advantage of having the facilities that make the machines for the individual steps in the manufacturing process, but China would have the advantage of holding examples of these machines which could be reversed engineered.  I know, none of this is easy, figuring out how to build precision equipment from a copy on hand is a major undertaking.  Finally, if a war were to start between North and South Korea the situation would get much worse for the west, and strengthen China's hand considerably.

 

There is no scenario in which China seizing Taiwan is not a crippling economic blow to the west.

It would certainly cripple China more.  Just how is China going to make ICs without full cooperation from Western countries that still dominate the large number of essential technologies? Lithography is just one. If you want to know what's the most complex thing on Earth, it's likely IC manufacture.  Hundreds of individual steps are required to make an IC. Countless processes, each one true state of the art and ever changing.

 

I spent many years in the semiconductor field as a research scientist. I designed technologies used in machines that factories buy to make chips. It is very hierarchical. ASML does not get up in the morning and start making machines from glass, steel, and bolts. They too must cooperate with the rest of the developed world. There is no way that China is going to sweep up the world's semiconductor technology. They can cause a lot of damage like SARS2, but the world would go on.

[tonbridgebrit]

2 hours ago, ctxa said:

What many people need to understand, is that although the West always accuses China of propaganda and brainwashing. Both parties eventually extensively use those tools, as it’s a very powerful way to legitimize the one in charge and convince the population. And yes, it works both ways in China and in any other country. 
 

Naturally China and the USA are competitors. And competitors never get along well because eventually humans care about their own interest rather than at their competitors’ interest (as it’s natural and normal). So China bad on one side, USA bad on the other, and mutually inventing or exaggerating stories to bash each other is to some degree normal. 
 

I am a white European guy, who has lived in China for many years. And yes, sometimes I’ve had fights with locals (alcohol, lol), been dealt by the police, and no the police won’t torture you, they won’t kill you, they won’t send you to concentration camps it’s hardly any different to what they would do back in my home country. 

 

The Uighur matter. In November 2019 I was in Urumqi (capital of Xinjiang). There is significantly more police control than in other regions of China, but it makes sense when in 2015 600 people died of terrorism. I never was questioned by police, as I abide by the rules and didn’t do things as taking pics where it clearly said do not. I don’t know if detention camps exist or not, I obviously didn’t see one, but what I saw was plenty of local Uighurs who didn’t look much like they were oppressed at all. 
 

When it comes to Corona. Many people think that China is to be blamed for allowing everyone to go out. And sure, things could have been done better. On the 31st of December of 2019, I was at a business dinner in the city of Shenzhen and someone commented that he saw on some group chat in his WeChat app that something was happening in Wuhan. By the 9th of January my wife and I cancelled the plans that we had of driving from a place in which we were gonna stay for the Chinese New Year to Wuhan (an hour and a half away) because everyone in China knew by that point that transmission was out of control in Wuhan. So why did not western countries close their gates to flights from Mainland China then? 
 

The Taiwan issue, once again is just a tool for propaganda between China, Taiwan and the USA. Except for some people who politicize it on all sides. I have a Taiwanese guy working at my company who loves China and Taiwan, I have been to Taiwan with my Chinese wife... you get the idea, ordinary people don’t care about it, they certainly see each other as though being the same. 
 

Sure, you can call me Wumao, commie or whatever. I don’t care what you call me and specially I don’t care about politics and I don’t wanna get into them , because politics have never fed me or my family. But I feel it is my duty to try and offer some insight on all of this specially when some people are crazily asking for a war with China, it is my duty for say this words as I can only be grateful to China for the many chances it has offered to me, to my career and to have my own company. Personally I have never ever experienced any mistreatment from the Chinese government. (Sure certain  things are overly complicated for foreigners, but never been mistreated at all). 

What a brilliant and wonderfull post. I wish it was that most people on ThaiVisa feel this way.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 1/29/2021 at 1:43 PM, PatOngo said:

Time for them (US) to step up and retain that superpower credibility again now ... Trump is a civilian again, onward and upward, Joe! China needs to be kept in check!

