Mattis affirms US commitment to Taiwan, outrages PRC

[Santander]

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2096762/james-mattis-outrages-chinas-military-delegation-taiwan

Good to see that America isn't a total stooge of China yet.

[Xing]

I'm all for adopting a more pro-Taiwan agenda, but it shouldn't just be for the sake of pissing off China.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Why should the Chinese government care?

They can just buy one of Ivanka's companies, and offer to let Trump put his name of some big buildings and he'll bail on all our agreements with Taiwan faster than you can say "covfefe".

[TheSaint250]

Good.

[KingSweden]

I'm all for adopting a more pro-Taiwan agenda, but it shouldn't just be for the sake of pissing off China.

[Shameless Lefty Hack]

I'm all for adopting a more pro-Taiwan agenda, but it shouldn't just be for the sake of pissing off China.

[Badger]

I'm all for adopting a more pro-Taiwan agenda, but it shouldn't just be for the sake of pissing off China.

[dead0man]

I'm all for adopting a more pro-Taiwan agenda, and I don't give a sh**t if it pisses of the PRC.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

I'm all for adopting a more pro-Taiwan agenda, but it shouldn't just be for the sake of pissing off China.

I'm all for adopting a more pro-Taiwan agenda, and I don't give a sh**t if it pisses of the PRC.

Good for you.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

First, clickbait headline much? The actual statements by the PRC seem much more reserved, as par the course. Though I guess different people have different standards for "outrage."

That said, I don't think Mattis' statement means much in the long run. The US has been affirming its commitment to Taiwan even after it recognized the PRC, and it will do so even as it also affirms its commitment to the One China Policy. (Remember when Trump's major scandal when he called President Tsai and questioned the OCP? That turned out to be a whole bunch of nothing as he too reaffirmed it.)

Anyways, the PRC will remain hellbent on reclaiming Taiwan and when there's a will, there's a way. Given the increasing disparity between the two, said reclamation is inevitable. Let's all hope that it's a peaceful one, where the PRC respects Taiwan's unique features a la Hong Kong and Macau.

[Green Line]

First, clickbait headline much? The actual statements by the PRC seem much more reserved, as par the course. Though I guess different people have different standards for "outrage."

That said, I don't think Mattis' statement means much in the long run. The US has been affirming its commitment to Taiwan even after it recognized the PRC, and it will do so even as it also affirms its commitment to the One China Policy. (Remember when Trump's major scandal when he called President Tsai and questioned the OCP? That turned out to be a whole bunch of nothing as he too reaffirmed it.)

Anyways, the PRC will remain hellbent on reclaiming Taiwan and when there's a will, there's a way. Given the increasing disparity between the two, said reclamation is inevitable. Let's all hope that it's a peaceful one, where the PRC respects Taiwan's unique features a la Hong Kong and Macau.

Taiwan is not not going back, and any situation where they end up like Hong Kong would be a complete betrayal by the free world.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

First, clickbait headline much? The actual statements by the PRC seem much more reserved, as par the course. Though I guess different people have different standards for "outrage."

That said, I don't think Mattis' statement means much in the long run. The US has been affirming its commitment to Taiwan even after it recognized the PRC, and it will do so even as it also affirms its commitment to the One China Policy. (Remember when Trump's major scandal when he called President Tsai and questioned the OCP? That turned out to be a whole bunch of nothing as he too reaffirmed it.)

Anyways, the PRC will remain hellbent on reclaiming Taiwan and when there's a will, there's a way. Given the increasing disparity between the two, said reclamation is inevitable. Let's all hope that it's a peaceful one, where the PRC respects Taiwan's unique features a la Hong Kong and Macau.

Taiwan is not not going back, and any situation where they end up like Hong Kong would be a complete betrayal by the free world.

Why not? The Chinese people and the CCP both desperately want to reclaim Taiwan in order to reunite the Han people. To them, Taiwan being de facto independent is a reminder of the times when China was weak and powerless. China may be strong today, but without Taiwan the Chinese civilization cannot be complete. Thus reclaiming Taiwan is at the core of Chinese national identity, as much as the ideals of democracy and freedom are to Americans.

More "practically," reclaiming Taiwan would remove any possibility of a Cuban Missile Crisis situation off the coast of Fujian.

Meanwhile I highly doubt the United States would have a comparable appetite to protect Taiwan. The shadows of Iraq and Afghanistan are long and dark, and that was with two minor powers, not the second most powerful country in the world. Even if an American president wants to intervene, they would be limited in options due to the intensity of China's commitment on this issue (i.e. war will break out if things get bad enough).

[Green Line]

Good, glad to see that we don't just suck up to those god damn commies anymore.

Trump has sucked up to them moreso than any recent President.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Good, glad to see that we don't just suck up to those god damn commies anymore.

Trump has sucked up to them moreso than any recent President.

That is true. For instance, Trump basically gave away climate change leadership to the world's largest CO2 emitter*! How crazy is that?

*At least the Chinese central government, unlike America's, is trying to do something about it. Soon the US will be the #1 emitter again! #MAGA!

[Santander]

Anyways, the PRC will remain hellbent on reclaiming Taiwan and when there's a will, there's a way. Given the increasing disparity between the two, said reclamation is inevitable. Let's all hope that it's a peaceful one, where the PRC respects Taiwan's unique features a la Hong Kong and Macau.

If you think Hong Kong and Macau have "unique features" that are "respected" by China, I don't really know what to say...

[Lexii, harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy]

I'm all for adopting a more pro-Taiwan agenda, but it shouldn't just be for the sake of pissing off China.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Anyways, the PRC will remain hellbent on reclaiming Taiwan and when there's a will, there's a way. Given the increasing disparity between the two, said reclamation is inevitable. Let's all hope that it's a peaceful one, where the PRC respects Taiwan's unique features a la Hong Kong and Macau.

If you think Hong Kong and Macau have "unique features" that are "respected" by China, I don't really know what to say...

What I'm saying is that the best-case scenario is for Taiwan to enter a SAR-type situation in which the PRC respects local governance and laws, e.g. Taiwan preserves its democratic system. You know, as opposed to complete annexation.

[angus]

“The Department of Defence remains steadfastly committed to working with Taiwan and with its democratic government to provide it the defence articles necessary, consistent with the obligations set out in the Taiwan Relations Act, because we stand for the peaceful resolution of any issues in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait,”

Good.  It's about 40 years too late, though.  We stopped calling Taiwan "The Republic of China" in the mid-70s. 

It's better to be honest with ourselves.  We respect the nationalists, especially those who set up government in Formosa and maintain it, but we really, really like being able to buy cheap trinkets at The Dollar Tree.  A one-dollar shower curtain means more to the average gringo than containment of communism or human rights, and any swinging dick on the street can tell you that. 

Mostly this is just Mad dog barking.  If he really means it, good for him, but I think he's just barking.

[Crumpets]

I'm not sure if this is strictly related, but the State Department just posted this on Facebook:

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