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0 pointsrsj_hn4y ago0 comments

You are saying that sabre-rattling -- e.g. violating Taiwanese airspace, etc., is a tactic to keep people outside China calm?

I am confused about how you are getting from A to B there.

In terms of a hot shooting war with the West or coming to Taiwan's military aid, who knows if anyone would do it?

But in terms of seizing all of China's foreign reserve assets and imposing trade embargoes to destroy their economy? You bet people would do it. Without a second thought. It would instantly happen, and would be very bad news to an economy not self-sufficient in either food or energy, and with 40% of their GDP dependent on exports to the West.

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4 comments · 2 top-level

mytailorisrich4y ago· 2 in thread

The PRC airforce has not violated Taiwan airspace even if they don't recognize it as such (they may have been shot down if they had crossed that line).

They fly within the ADIZ (Air Defence Identification Zone), which is an arbitrary zone in which the Taiwanese airforce asks aircrafts to identify themselves, but well into international airspace and in a non threatening way (I.e. they fly tangentially at the margin and not straight towards Taiwan).

CogitoCogito4y ago

It’s true that China’s flights have not entered Taiwan territory. But it’s also quite obviously true that the point is to threaten Taiwan. It’s clearly saber rattling.

mytailorisrich4y ago

This is routine, like the Russians used to do (and still do) North of the UK.

If this is saber rattling, then what should be said of the 3 aircraft carriers the US and friends have dispatched to the area?

This is highly spun by the media and government agencies.

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simonblack4y ago

Chinese planes have crossed the bottom corner of the Taiwanese ADIZ. NOT Taiwanese airspace. Though that sensationalist report sells more newspapers, doesn't it?

An ADIZ has no legal standing, it is only a unilaterally declared area (the Taiwanese ADIZ even covers parts of mainland China). For instance the US does not recognise the Chinese ADIZ and has regularly flown bombers through it. But even the US would not dare to fly a bomber or two through Chinese airspace - the air above the actual Chinese territory and 12 miles out to sea from the coast - without being at risk of those bombers being missiled out of the sky. We saw what happened to Gary Powers when he was sent into Soviet airspace.

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