Motor City Sonics Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 We'll soon start shooting down weather balloons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motor City Sonics Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 Officials in France prepared to shoot down unknown flying object in the streets over Paris 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gehringer_2 Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 41 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said: Officials in France prepared to shoot down unknown flying object in the streets over Paris I guess this kid grew up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted February 17, 2023 Author Share Posted February 17, 2023 this is not good China is most of the issue here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted February 26, 2023 Author Share Posted February 26, 2023 Good explainer for why the US Government spent all that money to shoot down the balloon with an AIM9X in stead of having MTG and Lauren Boebert shoot it down with their ARs or their glocks. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2023/how-us-improvised-plan-deal-with-chinese-balloon/?itid=hp_only-from-the-post_p002_f001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted February 26, 2023 Author Share Posted February 26, 2023 FTR, I'm smdh at all the whinging about how much it cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gehringer_2 Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 Admin exuding confidence.... Quote China will not attempt to invade Taiwan before the end of the decade because it understands the high cost, the senior Pentagon official in charge of Indo-Pacific security said Thursday. “Deterrence is real; deterrence is strong” today and tomorrow, said Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary for the Indo-Pacific. The United States can likely deter Beijing from attacking the self-governing island 100 miles off the Chinese coast, he said. Speaking at a Hudson Institute event Thursday, Ratner cited the administration’s position that the Peoples Republic of China “is the only country with the capability and intent to overthrow the international order.” https://news.usni.org/2023/03/02/high-cost-of-taiwan-invasion-will-dissuade-china-pentagon-official-says Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted March 3, 2023 Author Share Posted March 3, 2023 6 hours ago, gehringer_2 said: Admin exuding confidence.... https://news.usni.org/2023/03/02/high-cost-of-taiwan-invasion-will-dissuade-china-pentagon-official-says The tea leaves of the last 24 hours indicate some dramatic shift at the top in China. I'm very enthusiastic that we do not have a war. That said...the usual cautions are prescribed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gehringer_2 Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 (edited) 2 hours ago, romad1 said: The tea leaves of the last 24 hours indicate some dramatic shift at the top in China. I'm very enthusiastic that we do not have a war. That said...the usual cautions are prescribed. Han Zheng as 1st vice premier is maybe a not crazy. Shanghai guy, economic development history. Didn't see any time in Russian schools in his bio. I've spent some time working with a Chinese ex-pat faculty member. Cantonese. Interesting to hear the disdain he holds for the Mandarins. Dismisses them as half-Mongol stock. Frustrated at having to try to disabuse his mother - still in PRC, of all the state propaganda she believes. Edited March 3, 2023 by gehringer_2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted March 3, 2023 Author Share Posted March 3, 2023 1 minute ago, gehringer_2 said: Han Zheng as 1st vice premier is maybe a not crazy. Shanghai guy, economic development history. Didn't see any time in Russian schools in his bio. We joke here that war with China is not part of our retirement planning. Financial advisor: "I'm going to show you the model where you continue to put away money at the current rate and with modest growth in the market. We'll call this line A." "Now I'm going to show you the model where your home is radioactive slag and you are dead, let's call this line B" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gehringer_2 Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 (edited) Biden has shown he can do bad cop. I hope he can also get the timing and pitch right on the reconciling gesture *if* the Chinese were to present the opening during his tenure. We can't live with Putin, but China and the US should be able to figure out a way not to be at each other's throats. Edited March 3, 2023 by gehringer_2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted March 7, 2023 Author Share Posted March 7, 2023 The leader of Taiwan has a lot more on the line than the hanging on by his fingernails ringmaster of the crazy circus. Right now I'm viewing everything through the lens of what makes war less likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewsieg Posted March 7, 2023 Share Posted March 7, 2023 Bulwark podcast had John Bolton on yesterday. Love him or hate him, but one point he made which I felt should be noted is unlike Russia that just looks at Ukraine and is willing to destroy it to take it, China wants what Taiwan has become. