• rivermonster@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Placating the Chinese is a failed strategy. It only gives them time to build up a stronger military for the upcoming conflict. It is worth calling their bluff on Taiwan and recognizing it.

    Hopefully, tensions don’t escalate to anything other than skirmishes, but the longer the US waits, the more casualties it will incur from false hope this will get resolved diplomatically.

    • dudinax@programming.dev
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      9 months ago

      The US has already decided the opposite. The big push for chip manufacture in the US is about making it easier to cut ties with Taiwan down the road.

      • rivermonster@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Agree that chip manufacturing is a component of the decision making and contingency planning. I disagree with drawing too much of a conclusion about US intent from it. If things work out, the US will happily continue importing chips even as our own capacity grows.

        Part of the push for US Chip manufacturing is finally recognizing it as a national defense issue. The US isn’t the only country doing this (setting up their own). Modern militaries are crippled without chips. So it’s not necessarily a definitive line to the Taiwan policy.

        While, I don’t disagree that it’s a factor, but I would debate the inference and weight of the factor.

      • rayyy@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        making it easier to cut ties with Taiwan down the road.

        It’s a smart strategic decision to not be caught without chips in the event of a war between Taiwan and China.

        • dudinax@programming.dev
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          9 months ago

          Yes, which amounts to the same thing. Such a war will only happen if the China believes the US won’t defend Taiwan.

    • frezik@midwest.social
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      9 months ago

      It will work fine due to circumstances. China is facing a demographic cliff due to the effects of the One Child Policy. They have to start a war in the next few years or they won’t be able to for at least another generation. Probably more like two or three. They have too many old people and not enough young people to take care of them.

      With their recent economic downturn (relatively speaking; their GDP is still growing >5%/year) the window may already be closed.

      They can continue to be the world’s factory, or they can make a big military to take Taiwan and keep the US Navy out of their sphere of influence. They can’t do both.