when China take Taiwan there's not a single thing the world is going to be able to do about it

they use thousands of fishing boats to practice blockades

they are building massive oil reserves and getting most of population into electric vehicles

let's just hope they wait to next decade and not like 2028

epistasis 21 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Attacking and occupying a distant island in this age is getting more difficult, not easier. Look at the Black Sea, where Russia's remaining ships cower in fear in port, as they try to avoid super cheap marine drones. Massive missile attacks on a country can only do so much damage, and they harden the population against the aggressor.

If Taiwan has been paying attention, and I don't doubt they are in an age when it's becoming clear the US is a paper tiger that will never protect them, they are well prepared to handle a good chunk of their own defense, using the brain trust they have inside their nation. They have everything they need for their own defense now.

	▲	bluGill 20 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Tiawan politics is interesting. from what I can tell those in power a an alliance of those who want China to take over with those who don't think China will try because they are friends. The president is worried but his party doesn't have power.

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yogibear678142 21 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

People thought the same on Iran, untouchable. China has the same air defense and tech as Iran, not effective in real world situations.

Blockades go both ways. China is energy dependant so very vulnerable to blockade response by the US and Japan. A few choke points make it easy, the ocean is not open ended.

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dragonelite 20 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Well to this day China is getting Iranian energy. This naval blockade is a relic of a past long gone. When you have eyes in the sky and pin point accurate missiles. The US can't even block or free the straight of Hormuz.

Also China is friendly with Russia they have land border so they can build pipelines.

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yogibear678142 6 hours ago | parent [-]

Well first, the US is not restricting oil through hormuz, even Iranian oil.

Second, the oil market would disagree that blockading a choke point is not effective. The threat of Iranian missiles has reduced the volume of oil on the market. It's a measurable reduction.

And no China does not have pin point accurate missiles. The missed hits on Diego base with Chinese missiles demonstrate that. The nice thing about Iran is they use Chinese tech, and Chinese contractors. It's a good trial run to asses Chinese offensive and defensive abilities. So far they have proven ineffective against western militaries.

Even Chinese deep bunker defense is proving ineffective. Iranian officials are now taking their chances sleeping in tents as the deep bunkers are death traps.

	▲	maxglute 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Iran doesn't use PRC super sonic missiles or Chinese bunkers. PRC is so far only power to have demonstrated high end missiles, coordinated to hit moving targets at sea 5000km away. Not only pin point but pin point on moving targets, and synchronized arrival from different launch sites thousands of km apart. Iran has ever managed to hit stationary barges across horizon. BTW draw 5000km radius around PRC, that covers every SLOC from malacca to gulf, aka PRC has range to do what Iran does to gulf but with coverage of all her shipping lanes, and being least dependant on energy (only 20% of energy mix is import) and hence has asymmetric hemispheric escalation dominance.

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eunos 20 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> China has the same air defense and tech as Iran

Lmao, quantitatively and qualitatively China is more than an order of magnitude bigger