Taiwan the most dangerous place on Earth: The Economist

[Turko]

According to the British magazine war over Taiwan is not imminent but Beijing is considering it​

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan features on the cover of The Economist's latest issue due to its precarious future and the escalating arm-wrestling between the U.S. and China, as the two superpowers vie for dominance.

The cover picture places Taiwan in the center of a radar screen, sandwiched by the U.S. and China flags. The British magazine suggests that Taiwan's fate is at the mercy of the world's two superpowers.


Since former U.S. President Harry Truman announced the U.S. would defend Taiwan from being attacked by the Chinese regime after the Korean War broke out in 1950, the presence of the U.S. military in the region has deterred a potential all-out war between Taiwan and China — which are separated by about 130 kilometers and the Taiwan Strait.

However, the military deterrent of the U.S. has waned as China has over the past decades boosted its armed forces and weapons pile. A 25-year campaign of shipbuilding has given China's People’s Liberation Army Navy a fleet of 360 ships, outnumbering the U.S.' 297, The Economist pointed out.

According to the article, China's rhetoric toward Taiwan has sounded new notes of impatience, partly because of the collapse of the “one country, two systems” idea in Hong Kong over the past two years, and deepening distrust of Taiwanese toward Beijing. If China's leaders deem a peaceful unification impossible, they are authorized to move to force, under Chinese law.


During a Senate hearing in March 2021, the head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Phil Davidson warned that China's new warships, planes, and rockets aim to supplant the U.S. and its allies from their preeminent position in the world order. The admiral also believes the threat of China invading Taiwan is manifest and could happen within the next six years.






On the other hand, The Economist suggested China does not feel like a country on a war footing. Reports from high-level talks between the U.S. and Chinese officials in March indicated the Chinese had "inflexible talking points on Taiwan, but used no new language that showed unprecedented urgency."

The magazine concluded that though some scholars believe the Biden administration would take part in any war over Taiwan and deter an invasion by China, saying so could provoke the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to take rash action.

As for Chinese military aircraft entering Taiwan's air defense identification zone more than 270 times in recent times, a senior Taiwan diplomat told The Economist that it might be a test for the new Biden administration. Meanwhile, the Chinese will likely "continue to push" as it knows that Taiwan will not fire the first shot.

Taiwan the most dangerous place on Earth: The Economist | Taiwan News | 2021-04-30 12:01:00

British magazine says war over Taiwan not imminent but Beijing considering it | 2021-04-30 12:01:00

www.taiwannews.com.tw

 

[Turko]

Taiwan Strait most dangerous place on Earth: ‘Economist’​

VITAL INDUSTRY: A war in the Strait would be a catastrophe, as Taiwan ‘lies at the heart’ of the world’s semiconductor industry, the magazine’s report said​

• By Lin Chia-nan /

The government yesterday welcomed international attention on Taiwan’s security, saying that China is to blame for threatening regional stability, after a report by The Economist called Taiwan “the most dangerous place on Earth.”
The report is featured on the cover of the magazine’s latest issue, which depicts the nation as the epicenter of a US-China rivalry.
The cover shows Taiwan in a radar display with dots crossing the Taiwan Strait accompanied by a Chinese flag and dots nearing the east coast with a US flag.
The US maintains a “one China” policy, while maintaining relations with Taiwan, but such “strategic ambiguity is breaking down,” as Washington fears it might no longer be able to deter China from attempting to seize Taiwan by force, the magazine said.
A cross-strait war would be a catastrophe, as Taiwan “lies at the heart of the semiconductor industry,” it said, adding that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), “the world’s most valuable chipmaker, etches 84 percent of the most advanced chips. Were production at TSMC to stop, so would the global electronics industry, at incalculable cost.”

The report said that “American and China must work harder to avoid war over the future of Taiwan,” as “nowhere presents such a test of statesmanship as the most dangerous place on Earth.”
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement yesterday that many dignitaries, think tanks and media in the US, Australia, Europe and Japan have expressed concerns over the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait under China’s political and military coercion.
The government is glad to see Taiwan’s existence, values and security recognized by the global community, Ou said.
The “danger” highlighted by the report originates from China, which not only targets the Taiwan Strait, but also directs intimidation and expansionism across the East China Sea, the South China Sea and South Asia, posing serious threats to regional security, she added.
Democratic Progressive Party spokeswoman Hsieh Pei-fen (謝佩芬) said the report demonstrates the threats posed by China that Taiwan deals with every day.
Many people used to consider it an issue between Taiwan and China, but now the international community has become aware of China’s threats to the world and regional stability, she said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) urged leaders in Taipei, Beijing and Washington to stay rational and resolve conflicts through dialogue.
The Taiwan Strait should not become a battlefield for superpowers, which The Economist’s report echoes, Chiang said.
Taiwan would be wounded if a military and political face-off between the US and China grows, he added.
Additional reporting by CNA and Chien Hui-ju

Taiwan Strait most dangerous place on Earth: ‘Economist’ - Taipei Times

Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

www.taipeitimes.com

 

[Turko]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1387753511446880261

 

[Xenon54]

We already have a severe chip shortage, leave Taiwan alone.

 

[Turko]

We already have a severe chip shortage, leave Taiwan alone.

İnteresting thing is US and EU have already started investing in semi-conducter factories in their motherlands.

 

[Kartal1]

İnteresting thing is US and EU have already started investing in semi-conducter factories in their motherlands.

A wise move.

 

[Xenon54]

İnteresting thing is US and EU have already started investing in semi-conducter factories in their motherlands.

Semicon industry is very important for defense industry too, leaving it at Chinese hands would be stupid.

 

[Turko]

Semicon industry is very important for defense industry too, leaving it at Chinese hands would be stupid.

İnstead of Canal İstanbul or some other projects Türkiye could have started mass producing semi-conducters.

 

[FalconSlayersDFI]

Semiconductors are some tough nuts to crack, one of the reasons China wants Taiwan so bad is the fact that it is a 0.7 Trillion dollar economy which is rapidly growing and can reach 1 trillion soon, so capturing Taiwan will increase their GDP even though war will reduce that amount but still. Then the fact that semiconductors are something china wants badly. Maybe I may be sounding kiddish but China will try to invade Taiwan.