Canuckus Deploracus wrote:
China won't invade Taiwan...
They'll continue to isolate it then simply move in...
What nation do you see going to war over it????
The US, Australia, the UK, New Zealand. Japan. The Philippines, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Norway, Sweden. Denmark, India, South Korea, and a few other stragglers.
It is not necessarily in the strategic interest of all these nations at the moment, but the aggression of China must be stopped cold, and
that is their motivation. The argument that China claims Taiwan as a province by historical precedent will be ignored in favor of Taiwan's independence for the last 80 or so years.
Many world nations are extremely concerned by China's more aggressive stances, not only at Taiwan, but also at India, and at the South China Sea control issues and militarization. China will have to fight the world sooner or later, and this appears to be the first opportunity for the rest of the world to stand up and stop them.
The US would provide the bulk of the military power, but EU/NATO nations would be supporting, as well as Asian nations not happy with China.
If China chooses to use their nukes, so will the US, and the world will die with a whimper.
It is my understanding that we have at least three Ohio class subs well within range of all of China.
They each carry 24 missiles with multiple reentry targetable warheads of much greater power than the Hiroshima type. For these three subs, over 864 targets can be attacked nearly simultaneously. The Chinese are well aware of our capabilities for nuclear war in a second-strike mode.
US officials are beginning to conclude that the US cannot stand by and have nations gobbled up by aggressors using the threat of nuclear war as a cover to prevent support of their target nation.
I will bet that Taiwan support will be forthcoming from the US and allies, and China's bluff will be called. If China tries to starve Taiwan out, or blockade them, this is where we would begin to interfere with naval and air power.