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted March 7, 2023 Author Share Posted March 7, 2023 9 minutes ago, ewsieg said: Bulwark podcast had John Bolton on yesterday. Love him or hate him, but one point he made which I felt should be noted is unlike Russia that just looks at Ukraine and is willing to destroy it to take it, China wants what Taiwan has become. I can see that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gehringer_2 Posted March 7, 2023 Share Posted March 7, 2023 3 hours ago, romad1 said: I can see that. Yeah - it may be that the the most useful thing to for China to learn from the war in Ukraine has nothing to do with the specifics of military tactics and strategy end at all, but just coming to the realization that given the destructive power of modern weapons, you are going to have to destroy the geography to conquer it if your adversary is willing to fight. The idea of ruling the current Taiwan is pretty attractive until you understand that the reality may be more like gaining control of an island that looks like Donbass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted March 8, 2023 Author Share Posted March 8, 2023 They already have your kid's data and your data and so forth but... https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-administration-backs-new-tiktok-bill-wants-swift-passage/ar-AA18kMut This is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gehringer_2 Posted March 8, 2023 Share Posted March 8, 2023 Just now, romad1 said: They already have your kid's data and your data and so forth but... https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-administration-backs-new-tiktok-bill-wants-swift-passage/ar-AA18kMut This is good. My Chinese friend was telling about the file that follows you around your whole life in China. Just to add to the insult they even make you carry yourself and give to the authorities at your new residence when you move. But they give it to you sealed and you dare not open it if you know what's good for you..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted March 8, 2023 Author Share Posted March 8, 2023 14 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said: My Chinese friend was telling about the file that follows you around your whole life in China. Just to add to the insult they even make you carry yourself and give to the authorities at your new residence when you move. But they give it to you sealed and you dare not open it if you know what's good for you..... Totalitarianism done with 21st century technology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gehringer_2 Posted March 8, 2023 Share Posted March 8, 2023 Long story in NYT today on a Chinese aerospace espionage case. If you haven't used up your NYT freebies for the month it's a good read, and of course a sad story for the people ground up in the friction between the two nations. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/07/magazine/china-spying-intellectual-property.html?action=click&algo=bandit-all-surfaces-time-cutoff-30_impression_cut_3_filter_new_arm_5_1&alpha=0.05&block=more_in_recirc&fellback=false&imp_id=782378144&impression_id=b4a5fa86-bdff-11ed-949b-5bd1d064119f&index=4&pgtype=Article&pool=more_in_pools%2Fmagazine®ion=footer&req_id=451321468&surface=eos-more-in&variant=0_bandit-all-surfaces-time-cutoff-30_impression_cut_3_filter_new_arm_5_1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted March 23, 2023 Author Share Posted March 23, 2023 Some lame ass MAGAs selling that Xi being driven into Putin's arms and vice versa because of our support for Ukraine. PULEEZ. Xi is going to do what he wants and thinks he can get away with. If he sees a strong collective security front against aggression in Europe, he will know that Australia, India, US, UK, Japan and SK as well as the rest of the SE Asian states will put up a collective security front against him in Taiwan. Sell stupid somewhere else MAGA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984Echoes Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 China's predatory lending practices lead to potential "puppet" or "serfdom" states throughout the third world: Otherwise known as China's Belt and Road program: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/xis-china-cant-replace-us-050000652.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted April 6, 2023 Author Share Posted April 6, 2023 violent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted April 22, 2023 Author Share Posted April 22, 2023 I'd agree. Also, the Taiwan strait is not at all as easy as crossing a land border. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gehringer_2 Posted April 22, 2023 Share Posted April 22, 2023 (edited) 29 minutes ago, romad1 said: I'd agree. Also, the Taiwan strait is not at all as easy as crossing a land border. IDK - If I'm China i'd rather try to embargo or blockade Taiwan than mount an invasion. The personnel losses would be horrific - and children - esp man children, are precious in China. I would guess that's a difference. I'd be a little suprised if Xi could conceive of wasting his troops the way Putin is willing to. Edited April 22, 2023 by gehringer_2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted April 22, 2023 Author Share Posted April 22, 2023 27 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said: IDK - If I'm China i'd rather try to embargo or blockade Taiwan than mount an invasion. The personnel losses would be horrific - and children - esp man children, are precious in China. I would guess that's a difference. I'd be a little suprised if Xi could conceive of wasting his troops the way Putin is willing to. You put your finger on a significant issue for China. They sense their demographic problems are only going to get worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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