Xi straight-up told Biden that China is going to take over Taiwan, report says. It could end in war.

[Polybius]

Source: Yahoo! News

Chinese leader Xi Jinping told President Joe Biden that China intended to take control of Taiwan in a face-to-face meeting last month, NBC News reported.

The report, citing three former and current US officials, said that the remarks were made during a meeting on the fringes of the Apec summit in San Francisco in November.

While official readouts of the meeting emphasized the common ground the leaders found on issues such as the climate crisis, the report indicated that long-standing tensions over the de facto autonomy of Taiwan also surfaced.

Xi bluntly asserted the Chinese right to rule Taiwan and said it would prefer to take it peacefully not by force, according to NBC.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/xi-straight-told-biden-china-151908209.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVtb2NyYXRpY3VuZGVyZ3JvdW5kLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIhybtqK9B4gdj1-JtoYMmajsxwN7813j6MFUaf-fRsEIkENyEI8VcIxLAMLSUyNeF4TPdhFyLo3XZYRB5HrUPyUwIpVc2W-cZpHs5ASQgPiExNxFxknlckuNIk1UBJXgYUlli_G1RV-uiIR2ojMjGlLv37Eo_ktYZeEN9vkUddZ

[Irish_Dem]

1. That's one reason American businesses are getting out of China.

They know it's gonna get ugly and it's gonna get ugly soon.

[SunSeeker]

4. Yes, and one reason why China's economy is hurting. nt

[Irish_Dem]

16. China's economy is much much worse than just hurting.

It is now in catastrophe status

[SunSeeker]

25. I agree, which is why a war would be disasterous for China. nt

[Irish_Dem]

33. I can argue the other way.

A war can hide and distract from serious financial problems
A war would distract the Chinese people from all of Xi's mistakes.
Would ramp up Chinese nationalism etc.

It is not unusual for a leader in trouble to promote some sort of military action.
A military win would make Xi look good.

Taking Taiwan is going to be easier than Putin invading Ukraine.
And the US probably does not want to go to war with China over Taiwan.

China will take Taiwan at some point. The question is when.
It must take Taiwan to prove regional control which China must have to become a global superpower.
Which is their goal.

[Happy Hoosier]

34. An amphibious operation....

Will in no way be easy.

It's hard for a sophisticated power to move a large amount of military force rapidly over the water. It's much harder for a power that doesn't have a lot of practice at it. To do it under fire is on another level.

IF the U.S. decides to contest an amphibious invasion of Taiwan, there would be many, MANY casualties on the Chinese side.

[Irish_Dem]

37. Whether we like or not, Xi intends to take Taiwan one way or the other.

He has been planning this invasion for a long time, his military is practicing
and believe they are ready for it.

But Xi told Biden he is willing to take Taiwan peacefully.
This change is because of the Russian invasion going badly.

The Chinese plan to do a bold strike. Take out Taipei quickly.
Many Chinese puppet leaders are already in place. Wipe out current leaders,
wipe out communications. It will not just be an invasion but a civil war.

China has the biggest army and navy in the world with over two million active duty members.
Xi does not care how many of them die in the invasion, just like Putin doesn't care about his troops.
There are 1.4 billion people in China, casualties are not an issue for them.

Yes the Chinese military is untested and a bit naive. But they have the sheer numbers of personnel
and equipment necessary for a quick operation. Taiwan is closer to China than Ukraine and also much
smaller. China plays the long game and is very patient, they will get Taiwan sooner or later.

They absolutely must get Taiwan and control of the Pacific if they want to achieve their dream of being a 21st-century global superpower. And we have absolutely no evidence that they are going to give up on that dream ever.

[Qutzupalotl]

2. Apec predator. nt

[IronLionZion]

3. Biden has promised to defend Taiwan if attacked

so I am not loving the high probability of that happening. I doubt we could just send them weapons like with Ukraine.

[SunSeeker]

5. Why is Xi is obsessed with taking over tiny Taiwan?

His country needs stability now, not a war. But dictators don't give a shit about their own people.

[live love laugh]

8. Probably the same reason Putins obsessed with Ukraine...power.

[SunSeeker]

26. I always thought Xi was more rational than Putin. I guess he's not. nt

[Rebl2]

28. Nope

I guess not.

[maxsolomon]

11. Read up on the history.

It's a nationalist issue.

[SunSeeker]

23. I've read the history. The question is why make this a priority now, when China is in economic trouble.

A war with Taiwan will be disasterous, and for what? Annexing this tiny island, after they've flattened it, will not give China any immediate benefit, other than distraction from China's economic problems I guess, or increase control of the South China Sea.


And please dial back the condescension. Sheesh.

[maxsolomon]

41. It's not condescension. I can do condescension.

I just didn't want to rehash it.

As you said, it would distract. If the economy's bad, it makes sense to wave the flag and distract the populace. Taiwan's been a thorn in the side of the RCC since the revolution.

They'll take it back without flattening it.

[IbogaProject]

18. It used to be Fomosa

It was previously a totally separate people who speak a Pacific language, like south east Asia. China took it over after WW2. Obviously they want that crazy chip making and the other high technology Taiwan is known for. The political issue is with the expat Republic of China basically being their government, China wants to stamp that out.

[SunSeeker]

24. I know. The question is why make this a priority now, when China is in economic trouble.

[Happy Hoosier]

35. To promote Nationalism.

Xi and the CCP probably think that a nationalist war will shore up support for his government. If Xi thinks some tough economic times are coming, he may need to implement some harsh reforms, and doing so under the guise of "War Austerity" may be easier.

