Taiwan war

“We must defend Europe’s freedom in the Taiwan Strait.” This is the opinion of experts on geostrategy considering Xi Jinping’s adamant determination to integrate Taiwan into his empire.

In my opinion it is not only Europe’s freedom but also the freedom of the ASEAN states including the Philippines that are at stake in that waterway. The democratic nations will fall like dominos if that bastion of democracy falls to despotic totalitarian China. The limit of Xi’s greed for power is the sky and beyond.

When on October 16, 1964 China exploded its first nuclear bomb, Mao said: “We will never be the first to use nuclear weapons”. Now Xi tells a different story: “We will use nuclear bombs continuously if Japan interferes with Beijing’s interests in Taiwan”.

Japan’s new premier Fumio Kishida turned hawkish as to the threats from China. The self-defense forces will now defend the Senkakus as well as the main islands in the Taiwan Strait.

The United States have a binding defense pact with Japan.

With Taiwan they have an iron-clad obligation to maintain the statehood of Taiwan but they observe the principle of ‘strategic ambiguity’ in order not to provoke Beijing even more. But experts are certain that the US would come to the rescue of Taiwan.

On October 22, Biden answered “Yes” to a CNN journalist’s question whether the US would come to Taiwan’s defense if China invaded. No more ambiguity! Xi will be furious. Unfortunately some ASEAN states are still ambiguous although they are the most endangered.

France cannot remain inactive because in the Pacific live almost 300,000 French in their Overseas Department of La Nouvelle Calédonie. Of course China is trying to dissuade the ethnic Kanaks to vote in the third and final referendum on December 12 in favor of remaining French citizens. The CCP instigates them to vote for independence so that China can easily get a grip on the island’s huge nickel deposits. New Caledonia has its own EEZ, only France has the naval power to keep poachers out of it.

Deng Hsiaoping the father of modern China told the United Nations in 1974:

“If one day China should become a super power ... she would play the tyrant and everywhere subject others to her bullying, aggression and exploitation, then the peoples of the world should work together with the Chinese people to overthrow it.”

There have been several attempts to assassinate Xi. He survived a poisoning. “A sinister gang within the Public Security Bureau” was sentenced to death and eliminated. Xi never travelled abroad since for he fears a home revolt if absent.

The CCP’s reform faction of Shanghai is envisioning a power struggle in the Party Congress. Politburo Standing Committee members Li Keqiang and Wang Yang are both economy experts. They would not let a war ruin China’s wealth.

It is tragic that governments all over the world are forced to run an arms race in order to deter Xi from triggering World War III in the Taiwan Strait.

 Erich Wannemacher