Ducks4brkfast said:

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If china wants Taiwan, I think we just need to realize and understand there's really very little we can do about it.

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We could definitely stop it. The only question is whether we want to pay the economic price. China's military is overrated.

They may be overrated, but it will cost us more than a few of our sons and daughters to prove that.

EFR said:

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They may be overrated, but it will cost us more than a few of our sons and daughters to prove that.

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Well, if we start with the economic isolation, it will prevent much of that from happening.

Why do these clowns keep doing this when I'm in the region?

Anubus said:

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Why do these clowns keep doing this when I'm in the region?

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Found the problem

When was the last time a country conducted a successful maritime invasion? The Brit's in the Falklands?

A maritime invasion against a slightly distant and well prepared adversary would be very difficult for the Chinese.

We better bring some economic capabilities back to America before we can do that. In some commodities we are dependent on the Chinese.

Twice an Aggie said:

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Frankly, not worried about Russian support. Their equipment is not up to par and they are running out of everything. They may very well be winning the war in Ukraine but it has cost them a huge amount of equipment and personnel. They have been buying from Iran and North Korea for their own war...they cannot help China that much.

Now, China is a danger on its own. I wonder what Trump would do? Aid Taiwan? Go to war? Japan wouldn't want to see it happen nor would Vietnam, the Philippines or other regional allies (wouldn't want to see Taiwan fall).

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It's not about Russian military might. It's about Trump refusal to go against Putin. With his involvement Trump will be more docile and less likely to act. It will be a decision in two weeks in perpetuity

Did you confuse Trump with Biden? You know the guy who basically green lighted the Ukraine War. We are much more likely to stand up to Putin and China, than we have with Obama or Biden in charge.

Taiwan said they'll take out the three gorges dam if China attacks.

That'll be devastating if they can get through to it and take it out.

Tired of evil and war.

BQ78 said:

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We better bring some economic capabilities back to America before we can do that. In some commodities we are dependent on the Chinese.

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I agree with that. We shouldn't have become dependent in any way on our enemy.

It's just like the EU with Russian oil.

Let the Chinese make the cheap clothes/toys/tools/chingaderas, but not the critical things to our economy or manufacturing base.

BREAKING; U.S. Deploys Two Carriers Amid Beijing's Live-Fire Blockade Exercises Around Taiwan

The US has two aircraft carriers and an amphibious assault ship in the Western Pacific amid China’s military exercises around Taiwan

The U.S. carriers in the region were: ⚡USS… pic.twitter.com/0PWmdk40ie

— Global Surveillance (@Globalsurv) December 30, 2025

Rossticus said:

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BREAKING; U.S. Deploys Two Carriers Amid Beijing's Live-Fire Blockade Exercises Around Taiwan

The US has two aircraft carriers and an amphibious assault ship in the Western Pacific amid China’s military exercises around Taiwan

The U.S. carriers in the region were: ⚡USS… pic.twitter.com/0PWmdk40ie

— Global Surveillance (@Globalsurv) December 30, 2025

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I doubt they just put 2 CARRIERS there. They would put a carrier GROUP there.

And one of them came from my hometown!

Yep. Would have to be 2 CSGs.

Rossticus said:

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Yep. Would have to be 2 CSGs.

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Yeah…

The report just sounded bad. Two carriers and an assault ship. Makes it sound like just 3 ships there.

Edit: wrong thread

The GW should be in the beginning of their 5 month CNO availability, in yokosuka. They would've just gotten back from deployment a few weeks ago, so it's pretty wild the Navy is wasting all that money already paid to Puget Sound for a "show of strength" while China saber rattles at Taiwan again.

Over the past 48 hours, China surrounded Taiwan and executed large-scale live-fire military exercises featuring simulated decapitation strikes and the seizure of key ports.

“It is a noose-style blockade. The operational scope is no longer limited to symbolic, isolated shows of… pic.twitter.com/6PznH0BhUc

— Ian Ellis (@ianellisjones) December 30, 2025

Rossticus said:

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CHINA JUST CHANGED THE GAME AND NOBODY NOTICED

Every outlet is running the same story: Beijing launched “Justice Mission 2025” around Taiwan as retaliation for the $11.1 billion US arms deal.

Wrong.

Buried in the PLA Eastern Theater Command announcement is language that has… pic.twitter.com/8wGdEFTBvH

— Shanaka Anslem Perera ⚡ (@shanaka86) December 29, 2025

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I read this very differently.

China has been doing this stuff for decades when it comes to plans for taking back Taiwan and blockading Taiwan. They have to make those threats or else they are admitting Taiwan is lost to them. That's more about Face (which is EVERYTHING in that culture) than it is the reality of an invasion. Making these threats and doing exercises costs them almost nothing but allows them to act powerful and most of all to push the narrative of power to the Chinese people moreso than to other countries (that matters but less than the internal reasons). It can't be overstated how important it is to the CCP to act as if they can retake Taiwan or that they are at least planning to, to change that policy or de-escalate would be humiliating and they would lose support. China hasn't invaded Taiwan because it is very unlikely to succeed and if they do succeed the consequences could be catastrophic for them as well.

What I am seeing here though is they are recognizing that Japan isn't going to sit back if they invade. So they know for sure they will not only have to deal with the Taiwanese military which is well armed and has spent 75 years preparing to repel them they will have to deal with Japan who has a strong Navy and combined with Taiwan will sink most of China's ships before they get anywhere near the coast or if they were to try a blockade. Considering that in order for an invasion of Taiwan to succeed they will need probably 3x or so (probably 4-500k troops) that's interesting. I don't know how you get that many troops on ships to travel across 100 miles of open water when they know they are coming and they only have a couple of beaches they could land on. This of course assumes the US and other countries don't get involved.