[SunSeeker]

43. So basically it's to distract the Chinese people from their misery?

That's the only reason that makes sense, I guess.

[Kennah]

6. They can probably fly J20 fighter jets over Taiwan and attack undeterred

I suspect the US will at least fly AWACS aircraft over Taiwan providing targeting data to the ROC military.

But China doesn't possess the ability to land a mass of troops. With Ukraine, Russia merely drove there. China cannot drive to Taiwan.

[Happy Hoosier]

36. Probably not.

Like Russian "5th gen" fighters, the J-20 is impressive on paper. Less so in actuality.

[Kennah]

38. Very true. Hype is everywhere.

If J-20s turn out to be little better than other 4th gen fighter jets, then it comes down to how good the pilots of China and Taiwan are.

[Happy Hoosier]

39. Stealth tech is actually pretty tough...

Materials and shape. The J-20 has some physical features that promote stealth, and some that don't. It's usually described in Western defense circles as Gen 4+ aircraft with some stealthy features.

I suspect that they would be reluctant to use them over Taiwan unless they were able significantly degrade Taiwan's air defense capability. I suspect they would do that primarily with missiles and drones. I'm far more worried about China's ability to overwhelm air defenses with drones.

[Kennah]

42. Drones are real. I suspect that top tier military powers are working hard to produce cheap anti drone measures.

[live love laugh]

7. Thank Trump for the rampant global instability.

[EX500rider]

9. I'd have to blame China for it's aggressive polices, they've been threating Taiwan forever

[Aviation Pro]

10. The response of the U.S. will be proportional

As the entirety of Gina’s J-20s will be lying at the bottom of the South China Sea.

[AlienAsparagus]

12. US does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation

Seems like this another rising crisis - but it doesnt have to be.
We do not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation, so why would we invest blood and money to defend them against China?
There are only 13 countries that recognize Taiwan as a state, none of which are the United States.

"When President Bill Clinton visited Shanghai during his June 1998 visit to China, Clinton articulated the "three nos" for United States foreign policy towards China: (1) not recognizing two Chinas, (2) not supporting Taiwanese independence, and (3) not supporting Taiwanese efforts to join international organizations for which sovereignty is a membership requirement."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_China#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20%22acknowledged%22%20the,considered%20Taiwan's%20status%20as%20unsettled.

[Happy Hoosier]

40. So, your way to avoid the crisis...

Is to just let China take Taiwan?

I have a friend in Taipei.... glad to hear you're willing to make him just another slave of Xi and the CCP.

[gopiscrap]

46. welcome to DU

[orangecrush]

27. +1

[Oopsie Daisy]

13. Bluster.

[bluestarone]

14. My thoughts? FWIW.

China taking advantage of what they THINK is a weak moment here. (Russia war, and Ukraine money) They see 221 members of the House fighting against Ukraine money. Hope it's all talk for now. When Joe wins in 24 and we own the House and Senate, China will lower their voices on Taiwan. Again we shall see.

[TeamProg]

15. That's insane. Taiwan (Formosa) was controlled by Spain, then by the Japanese.. Never by China. China wants Taiwan

so to claim control of the sea between them.

[Zeitghost]

17. The Republic of China took control of Taiwan in 1945

And it became the seat of power in 1949 after the RoC lost control of mainland China to the communists.

Japan officially gave it up in 1952, but it was under RoC control for 6 years by then.

[TeamProg]

20. Weren't the leaders of the RoC exiled? They weren't a recognized power in China?

It’s been a while since I’ve thought about it.

I think what happened was that the leaders of the “Republic of China“ left mainland for Taiwan, so they were out of Mainland China. Not recognized, so China was not actually in control of Taiwan.

China rejected the Republic of China leadership , which claimed control of Taiwan, therefore is moot.

[TeamProg]

21. Right?

[prodigitalson]

19. well that's fucked up..if true

we'll see soon enough

I guess

[jgmiller]

22. Honestly if that is exactly what he said it's not any different

than what they've said for years. He didn't say "Hey Joe we don't care, we're invading next year". He said pretty much what has been said for 40 years.

They are stupid if they try this, they've got a great thing going in the world economy and the only reason they want Taiwan is they think they have lost face by it existing. It's a stupid reason to destroy the impressive economy and country they have built.

[RussBLib]

29. so I am curious....

...about what Biden said to Xi in response.

[Frasier Balzov]

30. I look at two things:

First, a map-- how comparatively small Taiwan is and how close to the mainland. We may have thought we could defend it when we made the promise to do so. Seems rather preposterous now. And the treaty previously obligating the USA to intervene militarily was annulled. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldwater_v._Carter

Second, all the consumer goods which we import from China. If we are suddenly cut off, the American consumer is going to enthusiastically favor abandoning Taiwan in hopes of restoring the supply of those consumer goods.

[question everything]

31. I also think that China holds many US bonds and if it wants to cash all of them this could

affect our economy. But this may not be as simple as that.

[MistakenLamb]

32. I see one defeated Chinese Navy in the future then

[jgmiller]

44. China's experience in Hong Kong has encourage them

I still think China won't do anything to Taiwan, it would be financial suicide and they are too practical for that. However their experience with Hong Kong especially recently has probably helped them believe that the rest of the world won't care what they do with Taiwan. The situation though is completely different, it doesn't seem the people of Taiwan want anything to do with the mainland and are ready to defend it. In Hong Kong they were essentially given back and sold a bill of goods that China is now ignoring.

[Initech]

45. Fuck you Xi!

Don't worry, fascist authoritarian dictators always get what's coming to them in the end!