 

 

Biden must be in quandary. On the one hand he IMO wants to be "friendly" with China, and on the other hand if China invades Taiwan and he doesn't go to the aid of Taiwan he makes the US a "hollow man" and no defender of freedom.

If China takes Taiwan by force and Biden does nothing effective to stop it, what country would ever trust the US again? Certainly, the US is the only country capable of restraining China.

He doesn't even need to send troops. All he has to do is provide Taiwan with sufficient ship killing and aircraft killing defensive missiles to deter China.

[heybruce]

22 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Biden must be in quandary. On the one hand he IMO wants to be "friendly" with China, and on the other hand if China invades Taiwan and he doesn't go to the aid of Taiwan he makes the US a "hollow man" and no defender of freedom.

If China takes Taiwan by force and Biden does nothing effective to stop it, what country would ever trust the US again? Certainly, the US is the only country capable of restraining China.

He doesn't even need to send troops. All he has to do is provide Taiwan with sufficient ship killing and aircraft killing defensive missiles to deter China.

Why would Biden want to be "friendly" with China?

 

Biden is not pro-China, just as Trump was not bad for China (as evidenced by the fact that after four years of Trump, China is far more influential in world affairs and the US much less so).  Biden wants to take on China with like-minded allies, Trump thought he could take on China and all our other major trade partners alone.

 

President Biden understands world affairs, as does the team he assembled.  Trump understands noise and bullying, which has been shown to be ineffective with China.  I'd much rather have Biden in charge now than Trump.

[heybruce]

2 hours ago, rabas said:

Lithography is one of a very large number of essential complex technologies needed to make modern ICs.

 

It would certainly cripple China more.  Just how is China going to make ICs without full cooperation from Western countries that still dominate the large number of essential technologies? Lithography is just one. If you want to know what's the most complex thing on Earth, it's likely IC manufacture.  Hundreds of individual steps are required to make an IC. Countless processes, each one true state of the art and ever changing.

 

I spent many years in the semiconductor field as a research scientist. I designed technologies used in machines that factories buy to make chips. It is very hierarchical. ASML does not get up in the morning and start making machines from glass, steel, and bolts. They too must cooperate with the rest of the developed world. There is no way that China is going to sweep up the world's semiconductor technology. They can cause a lot of damage like SARS2, but the world would go on.

So the best case scenario is that the west continues to keep the Taiwan fabrication plants running under mainland China control, with all the security concerns and economic vulnerability that entails.  Or the west can starve these plants of needed inputs, and suffer the consequences of starving the world of state of the art processors.

 

Neither is appealing.

[Patong2021]

On 1/29/2021 at 12:35 PM, smedly said:

what on earth is a white western position 

 

Please explain - I think only you know the answer to that in your own little world which none of us would understand - but you are entitled to think whatever way you wish and that is your right

 

my understanding is that Taiwan have elections - they vote for the people that run their country - they vote and that is called democracy - what am I missing  

 

My point is that the vocal critics are primarily "white" occidental countries. Please tell me how many voices in Africa pop 1.25 billion+  say same as you? And in Asia pop. excl. China 3.5 billion and in Latin America pop. 700 million?  It seems that you make assumption that only your "European" opinion is the most important. 

 

You do not understand Taiwan "democracy". Taiwan local elections have similarities to the old municipal politics Chicago, Palermo, Naples, New York from 50 years ago.  Yes, Taiwan has a form of parliamentary democracy and they make much progress every year. However, you have a bias that promotes Taiwan virtues and sadly they have many weaknesses. You ignore the fact that a large part of population is motivated only by personal profit; if they can make money, they want reunification with mainland. If there was so much dislike of mainland, why is Taiwan a big investor?

21 hours ago, simple1 said:

Well said. Taiwan is critical in the global supply chain for IT components / products

 

If that critical, time to repatriate the manufacturing. The worldwide shortage of PPE and vaccines has shown what happens when a country loses  the ability to manufacture essential critical components.

