Among the schemes conducted by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and China to undermine Taiwan, the most incendiary approach has been the dissemination of anti-US narratives.
They insist that the US would not send troops to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, and threaten Taiwanese with the notion that voting for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) would incite a war.
However, if the public bought into the KMT’s alarmist, but empty claim, the KMT would surrender to China and bring an end to the “dilemma” of the Republic of China once in office.
When imagining possible scenarios, China and the KMT have always favored the hypothesis that the US would not come to Taiwan’s military defense.
If China makes a move against Taiwan, as long as the US deploys its navy and air force for reconnaissance and patrolling missions, and continues to supply Taiwan with weapons, intelligence, communications and coordination, then the armed forces would fend off the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) even without the US army present on the ground.
This hypothesis has been playing out in Ukraine for more than a year. Even though the US and NATO have not sent troops to Ukraine, but provided assistance from afar, such as imposing economic sanctions, supplying weapons and helping Ukraine identify and target Russian military devices, Russia has been subjected to high casualties and economic deprivation.
As Ukraine shares its eastern border with Russia, it has been easy for Russia to send in tanks, but the Javelin missiles supplied to Ukraine by the US have caused heavy damage.
While the US has supplied Ukraine with the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which has a range of up to 80.5km, its assistance providing exact coordinates to Ukrainian forces for strikes on Russian command posts, ammunition depots and supply centers has been crucial in supporting Ukraine’s stiff resistance to Russia’s invasion.
In contrast, Taiwan has the advantage of the natural barrier of the Taiwan Strait. China would need to transport many soldiers and great quantities of supplies across the strait, including armored vehicles, weapons and medical supplies, which would place them in a vulnerable position when crossing the sea.
With Taiwan’s anti-ship missiles and the US’ intelligence, the PLA would have a higher chance of sinking to the bottom of the sea than setting foot on Taiwan. Furthermore, without heavy artillery and supplies, even if some PLA troops managed to land, they would not prevail.
In terms of the various scenarios of a Chinese invasion, whether the US sends troops does not play a decisive role. The KMT’s threat that “young people would be sent to war” is the cost of defending Taiwan’s freedom and democracy.
At a time of fierce rivalry and competition, whether people are fighting for national independence or personal advancement, life is a “battlefield” regardless of war or peace. During peacetime, it is about gaining a technological edge over rivals, and during wartime, it is about utilizing those technologies to fight.
The scenarios made up by China and the KMT are malevolent ploys to turn Taiwan against the US and to promote defeatism. If people vote for the KMT, Taiwan would end up in China’s pocket, and Taiwanese would become slaves of the Chinese Communist Party.
Young people should have the will and courage to fight for their nation and deter the PLA from marching on Taiwan’s soil, with or without the US army.
James Wang is a media commentator.
Translated by Rita Wang
There are moments in history when America has turned its back on its principles and withdrawn from past commitments in service of higher goals. For example, US-Soviet Cold War competition compelled America to make a range of deals with unsavory and undemocratic figures across Latin America and Africa in service of geostrategic aims. The United States overlooked mass atrocities against the Bengali population in modern-day Bangladesh in the early 1970s in service of its tilt toward Pakistan, a relationship the Nixon administration deemed critical to its larger aims in developing relations with China. Then, of course, America switched diplomatic recognition
The international women’s soccer match between Taiwan and New Zealand at the Kaohsiung Nanzih Football Stadium, scheduled for Tuesday last week, was canceled at the last minute amid safety concerns over poor field conditions raised by the visiting team. The Football Ferns, as New Zealand’s women’s soccer team are known, had arrived in Taiwan one week earlier to prepare and soon raised their concerns. Efforts were made to improve the field, but the replacement patches of grass could not grow fast enough. The Football Ferns canceled the closed-door training match and then days later, the main event against Team Taiwan. The safety
The National Immigration Agency on Tuesday said it had notified some naturalized citizens from China that they still had to renounce their People’s Republic of China (PRC) citizenship. They must provide proof that they have canceled their household registration in China within three months of the receipt of the notice. If they do not, the agency said it would cancel their household registration in Taiwan. Chinese are required to give up their PRC citizenship and household registration to become Republic of China (ROC) nationals, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said. He was referring to Article 9-1 of the Act
The Chinese government on March 29 sent shock waves through the Tibetan Buddhist community by announcing the untimely death of one of its most revered spiritual figures, Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche. His sudden passing in Vietnam raised widespread suspicion and concern among his followers, who demanded an investigation. International human rights organization Human Rights Watch joined their call and urged a thorough investigation into his death, highlighting the potential involvement of the Chinese government. At just 56 years old, Rinpoche was influential not only as a spiritual leader, but also for his steadfast efforts to preserve and promote Tibetan identity and cultural
RSS