Taiwan

US Begins Another Military Exercise With Allies Near Taiwan Strait

The armed forces of the United States, the Philippines, and several of their allies started a massive military exercise in the Philippines on Tuesday, October 15, amidst growing concerns of rising external intervention and possibility of conflict in the Asia-Pacific region. The joint military drill named Kamandang will continue until October 25. It will involve over 2,300 armed personnel, mostly from the US and the Philippines, with their allies Japan, South Korea, Australia and Britain contributing smaller numbers. It coincides with a massive naval exercise involving the same set of countries at northern Luzon Island in the Philippines, Reuters reported.

Washington Plans To Turn Taiwan Strait Into ‘Hellscape’

June 27, 2024 Brian Berletic, Orinoco Tribune. Educate! China, Taiwan, US Imperialism, Washington Post

The Washington Post in an opinion piece by Josh Rogin titled, “The U.S. military plans a ‘Hellscape’ to deter China from attacking Taiwan,” lays out a fundamentally flawed assessment of a US Department of Defense strategy relying on unmanned systems to fight off the Chinese military for up to a “month” before the US and its allies can mobilize their armed forces. And even as the Washington Post attempts to sell this strategy as plausible, it itself calls into question the window of opportunity in which it could be implemented and actually succeed. A Flawed Strategy Laid Upon an Equally Flawed Premise Before even examining the flaws of the strategy itself, it must first be pointed out that the entire premise upon which this strategy would be utilized, “defending Taiwan,” is entirely flawed.

On Rockin’ In The Free World

May 24, 2024 Vijay Prashad, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. Educate! Antony Blinken, China, Israel, Palestine, Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine, US Imperialism

On the evening of 14 May, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken climbed onstage at Barman Dictat in Kyiv, Ukraine, to pick up an electric guitar and join the Ukrainian punk band 19.99. Ukrainians, he said, are ‘fighting not just for a free Ukraine, but for a free world’. Blinken and 19.99 then played the chorus of Neil Young’s ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’, entirely ignoring the implications of its lyrics – much like Donald Trump, who, to Young’s irritation, used the chorus in his 2015–2016 presidential campaign. In February 1989, the day after Young received the news that his band’s tour in the USSR fell through, he penned the song’s lyrics, resting on his criticisms of the Reagan years and the first month of George H. W. Bush’s presidency.

House Passes $95 Billion Foreign War Bills

April 21, 2024 Will Porter, Antiwar.com. Educate! China, Israel, Joe Biden, Palestine, Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine, US Imperialism, Wars and Militarism

US lawmakers passed a raft of legislation containing some $95 billion in military aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, also approving a bill that will allow Washington to hand Kiev assets seized from Russia and pave the way for a ban on TikTok. The aid bills passed by a wide margin after separate votes on Saturday afternoon, with the $61 billion Ukraine legislation approved 311-112. Though a thin majority of Republicans opposed that bill – accounting for all 112 ‘no’ votes, while one GOP rep voted ‘present’ – it was ultimately adopted with bipartisan support.

US Readies ‘Transnational Kill Chain’ For Taiwan Proxy War

February 28, 2024 K. J. Noh, Popular Resistance. Educate! China, Communications, NATO, New Cold War, Taiwan, weapons

In many traditions, when you paint or sculpt a Buddha, the eyes are the very last to be painted. It's only after the eyes have been completed that the sculpture is fully alive and empowered. The US has just approved a $75 million weapons package to Taiwan province involving the sale of the Link 16 communications system. The acquisition of Link 16 is analogous to "painting the eyes on the Buddha": a last touch, it makes Taiwan's military systems and weapons platforms live and far-seeing. It confers deadly powers, or more prosaically, in the words of the US military, it completes Taiwan as the final, lethal link of the multilateral coalition kill chain against China.

US War Drive Against China Undeterred By Taiwanese Election Setback

January 24, 2024 Barry Healy, People's Dispatch. Educate! China, Elections, New Cold War, Shanghai Communiqué, Taiwan, US Imperialism, US-China relations

On January 13 the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the Taiwanese presidential election. The result is important because of Taiwan’s frontline status in the US war drive against China. The New York Times describes newly elected president, Lai Ching-te, as “a staunch separatist”. The DPP, which is generally considered to be more aligned with US interests and plays with the idea of Taiwanese independence from China, was opposed by two other parties, the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). For the current US anti-China war drive, the results were mixed, and bring to the surface many of the contradictions of relations between the “two Chinas” and US imperialism.

An American Appeals To Taiwan: Don’t Vote To Be Ukraine 2.0

January 8, 2024 John V. Walsh, Popular Resistance. Educate! China, Elections, Taiwan, Wars and Militarism

On January 13, the people of Taiwan, officially designated the Republic of China (ROC), will elect a new President and unicameral legislature known as the Legislative Yuan. The election hinges on the question of Taiwan’s policy toward the Mainland, the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). That policy will have a profound impact on East Asia – and the world. The major threat to peace in the area is a move by Taiwan to break with the One China Policy and declare independence from the Mainland. The PRC’s policy is to reunite with Taiwan by peaceful means sometime in the future - barring a formal declaration of independence by Taiwan, which could well lead to war.

Trilateral Missile Defense System A Step Towards Asian NATO

November 30, 2023 Jeffrey Wagner and Dae-Han Song, People's Dispatch. Educate! Asia, China, Japan, NATO, New Cold War, South Korea, Taiwan, US Imperialism, Wars and Militarism, weapons

The United States, Japan, and South Korea will fully operationalize a missile warning system “by the end of December.” While justified as a means to counter North Korea’s missile launches, more worrisome, it escalates tensions in the region with China through the “NATOification” of all three countries, agreed upon in the “Spirit of Camp David” agreement. The agreement was hailed as a “new era of trilateral partnership” during the August 18 press conference following a meeting between the heads of state of all three countries. Western media echoed the sentiment, calling it “historic” and “unprecedented.” China, listed in the agreement as a regional concern, accused the United States of creating a “mini NATO in Asia.”

