If your were Commander In Chief how would you handle this??

Pentagon: China Gearing for Taiwan Attack

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/6418958.htm

How would you handle Taiwan versus China?

...and ignore whatever the hell your liberal ass was bitching about 30 seconds ago. I'm a busy man, you can't expect me to remember this crap.

but I figure bush won't honor them.

I would honor the treaties, if China was to pull off a pre-emptive attack.

The relationship we now have with China, would fall apart, and their economy would likely crash. Since there are so many items imported from China, we should be able to have a diplomatic closure; buit this bunch of morons in the WH at this point, would never consider such actions.

One thing is for sure, China realizes we have our military stretched pretty thin....this is not good.

:kick:

16 out of 33 brigades are in Iraq now.

No, really. Our military is spread out over the entire globe. Our budget is in deficit. Our economy is at risk. To fight China over Taiwan would result in large numbers of US casualties - and, possibly, a nuclear strike against the US mainland. It's a fight we just might lose, and the cost of victory would be terrible.

On the other hand, if China takes Taiwan - the entire Pacific Rim will recognize that China is the real power in Asia. Maybe the world. And that has some pretty terrible consequences too - quite possibly worse than combat. Because with all the good will we've built up lately (I'm being sarcastic here), if the rest of the world senses weakness, there might not be a lot of mercy shown for a broken empire.

...that we can put a halt to trade which would thrill Americans and cripple them.

Not so worried about them striking us as we have a swarm of subs not having much to do in the middle east.

Then we'll find out what they're really after and talking begins.

Bush just wants to be their friend.

Get the diplomats talking. China will realize very quickly that Taiwan isn't worth the economic disaster that they will suffer.

Come to Taiwans aid or say tough luck?

we would see the build up and I believe that we have sufficient aircraft nearby to preculde much of an air attack.

It's certain that there can be talk first.

to clear brush and play golf. Now, watch this drive.

is what got us into WWII.
I think our trade relations is what keeps China afloat. Their economy would fail without us.
I'm glad I'm not the president (nor would I vote for me if I were nominated)

I don't know specifically, but I would base my approach on those commitments. Though I think Chiang Kai-Shek, the founder of Taiwan as a soveriegn nation, was a sleaze and a Japanese sympathizer during WWII, I would be bound, as Commander in Chief to uphold our country's commitments. I would work within the UN to put international pressure on China, combined with economic sanctions if possible.
This would also give us international support and credibility as something more than a cowboy out for adventure like the Chimp N' Chief we now have.

In all things I think it essential to involve as many nations in the process as possible in the decision making process.

On a personal level I find China's aggressiveness here repugnant and imperialistic and would impart those sentiments whenever feasible.

China on the fact that Taiwan is part of China.

shit? Are you vying to be the Dr. Phil of DU with his condescending toughlove= toughshit attitude?

Not one person responding to the question poised here has even remotely suggested getting the UN involved in the issue, which, IMHO is essential as I stated.

You obviously missed the main point of my message.

China will not jump Taiwan. There are so, so many reasons but for starters, it would take a substantial maritime sealift of troop and equipment for which China is ill prepared. While they may have a substantial merchant fleet, they have few ships capable of amphibious assault and that is what it would take.

In addition, in trying to get them across the Formosa Straits, the whole operation would be subject to intercession by a vigorous Taiwanese Navy sporting Kidd Class destroyers, a bunch of Perry Class frigates, Knox Class frigates and several classes of Taiwanese frigates. They also have a number of attack subs and, ironically, a healthy amphib warfare component. Their Air Force is also respectable.

In addition, apart from the principle of the thing, I think China envies Taiwan its healthy economy and covets it, like Hong Kong, as additional financial expression of Chinese power and maybe hegemony...

I just don't see it happening. I would be less surprised to hear that North Korea had started shelling Seoul and pouring across the 38th paralell.

:scared:

but plenty of other modern warships and Patriot missiles.

They don't count. So they have two good ones.

subs class since I know shit little about sewer pipes, being a skimmer myself.

Your were "technically" correct.

If I were the Commander in Media Control I would buy Rove a drink and say, 'the best you could get to spread the FEAR was Kansas?'
And then Rice comes behind him with a baseball bat...and then I awake in a happy world

:boring:

let Cheney, Rove, Rice and Powell deal with it.

and we would have to move in to fight a 'PREVENTIVE' war so war doesn't happen in the future :crazy:

i guess we don't need troops since we got all dem dare nukes - gwb

:scared:

i would keep talking, thats the only thing we could do, in the NUCLEAR AGE, or we would truely be FOOLS...

peace

We don't need anymore nukes in the world. South Africa dumped theirs.

not some PNAC-agenda-driven propaganda. I don't know, maybe some factions in China are wondering if they can do something while the US is busy elsewhere, but I sincerely doubt it. I would ask, first of all, WHY this "intelligence" is suddenly news to announce to the general public. Who is being pressured here, and why? Now, if this were a nice quiet, normal briefing on what career intelligence analysts were thinking, I would be concerned. But leaked info? Huh. This seems more likely to be the work of the old Taiwan lobby, RW hawks who liked Chiang Kai-shek just fine. (There's also money corruption here--a scandal that rocked Taiwan in early 2001, but caused nary a ripple here in the US. This scandal was bribery-payoff stuff, but arms sales are also important in understanding the US relationship to Taiwan.)

In my opinion, also the audience might be Japan. I think the US is pressuring them to go nuclear (they are resisting), and the only way the Japanese RW could shift public opinion is if they were scared witless--by N Korea and China. Mind you, the rest of Asia would be horrified as well by a nuclear Japan. Still, I suspect this is their game. So news of China ramping up militarily?? I'd want SOLID proof. And then I'd go to the UN (which I'd have already thrown the support of the US behind to strenghen its authority).

....the lessons of a 3000 year old civilisation behind them. For all but a measly century or so they have managed their affairs without the benefit of interference from the USA.

I'd humbly suggest that the greater threat would be if the US decided their active input was necessary.

sad. I am pissed off that not one single person except myself has even suggested getting the international community involved.

Have we learned nothing?

Whilst I agree that the UN should be the solution, I suspect that the
other posters here have implicitly recognised that the Administration
(i.e., everyone other than the wise person who has just become C-in-C :-))
really doesn't give a stuff about "the rest of the world" ... they've
jumped ahead to the stage beyond bugging the UN reps and blackmailing
people for support to "what are WE going to do next?".

Nihil

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