By: Daniel Nardini
The news out of the Korean peninsula sounds quite scary. North Korea (also called the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK) is threatening war against the United States, American troops stationed in Asia and the Pacific, and against Japan and South Korea (also called the Republic of Korea, or ROK). Many analysts are wondering and trying to explain what exactly North Korea might do, and many Americans fear a possible war might break out. With the unpredictable behavior of the North Korean government and its new ruler, Kim Jong-un, many wonder whether it will all calm down in another few weeks or whether it might suddenly explode.
As much as the Korean conflict has been in the news, there is another conflict we almost never even hear about—the conflict between China and Taiwan. Taiwan, known also as the ROC (Republic of China), is governed by the Nationalist Party which once ruled the whole of China until the Chinese Communist Party seized control of China itself in 1949. Strangely enough, Chinese forces once used to fire shells against Taiwan’s military on off-shore islands held by Taiwan in the late 1950’s. This action almost brought war between China and the United States. Today, China has hundreds of missiles arraigned against Taiwan. Chinese jets fly sorties not far from Taiwan’s territorial airspace, and Chinese naval ships and submarines have been known to get close to Taiwan’s territorial waters. China has long stated that if Taiwan should ever try and “attack China,” China will strike back with full force.
So with all this, why are we hearing nothing about this potential conflict? The best way I can put it is that China is using its military clout to push Taiwan around, but that it sees no reason for wanting to attack Taiwan at this point. China’s armed forces out-number Taiwan’s by 1,000 to one, and there is no question who would win this kind of conflict. But as I said China sees no point to it, and I will explain why. China and Taiwan have a very large and brisk trade relationship. Taiwanese factories located in China churn out goods and products worth tens of billions of dollars. Hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese tourists go to China every year for a visit, and thousands of Taiwanese live and work and invest in China. Mail, e-mails, and other Internet communications are exchanged all the time between Taiwanese and Chinese. Chinese go to live and work in Taiwan as well, and there are no barriers for Chinese nationals marrying Taiwanese. The Chinese government has billions invested in Taiwan, and it does not want to blow them up.
It all sounds more like a love-hate relationship in a marriage than a life-and-death fight between two rivals. That is pretty much what the China-Taiwan conflict is, and if anything the huge Chinese armed forces arraigned against Taiwan is more of an insurance policy to make sure that all goes smoothly between China and Taiwan. Of course, tens of millions of dollars of Chinese products can be found on Taiwan store shelves just like here in the United States. I think one of the major differences between the Korean conflict and the China-Taiwan conflict is that China and Taiwan have considerable lines of communication—not just governmental but on a sound business footing as well as cultural, social and private exchanges. The relationship between the two Koreas is still sub-zero. The Chinese government, unlike North Korea, believes that it can take control of Taiwan peacefully because of the size of its economy and that time is on China’s side. And maybe this is all true, but I always wonder if there might be a miscalculation on one side or the other? If such a thing were to happen, the chances are you may still never hear about the China-Taiwan conflict.
The Major Conflict You Hear Nothing About
By: Daniel Nardini
As much as the Korean conflict has been in the news, there is another conflict we almost never even hear about—the conflict between China and Taiwan. Taiwan, known also as the ROC (Republic of China), is governed by the Nationalist Party which once ruled the whole of China until the Chinese Communist Party seized control of China itself in 1949. Strangely enough, Chinese forces once used to fire shells against Taiwan’s military on off-shore islands held by Taiwan in the late 1950’s. This action almost brought war between China and the United States. Today, China has hundreds of missiles arraigned against Taiwan. Chinese jets fly sorties not far from Taiwan’s territorial airspace, and Chinese naval ships and submarines have been known to get close to Taiwan’s territorial waters. China has long stated that if Taiwan should ever try and “attack China,” China will strike back with full force.
So with all this, why are we hearing nothing about this potential conflict? The best way I can put it is that China is using its military clout to push Taiwan around, but that it sees no reason for wanting to attack Taiwan at this point. China’s armed forces out-number Taiwan’s by 1,000 to one, and there is no question who would win this kind of conflict. But as I said China sees no point to it, and I will explain why. China and Taiwan have a very large and brisk trade relationship. Taiwanese factories located in China churn out goods and products worth tens of billions of dollars. Hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese tourists go to China every year for a visit, and thousands of Taiwanese live and work and invest in China. Mail, e-mails, and other Internet communications are exchanged all the time between Taiwanese and Chinese. Chinese go to live and work in Taiwan as well, and there are no barriers for Chinese nationals marrying Taiwanese. The Chinese government has billions invested in Taiwan, and it does not want to blow them up.
It all sounds more like a love-hate relationship in a marriage than a life-and-death fight between two rivals. That is pretty much what the China-Taiwan conflict is, and if anything the huge Chinese armed forces arraigned against Taiwan is more of an insurance policy to make sure that all goes smoothly between China and Taiwan. Of course, tens of millions of dollars of Chinese products can be found on Taiwan store shelves just like here in the United States. I think one of the major differences between the Korean conflict and the China-Taiwan conflict is that China and Taiwan have considerable lines of communication—not just governmental but on a sound business footing as well as cultural, social and private exchanges. The relationship between the two Koreas is still sub-zero. The Chinese government, unlike North Korea, believes that it can take control of Taiwan peacefully because of the size of its economy and that time is on China’s side. And maybe this is all true, but I always wonder if there might be a miscalculation on one side or the other? If such a thing were to happen, the chances are you may still never hear about the China-Taiwan conflict.