A little chance to end the war soon ...

....so where does China get its microchips at the moment....?

 

Yes... the CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT negotiates, communicates, and eventually DECIDES what their goals are. If those OBJECTIVES require MILITARY ACTION... then it is given to the military and they execute POWER PROJECTION.

I know this hard for a foreigner to understand. Few nations in the world still get involved with conflicts thousands of miles from home that takes thousands of SOLDIERS, hundreds of aircraft, all the necessary logistics support and all the rest. Few nations get involved with stuff like that anymore except the USA. It should be noted that your nation is one of the exceptions when you conducted the Falkland Islands operation. That took significant naval, air, and ground forces. SENDING THOSE FORCES into combat is what FORCE PROJECTION IS. Your government set a goal to liberate the Falklands from the Argentines... and they used FORCE PROJECTION... get it? BANG BANG? Things blowing up? Casualties? A long way from home? THAT IS FORCE PROJECTION.

 

...again you'll have to define your terms....you're throwing in carriers and Marines and all sorts of things....to do what....what are the strategic options you're trying to invalidate.... are you trying to deter aggression or bad behavior or tantrums or internal jingoism...??

 

The countries that produce the most microchips are:

• Taiwan: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) singlehandedly manufactures roughly 50% of the world's semiconductors.
• South Korea
• Japan
• United States
• China
• Singapore
• Malaysia

Taiwan, China, Japan, and South Korea account for about 75% of the world’s microchip fabrication capacity.

This isn't about China's NEEDS. It's about LEVERAGE over the rest of the world. Having over control of that much of the world's chip production would give them a BIG CLUB in any sort of negotiations with other nations. They could practically dictate their terms. The world needs those chips for everything from computers to telephones to cars to TV's to radios to power systems... ad nauseam.

 

no they used warfare....people got killed.....

and the UK and Germany and France and Italy etc etc etc....please don't act so stupid you've got more to offer than petty nationalism....people died...I'm quite happy to natter with you on a quiet Sunday afternoon but if you want to get all parochial then I'm out

 

....okay we can examine that but based upon the current supply chains and the ease of which these items can be traded do you really think that war is a viable zero sum equation?

 

FORCE PROJECTION IS WARFARE... or the IMMINENT THREAT OF WARFARE.... like looking out your window and seeing an enemy aircraft carrier... moments before the explosions start.

There have been very few major conflicts that required force protection in recent years by anyone but the United States.. Oh... a Company of Marines here.. a few vehicles there. The only exception I see is the Falklands. Sure, a few folks were sent along for the ride, like the four NBC vehicles Germany sent to Desert Storm (which were never needed)... but its all been token stuff. Except for the US and the British Falklands operation.

 

War should always be avoided... but sometimes it simply cannot be avoided. Ask Ukraine about that.

 

China doesn't want to TRADE. It wants to CONTROL. And having control of the majority of the world's microchip production gives them POWER!

 

okay so which is it war or advertising....?

You see the problems....there is a massive...massive... gulf between the two options...this is what I am trying to get at....I think your concepts of power projection are no longer valid in the 21st Century....walking with a big stick and a marine brigade or whatever the saying was is an out dated concept....how for example does a cyber attack on Taiwan figure in your thinking....if China just hacks into and steals all the IP of Taiwan's microchip makers? Would the US pull the trigger?

 

China's whole economy is based on trade....it has an aspirational middle class it needs to placate or it risks implosion....and and and.....

 

You really have no idea about the Communist DIALECTIC, China's aggressive attitude or anything going on in the region. You sound so..... CIVILIAN! LOLLIPOPS and UNICORNS!!! If life was only really like that!

So... you think Tojo was only looking for a better price on sushi? Or Pol Pot killed those three million people just to keep down the price of rice? Wow... Genghis Kahn only wanted to conquer the world to get a cheaper deal on horses?

 

okay...........cheers mate!!

 

Russia took what it said it would, and they have basically sat there for going on 2 years. Putin mentioned several provinces on day one, and it's no coincidence that's where the front has been

When it comes to Taiwan, it will be the same result as Ukraine: we will get a bunch of people killed for nothing, except to enrich that expanding community surrounding DC, with their $5M÷ mansions and wealth accrued over decades by plundering our democracy whenever the intelligence community, state dept and other bureaucrats, and corporate media can push us into a war to serve their arms manufacturer masters. Up until recently, at least most of academia would oppose or at least think twice about participating in war. But now, even they are for indefinitely extending this brutal war. Maybe they realize they have also plundered our treasury for decades through FAFSA loans, at great enrichment to themselves, so have abandoned principles, and joined the warmongers.

