6 ms·

Xi Jinping is probably sending thank you cards to Trump right about now.

by gorbachev 9mo ago

abirch 9mo ago
Taiwan's President should definitely be worried.
- lukan 9mo ago
  I guess they are, because china was (or still is) practicing blocking of Taiwan. And Trump made somewhat a commitment to Taiwan, but who knows if there won't be a better deal with china tomorrow?
  - throwaway1389z 9mo ago
    CHIPS and Science Act disagrees with "commitment" to the tune of 280 billion, considering that Chip manufacturing is the life blood of Taiwan.
orangeboats 9mo ago
Very apt username for the occasion.
cman1444 9mo ago
Indeed. If I'm Xi, I'm invading Taiwan tomorrow. Russia invading Ukraine, USA decapitating Venezuela....there's not even a pretense that international law matters any more. It's also clear that Trump only respects power, which China clearly has. He already backed off tariffs with the critical minerals threat. Unlikely he'd come to Taiwan's aid in my opinion. With political polarization in America, you can bet all kinds of fingers would start pointing at Trump in America, saying he enabled it by meddling with Venezuela. Stock market collapse from TSMC blockade would enhance this even moreso. I wouldn't count on much, if any, rallying around the flag effect.
- pembrook 9mo ago
  Except this was already going to happen and everybody has known for years. Xi made a new years address just a few days ago essentially saying China would reunite Taiwan.
  - komali2 9mo ago
    > reunite This is the incorrect word to use since the PRC has never held territory here. If the PLA sets foot on Taiwan, that's an imperialist invasion, nothing less, unless the people of Taiwan have democratically chosen to abdicate their government for CPC rule, in which case the word should be "unify" or "merge."
    - mytailorisrich 9mo ago
      Reunite is not incorrect in the broader sense. We use the term "reunification" for Germany but the Federal Republic never "held territory" in the Democratic Republic. However, of course both states were the result of a split of "Germany". This is the same with the ROC and PRC so bringing both sides together, whatever the mean, is a reunification in that sense. The narrative of rejecting the term can be said to be broadly propaganda but plays on a peculiarity that both sides don't recognise each others.
      - jacquesm 9mo ago
        > However, of course both states were the result of a split of "Germany". > This is the same with the ROC and PRC It really isn't. Note that West Germany did not have to invade East Germany to re-unify and that East Germany was on a per-capita basis much poorer than West Germany. Unlike Taiwan, which is doing more than twice as good. So this would be more in line with Russia invading Ukraine. And that's precisely the rhetoric they are using: 'unification'.
        mytailorisrich 9mo ago
        This is all totally inacurrate and beside the point. China has factually split, like Germany before. Whether any "reunification" happens peacefully or not is irrelevant to the use of term and so is which side is the richer. Russia and Ukraine is obviously not the same at all, and "unification" is obviously not the same as "reunification".
tooltalk 9mo ago
why? Xi already made his intention with Taiwan clear many years ago. Besides, Xi, while pretending to be neutral, has become the major backer of Putin's war effort. It's not like Trump is doing anything special.

Xi Jinping is probably sending thank you cards to Trump right about now.

abirch 9mo ago

Taiwan's President should definitely be worried.

lukan 9mo ago
I guess they are, because china was (or still is) practicing blocking of Taiwan. And Trump made somewhat a commitment to Taiwan, but who knows if there won't be a better deal with china tomorrow?
- throwaway1389z 9mo ago
  CHIPS and Science Act disagrees with "commitment" to the tune of 280 billion, considering that Chip manufacturing is the life blood of Taiwan.

orangeboats 9mo ago

Very apt username for the occasion.

cman1444 9mo ago

Indeed. If I'm Xi, I'm invading Taiwan tomorrow. Russia invading Ukraine, USA decapitating Venezuela....there's not even a pretense that international law matters any more. It's also clear that Trump only respects power, which China clearly has. He already backed off tariffs with the critical minerals threat. Unlikely he'd come to Taiwan's aid in my opinion. With political polarization in America, you can bet all kinds of fingers would start pointing at Trump in America, saying he enabled it by meddling with Venezuela. Stock market collapse from TSMC blockade would enhance this even moreso. I wouldn't count on much, if any, rallying around the flag effect.

pembrook 9mo ago
Except this was already going to happen and everybody has known for years. Xi made a new years address just a few days ago essentially saying China would reunite Taiwan.
- komali2 9mo ago
  > reunite This is the incorrect word to use since the PRC has never held territory here. If the PLA sets foot on Taiwan, that's an imperialist invasion, nothing less, unless the people of Taiwan have democratically chosen to abdicate their government for CPC rule, in which case the word should be "unify" or "merge."
  - mytailorisrich 9mo ago
    Reunite is not incorrect in the broader sense. We use the term "reunification" for Germany but the Federal Republic never "held territory" in the Democratic Republic. However, of course both states were the result of a split of "Germany". This is the same with the ROC and PRC so bringing both sides together, whatever the mean, is a reunification in that sense. The narrative of rejecting the term can be said to be broadly propaganda but plays on a peculiarity that both sides don't recognise each others.
    - jacquesm 9mo ago
      > However, of course both states were the result of a split of "Germany". > This is the same with the ROC and PRC It really isn't. Note that West Germany did not have to invade East Germany to re-unify and that East Germany was on a per-capita basis much poorer than West Germany. Unlike Taiwan, which is doing more than twice as good. So this would be more in line with Russia invading Ukraine. And that's precisely the rhetoric they are using: 'unification'.
      - mytailorisrich 9mo ago
        This is all totally inacurrate and beside the point. China has factually split, like Germany before. Whether any "reunification" happens peacefully or not is irrelevant to the use of term and so is which side is the richer. Russia and Ukraine is obviously not the same at all, and "unification" is obviously not the same as "reunification".

tooltalk 9mo ago

why? Xi already made his intention with Taiwan clear many years ago. Besides, Xi, while pretending to be neutral, has become the major backer of Putin's war effort. It's not like Trump is doing anything special.