A total of seventy-one warplanes were detected flying around the island of Taiwan over the weekend, which the Taiwan Defense Ministry said were performing a variety of military exercises. Yeah, that isn’t a show of aggression or anything. Yikes.
Regardless of where you stand on the U.S. being involved in the growing conflict between China and Taiwan, you have to feel sorry for the folks who live there. They are in constant threat of being invaded by an oppressive regime, always on edge waiting for the sirens to go off.
It’s incredibly difficult to live a happy, relaxed life under such conditions. Let’s hope there is a peaceful resolution to this problem that doesn’t involve war, destruction, and bloodshed.
The Daily Wire reported that the People’s Liberation Army alleged that China was conducting a “strike drill” as a response to “provocations” and “collusion” between the U.S. and Taiwan.
“71 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected in our surrounding region by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today,” the Taiwan Defense Ministry posted on Twitter. “R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities.”
71 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected in our surrounding region by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities. pic.twitter.com/DagRhnN69F
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) December 26, 2022
Included in the 71 warplanes sent by the Chinese military were 60 fighter jets, with six of those being the advanced SU-30 warplane.
“The Taiwan Defense Ministry also noted that 47 of the detected aircraft had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which separates Taiwan from continental Asia, including China. Those aircraft reportedly entered Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone, (ADIZ), Taiwan’s airspace plus the additional area in which foreign aircraft are expected to identify themselves. Taiwan’s ADIZ overlaps China’s and includes part of mainland China,” the report continued.
47 of the detected aircraft (J-11*12, SU-30*6, CH-4 UCAV RECCE*1, J-10*6, J-16*18, Y-8 EW*1, Y-8 ASW*1, KJ-500*1, WZ-7 UAV RECCE*1) had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ, flight paths as illustrated.
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) December 26, 2022
“The importance of Taiwan cannot be overestimated. Taiwan makes 65% of the world’s semiconductors and roughly 90% of the advanced chips. In early November, Chinese Communist President Xi Jinping declared his country would focus on preparing for war, Express reported. The communist leader pointed to security concerns, claiming that it was ‘increasingly unstable and uncertain,'” the Daily Wire wrote.
“For years, Xi has been ratcheting up his rhetoric around the use of military force to reunify Taiwan with mainland China, and in response, the West has done very little,” Dr. Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society went on to say during an interview with the Daily Mail. “Liberal Democracies must now take him at his word, and work collectively, using all means necessary to deter Xi from invading Taiwan.”
“As a priority, Western nations must begin the process of removing all Chinese influence from critical industries such as energy, water and nuclear power,” Mendoza added. “Next, we must immediately start the process of decoupling China from many of our most relied upon supply chain networks and develop new ones with likeminded partner nations.”
Just a couple of months ago, in October, the Chinese Communist Party stuck an extra line in their country’s constitution which said that it was “resolutely opposing and deterring Taiwan’s independence.”
“In mid-October, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday warned of a Chinese takeover of Taiwan, saying, ‘It’s not just what President Xi says, it’s how the Chinese behave and what they do. And what we’ve seen over the past 20 years is that they have delivered on every promise they’ve made earlier than they said they were going to deliver on it. So when we talk about the 2027 window, in my mind, that has to be a 2022 window or potentially a 2023 window. I can’t rule that out. I don’t mean at all to be alarmist by saying that. It’s just that we can’t wish that away,'” the report concluded.
There sure is a lot of turmoil on the geopolitical stage right now. It’s not going to get any better with Joe Biden serving as president. In fact, things will get worse. He’s weak-willed and is pretty much a laughingstock to the entire globe with his ridiculously and likely dementia-induced gaffes that seem to roll out of his mouth non-stop. We can’t secure peace for the world with a guy like that calling the shots.
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