Hell awaits the PLAN

I suspect Taiwan has watched the war in Ukraine and built some fascinating surprises for anything crossing the straight en masse. Their population centers face China. I wish we could deescalate this conflict because it benefits NOBODY.

If anything, China should move north considering climate change. Russia won't be able to put up much of a fight and there's a shitton of resources.

If China attacks Taiwan, one of the main reasons will be that its liberal democratic system, by existing as an example, threatens the CCP’s monopoly on power. Which is much the same reason why Russia chose to invade Ukraine. The existence of Russia, a shitty autocracy hamstrung by corruption and a resource curse, poses no threat, as no idealist will point to them and assert that a better world is possible.
Why does China, the larger of the two, not simply eat the Russia?
- They might be angling to do exactly that over a long period of time. It's abundantly clear that Russia isn't a real world power anymore. They need China more than China needs them. But there's no reason to start a land war when you can slowly chew on them diplomatically over time.
- it's a fascinating prospect - they have the population to exploit the resources russia has only scratched at. they still want Vladivostok back - since the Treaty of Aigun of 1858. The area's demographics are much more asian than anything else.
I wish we could deescalate this conflict because it benefits NOBODY.

/uj

China benefits because they have an enemy that plays well to a domestic audience

China would benefit if it could get TSMC's foundries undamaged;

US benefits because Taiwan wants a big buddy to keep it safe, so they're forced into a de facto alliance

US benefits because it has somewhere to park warships off China's shores

/rj MIC goes brrrrrrrrrr
- China would benefit if it could get TSMC’s foundries undamaged;
  
  tsmc has already said they've installed kill switches on these.
  
  as for the rest, meh. relations have been better and worse in the past.
- Other than TSMC, those are good reasons to keep pretending an invasion is imminent any day now. Nobody benefits from actually starting that war, except for ideological reasons.
- There is no fucking way they're getting the factories undamaged. If it was certain they're lost, there will be a family of hypersonic missiles en route to level them
Right? At the very least they should get Vladivostok back if they help unfuck the situation. Anything less would basically be bad faith on the West's part. If Russia was going to pieces I'd actually expect the whole Far East to end up in their sphere, minus maybe some or all of Transbaikal.

I know, I know, you're not supposed to carve up other people's territory anymore. They kind of opened the door to it by trying to carve up Europe, though, and China has no particular attachment to the concept of local self-determination. Also, this is NCD.
- They kind of opened the door to it by trying to carve up Europe, though, and China has no particular attachment to the concept of local self-determination. Also, this is NCD.
  
  A man can dream :D
  
  It'd just be so fucking satisfying: help, help, they're invading us, we're a sovereign nation, that's our city, those are our people!
  
  And not even Kim would send arty that was going to be fired at Xi lol.... russia's resources would evaporate overnight.

WELCOME TO THE THUNDERDOME, removed

-INDOPACOM

I hope we get some Ukrainian consultants.

Those drones have sideways WWII-style gas mask faces on them. I need reparations, that shit will be with me all day. Curse you, above average visual memory!

I can't wait for all the horrific post-war PTSD art that comes out of China with these as the centerpiece.
- There will always be room at Denver International Airport.