TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China accused the United States of turning Taiwan into an “ammunition depot” after the White House announced a $345 million military aid package for Taipei, and the self-ruled island said Sunday it tracked six Chinese navy ships in waters off its shores.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office issued a statement late Saturday opposing the military aid to Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.
“No matter how much of the ordinary people’s taxpayer money the … Taiwanese separatist forces spend, no matter how many U.S. weapons, it will not shake our resolve to solve the Taiwan problem. Or shake our firm will to realize the reunification of our motherland,” said Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office.
“Their actions are turning Taiwan into a powder keg and ammunition depot, aggravating the threat of war in the Taiwan Strait,” the statement said.
China’s People’s Liberation Army has increased its military maneuvers in recent years aimed at Taiwan, sending fighter jets and warships to circle the island.
On Sunday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said it tracked six Chinese navy ships near the island.
Taiwan’s ruling administration, led by the Democratic Progressive Party, has stepped up its weapons purchases from the U.S. as part of a deterrence strategy against a Chinese invasion.
China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949, and Taiwan has never been governed by China’s ruling Communist Party.
Unlike previous military purchases, the latest batch of aid is part of a presidential authority approved by the U.S. Congress last year to draw weapons from current U.S. military stockpiles — so Taiwan will not have to wait for military production and sales.
While Taiwan has purchased $19 billion worth of weaponry, much of it has yet to be delivered to Taiwan. Washington will send man-portable air defense systems, intelligence and surveillance capabilities, firearms and missiles to Taiwan.
Just one final question.
You obviously don’t support Japan taking back the Kuril Islands from a weakened Russia and aren’t happy about it, but obviously you understand what caused it and why it had to happen, right?
I’m not familiar enough with this one to form an opinion, I’m not in the habit of holding opinions without proper investigation first and placing of things in their historical context, I can’t really do that right now I’m afraid. We’re both fortunate that for your previous questions I’m already fairly well read on to be honest.
So, maybe? Maybe not? lol. Aren’t these islands where the Ainu were from? They probably should be in control of the indigenous peoples so neither, but that’s unrealistic if they’re basically gone now. I’m probably saying something culturally incentive in my ignorance of the subject though.
It’s very interesting how territorial disputes over basically uninhabited islands is too culturally insensitive to make conclusions on, but China invading and suppressing Taiwan harming millions in the process is an understandable certainty that doesn’t warrant condemnation.
I wonder why that is. 🤔
Huh? No it’s not cultural insensitivity preventing me from having an opinion on that, it’s having very little contextual knowledge.
Why are you saying something that I did not say? The part that was probably culturally insensitive was clearly the part about indigenous people owning the island, I have no idea what they want, whether that’s true, or whether nationalism is even compatible with their culture.
You are doing the thing people do on reddit where they ignore what someone actually writes and then substitute it with the worst possible interpretation that you want to attack. You’re really not having a conversation with me in good faith are you? The hostility is entirely unnecessary, childish even.
But you do have an idea what the Taiwanese want, and it isn’t a Chinese invasion, so why aren’t you condemning China for their hostile actions and threatening behavior?
Are we going to go around in circles here? Because the drum beating is being driven by the foreign interference. If the US steps back from trying to interfere with it politically then there will no longer be any need to beat the drums. In the preceding 50 years there was basically no problem because the US had a largely pro-China policy and wasn’t interfering. This didn’t start spontaneously without material conditions that drive it.
Which is again much like my understanding of why the US beat its drums when the USSR interfered with Cuba. I don’t condemn the US for drum beating over that event (despite my obvious distaste for the US and support for Cuba), its extremely obvious what caused it and it’s extremely obvious what is causing this.
So obviously a full US invasion of Cuba would not only have been understandable, but also justified? Just like all the assassination attempts on Castro were understandable and justified?
Who said I want an invasion to happen? Drum beating and invasion are very different things. I would like the US to fuck off and mind its own business as it is causing all of this. The result of which achieves avoiding both of the above.
You clearly don’t support that though? Which makes me question whether you’re actually committed to avoiding war or whether your real interest here is in advancing US interests.
OK, you “won’t be happy about it” but will “understand why it happened”. Do you feel the same way about a US invasion of Cuba, and the assassination attempts on Castro? You just wanted the Soviet Union to fuck off and mind its own business?