 

12 hours ago, placnx said:

I blame opportunist Richard Nixon and his sidekick Henry K for this. It didn't have to be.

So you believe USA should have ignored nation with 1 billion people, nuclear weapons and which was fundamental to any possibility of the USA extricating itself from the mess of Vietnam war, and for keeping North Korea from staring a war?  Easy to criticize50 years later, but the USA made the right move for world peace.

 

I do not support China, but I can see that the response must be worldwide with all nations sharing common voice. Russia borders with China and they have as much concern as USA and EU, but they stay quiet because USA and EU is an enemy. Time to make peace with Russia like was done for WWII. Russia makes friends with China on same basis it made Molotov and Von Ribbentrop agreement that allowed tragedy of grab on Poland and Finland. Now we ask Australia to take on China alone. Look at what  China does to Australia because no one helps Australia. Many of the civil disturbances we see now are stirred up by a foreign force through disinformation and funding for "social justice" (which is not, but  acts as cover for protests).Why would any small country in Asia stand up to China after it sees how Australia is abandoned.

 

[tonbridgebrit]

What's happening on this ThaiVisa forum ???
People are trying to say, that the big incentive to support Taiwan in this dispute with China is, is because Taiwan plays an important part in the world of computer chips and components ?   ????

So, back in 1990, Kuwait had to be liberated, because it had oil. And today, Taiwan must be protected because it's important for the production of computer components and chips ?

In that case, a simple solution to the problem. How about create a situation where California will replace Taiwan's vital role in this ? That way, if Taiwan declares independence, and China invades, well, no need for the USA to declare war on China ?   ????

I think talking about 'economics, money, finance' is not actually the most effective strategy for the anti-China club. I think we all know that anything to do with business and economics means that the balance is shifting towards China. Those who don't like China are always claiming that China is taking part in theft of technology. Those who actually know about the situation will know, that's not the case. What's really happening, is, China is a massive market for goods. The Beijing government tells companies to re-locate manufacturing to China, 'share' the technology, and the reward is, is access to the vast market of China. And that's where Beijing's strongest card is, it is able to grant or partially block access to the vast China-market.


Okay, a solution to this Taiwan issue. Simple, Taiwan simply does not declare independence. It simply carries on being a de facto independent place. That way, no need for America getting nuked, after nuking China.

Edited January 30, 2021 by tonbridgebrit

[tonbridgebrit]

1 hour ago, heybruce said:

Why would Biden want to be "friendly" with China?

 

Biden is not pro-China, just as Trump was not bad for China (as evidenced by the fact that after four years of Trump, China is far more influential in world affairs and the US much less so).  Biden wants to take on China with like-minded allies, Trump thought he could take on China and all our other major trade partners alone.

 

President Biden understands world affairs, as does the team he assembled.  Trump understands noise and bullying, which has been shown to be ineffective with China.  I'd much rather have Biden in charge now than Trump.

Let's see what Biden actually does regarding trade between America and China.

Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barrack Obama all had no problems with trade between America and China. China exported a mountain of cheap goods to America, this was good for China and good for America. China had a big trade surplus, America benefitted from buying cheap goods. Three presidents, nearly a quarter of a century of benefits for both.

Trump came along, and slapped taxes on the Chinese goods being imported into America. Beijing responded by slapping taxes onto American goods entering China. This was harmfull to both America and China. Yes, let's hope Biden goes back to what was happenning during the two decades prior to Trump.
 

[Salerno]

11 minutes ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Yes, let's hope Biden goes back to what was happenning during the two decades prior to Trump.

 

And lets hope China backs off it's expansionist projectory.

[jcsmith]

On 1/29/2021 at 8:23 AM, BKKBike09 said:

There will be no appetite in the USA to engage in a military conflict with China to protect Taiwan.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. I think everyone recognizes that China is a rising superpower, and one that has a long history of human rights violations. As they grow in power their behavior will likely worsen rather than improving. I think Taiwan could be a rallying call for the new administration to try to repair the alliances with Europe and to make a stand against what's happening in the South China Sea. I can see it escalating.