Crazy stuff

all hell would break lose. Taiwan might be the newest Chinese province, kind of like how they handled Tibet.

They have some serious firepower on that island. 250,000 regular troops and more than a million more in reserve, armed with modern American made weapons. They've had 60+ years to turn that island into a fortress, and they've done just that. They are rumored to have high tech, underground bases everywhere and even hollowed out mountains storing aircraft and supplies. The western half of the country is cliffs and rainforests which leaves only the eastern side sufficient for amphibious landings, and every inch of them has been pre-sighted with artillery. The terrain of Taiwan is sprawling, teeming cities, huge plains, and thick rain forests, perfect for guerrilla warfare.

If China ever tries to invade, they better be prepared to lose A LOT of troops. Like hundreds of thousands, maybe more. And that's without America and Japan intervening, which both countries likely would. Japan certainly isn't going to want to see a mainland dominated Taiwan, and the U.S. is obliged by treaty to defend it. You saw how much trouble we had in Iraq against a few hundred thousand guerrillas with home made bombs and RPG's. China would face about a thousand times worse in Taiwan.

I was thinking China has the largest army and haven't used it recently. They have been doing lots of exercises and are prepared for something. We don't know what they are capable of.

But they still lag far behind the U.S. in ships, air power, armor, and attack helicopters. The single greatest thing China has going for them right now is their missile arsenal, which is quite large and powerful. But in an actual war against the U.S., Taiwan, Japan, and whoever else got involved, those missiles are going to be depleted very quickly. ANd when gone, they'd have to face the combined strength of Japan, America, and still take Taiwan. Not an easy proposal by any means.

Don't believe the shit they broadcast. I've watched the army in China living here. They can't even line up in a straight line, they can't keep their uniforms clean and unstained and they barely listen to their officers.

And the officers are usually the sons of high up party members that, when you speak to them when they are out socially as I have, are some of the dumbest people on military tactics and war. They get promoted due to longevity in the PLA, not because they earned it.

One colonel I spoke to in Hefei told me his father paid off generals to get his promotions.

We're afraid of this???

are more than capable of handling China, so I don't know where you got the afraid from. However, I will say that one thing you never want to do is underestimate anybody. America once thought that China would never have the guts or the ability to challenge us in Korea. We paid a heavy price for it.

Last edited Sat Jul 2, 2016, 02:53 AM - Edit history (1)

worshipped.

Xi Jinping, not too much. . .and with their economy about to tank, Xi is itching for a war as a distraction so he and the CCP can keep their "death grip on life."

And you might not be. Hope you are. But like I said, it's can be dangerous to underestimate anybody. At the same time, it's important not to give in to fear and hysteria.

But when my parents were growing up in Taiwan in the 1950s and 60s, military service was compulsory. The entire population knew how to fight.

And apparently I underestimated the size of Taiwan's active military by about 40,000 and the size of their reserves by about 2 million. That's more than 3 million troops that would be waiting for China if they invaded. Have fun China.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China_Armed_Forces

That's some video game level stuff!

With a bang because the Taiwanese can't keep their weapons locked down. This is one of the reasons the peace movement can't just concentrate on nukes, but all the modern weapons like this.

...the thinking has always been, and I think correctly so, it starts conventional, but can easily escalate to a nuclear exchange. In the nuclear age, war of any kind is the enemy for exactly that reason.

The world ended? Damn... I missed it.