 

The microcircuit production of Taiwan is essential to the world economy. Taiwan is critical to the world economy. That makes it very different than Ukraine, a country that can't find anything at all essential to US National Security.

It won't be like Ukraine where we just sink endless dollars into a conflict of dubious value. It will be a war forced on us by China over an asset vital to US National Security.

 

The current propaganda blitz from Moscow is that a cease-fire would be the most awesome thing ever, and after the cease-fire everyone can negotiate over how much more Ukrainian territory must be ceded to Russia.

Those winning on the battlefield don't feel the need to beg for a cease-fire. Funny that only only Russia wants one.

There is one way Russia can get that precious cease fire. Leave Ukrainian territory. Those are the minimum conditions for starting negotiations. After that, things like Russia reparations to Ukraine and war crimes prosectuions of Russians can be negotiated.

Another funny thing? The "We can't send our weapons to fight Russians, because we might need those weapons to fight Russians" logic of some posters here.

 

That speech was an exercise in excusing the genocidal imperialists of Russia.

You look to be serving as a tool of imperialists now.

We oppose imperialism, so we support Ukraine in its fight against imperialism.

 

no it didn't..... it wanted the whole of Ukraine.

I understand your point....I think I mentioned this above...but what I think you are eluding to is the issue that both the US and China misunderstand each other and that feeds into the diplomatic rhetoric which is creating needless tensions....I can't see any real scenario where China would go to war over Taiwan. The dynamics of Russia and Ukraine are not the same as China and Taiwan.

No sure where you're going with the rest of your post....is it a swipe at the financial markets?

 

Ukraine and Russia cn fight forever or slaughter each other tomorrow as far as I am concerned. I see nothing at all in the conflict that is essential to the National Security of the United States. It might as well be Nepal duking it out with Sri Lanka for all I care.

But we are using up our weapons, something I believe is planned by the China-Russia Team so that we'll be short of weapons to defend Taiwan. You don't just run down to the Javelin or Stinger store and pick up replacements. The contracting process is long and tedious. And these weapons have many unique "long lead" components including specialized crystals which must be "grown" slowly and carefully. The cost of a STINGER RMP is about $120,000 and a full Javelin system is about $750,000 EACH. Replacement is complex and time consuming. We have not only depleted most of our stocks but have cut into our POMCUS stocks (Prepositioned Materiel Configured in Unit Sets) which is critical to supporting our NATO commitments. China is chomping at the bit watching us expend our stocks of these weapons as well as HIMARS rounds and 155mm DPICM rounds... all requiring long lead times to replace. China must be quite excited knowing fewer and fewer of these weapons will be available to defend Taiwan... day by day.

 

If China grabs Taiwan it will CONTROL THE BULK OF THE PRODUCTION OF MICROPROCESSOR COMPONENTS. They will gain CONTROL of much of the world's economy. THAT IS WHAT IS AT STAKE. DON'T YOU GET IT?

 

The U.S. faced a shortage of weapons in the runup to the invasion of Iraq and we rectified that situation pretty quickly.

 

When did "essential" become the sole factor, and why do you get to define it?

We're holding on to more than enough for our own needs.

And what country does NATO face off with?

You're telling us we can't send weapons to fight Russia because they might be needed to fight Russia. Can you grasp how that makes no sense?

 

So panicking over China is the basis of your arguments?

Our military disagrees with your assessment. I'll trust them.

 

I never said I get to define it. But I have a right to my opinion, and I just can't find anything in Ukraine essential to US National Security.
It has ben well established policy throughout our history that we only expend military lives or our national treasure in efforts that are critical to our national security.
You are dead wrong about "holding on to enough weapons".
- The Dangerous Depletion of U.S. Weapon Arsenals | Proceedings - August 2022 Vol. 148/8/1,434 (usni.org)
- US weapon stockpiles worry some lawmakers as Ukraine war rages on | Stars and Stripes
NATO members "face off" as a group against any enemy that attacks a member nation
No, I'm saying we shouldn't send weapons to Ukraine because they might be needed to fight CHINA... get it? China

 

Our military DOES see China as a THREAT
- China Warns US Has Crossed Red Line: 'Lethal Consequences' (msn.com)
- Pentagon calls out China’s military threats as Taiwan tensions worsen - The Washington Post
- The China Threat — FBI
- China threatens 'military conflict likely' with US over Taiwan | American Military News