>What would CCP gain (compared to the status quo) in doing this move? Same reason they are creating islands in the South China Sea: becoming less vulnerable to

>What would CCP gain (compared to the status quo) in doing this move? Same reason they are creating islands in the South China Sea: becoming less vulnerable to blockade. (They can use ships and planes based on Taiwan to attack any ships trying to enforce a blockade.) Also, as long as the Taiwanese government exists, groups inside China seeking the overthrow of the CCP can hope to ask it to become the new government of mainland China. Of course, that would start to make sense only if the CCP weakens drastically because of severe civil disorder, but severe civil disorder has been common in Chinese history.