Frontline Communities On Hunger Strike Against Plastics Giant Formosa

November 9, 2023 Sara Sneath, DeSmog. Resist! Hunger Strike, Plastics, Taiwan, Vietnam

Fishers, organizers, and concerned citizens in Texas, Vietnam, and Louisiana — areas that are home to existing or proposed Formosa plants — have supported each other’s efforts to mobilize against the Taiwan-based firm, forming the organization International Monitor Formosa Alliance (IMFA). Now the alliance is launching a hunger strike to demand that the victims of a 2016 environmental disaster in central Vietnam caused by Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation, a subsidiary of the Formosa Plastics Group, be compensated for their losses, that the polluted area be restored, and that those who have been jailed for protesting be released.

War Looks Just As War Looks: Dismal And Ugly

November 3, 2023 Vijay Prashad, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. Educate! China, History, Japan, Massacre, New Cold War, South Korea, Taiwan

It is impossible to look away from what the Israeli government is doing to Palestinians not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank. Waves of Israeli aircraft pummel Gaza, destroying communications networks and thereby preventing families from reaching each other, journalists from reporting on the destruction, and Palestinian authorities and United Nations agencies from providing humanitarian assistance. This violence has spurred on protests across the world, with the planet’s billions outraged by the asymmetrical destruction of the Palestinian people. If the Israeli government claims that it is conducting a form of ‘politicide’ – excising organised Palestinian forces from Gaza – the world sees Israeli aircrafts and tanks as conducting nothing but a genocide, displacing and massacring Palestine refugees in Gaza, 81% of whose residents were expelled from, or are the descendants of those who were expelled from, what was declared Israel in 1948.

White House Seeks $105 Billion To Arm Israel, Ukraine, And Taiwan

October 21, 2023 Kyle Anzalone, Antiwar.com. Educate! China, Israel, New Cold War, Palestine, Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine, US Imperialism, Wars and Militarism, White House

On Friday, the White House rolled out its proposed $105 billion bill to arm Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. The legislation also includes funding for the border and humanitarian assistance. US officials say over $50 billion will go to American weapons manufacturers. The Biden administration is proposing a massive aid package as it has struggled to get Congress to appropriate more funds for the proxy war in Ukraine. The largest portion of money is for Ukraine at $61.4 billion. The White House wants enough money for Ukraine to fund Kiev through the 2024 election. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan described the aid as critical to American national security and demanded Congress pass the bill.

Okinawa: A Bastion For Peace?

October 5, 2023 Dae-Han Song, Popular Resistance. Educate! China, Japan, New Cold War, Okinawa, Peace, Taiwan

Recently, in Taiwan, the government unveiled its first home-built submarine. In Japan, the government will upgrade civilian airports and seaports to dual military use in preparation for conflict in Taiwan. The U.S. and allies maneuver to contain China, Russia, and North Korea, while the latter band together against the former’s economic sanctions and military threats. Both blocs test the strength and resilience of the region’s stability. And while North Korea has been the regional bogeyman for decades, if war breaks out, it will likely be in Taiwan. While China has called for an “indivisible security” where security is dependent upon the security of all, U.S. discourse has centered around the containment of China and deterring war… by preparing for it.

China Imposes Sanctions Against US Defense Firms

September 17, 2023 Orinoco Tribune. Educate! China, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Sanctions, Taiwan

China has decided to impose sanctions against the US-based Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin defense technology companies over an alleged arms supply to Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday. “Lockheed Martin Corporation, St. Louis, MO directly participated in the US arms sale to Taiwan announced on August 24 as the principal contractor. Northrop Grumman participated in several US arms sales to Taiwan. In accordance with the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law of the People’s Republic of China, China decides to impose sanctions on these two above-mentioned US defense corporations,” the spokeswoman told a briefing.

Documents Show Taiwan Working With FBI To Prosecute Chinese Americans

August 19, 2023 Alan MacLeod, MintPress News. Educate! China, FBI, Foreign Intervention, New Cold War, Taiwan

Vice President Lai’s journey to the United States is, officially, only a stopover on his way to Paraguay (the U.S. does not formally recognize Taiwan as an independent state). He is scheduled to make appearances in both New York and San Francisco. Lai himself is an outspoken leader of the growing movement for Taiwanese independence. Many nationalists see Taiwan as culturally different from the mainland and argue it would be better off as a fully independent state. To achieve this goal, they are attempting to gain American backing and influence American public opinion. China, however, sees the matter as purely internal, and American attempts to wrest Taiwan out of its orbit as a potential trigger for World War Three.

Arming Taiwan Is An Insane Provocation

July 16, 2023 John V. Walsh, Popular Resistance. Educate! China, New Cold War, Taiwan, Wars and Militarism

Taiwan is but one in a series of islands along the Chinese coast, often called “The First Island Chain,” which now bristles with advanced U.S. weapons. These are accompanied by tens of thousands of supporting U.S. military personnel and combat troops. The “First Island Chain” extends from Japan in the north southward through Japan’s Ryukyu islands which include Okinawa, to Taiwan and on to the northern Philippines. (U.S. ally, South Korea, with a military of 500,000 active duty personnel and 3 million reserves is a powerful adjunct to this chain.) In US military doctrine the First Island Chain is a base to “project power” and restrict sea access to China.

«1 2 3 4 5 6 »

Daily movement news and resources