The Taiwan count down has begun!

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Our project recognized this significant gap in US strategic thought and has sought to examine whether such PRC short-of-war coercive approaches could cause Taiwan to capitulate to PRC demands absent an invasion or full-scale military blockade. We have developed a realistic approach the PRC could use to coerce Taiwan into a political settlement favorable to the PRC without invading and occupying the island. We refer to this comprehensive political-military campaign as the short-of-war coercion course of action (SoWC COA).

The COA attacks four centers of gravity that currently provide the ROC government and Taiwanese people with the strength to resist PRC coercion.

• The first is the US-Taiwan strategic relationship, which involves comprehensive bilateral cooperation. The COA uses economic carrots and sticks, information operations, and military escalation to convince the US and Taiwan that their cooperation directly precipitates further escalation, whereas peace and prosperity are just around the corner if this partnership is halted.
• The second center of gravity is the ROC government’s ability to function and provide essential services. Economic warfare, cyberwarfare, sabotage, rigorous (and pseudo-legal) inspections of ships carrying goods to Taiwan, air and sea closures, electronic warfare, and propaganda critical of government mismanagement seek to drastically decrease standards of living and erode the ROC government’s legitimacy in the eyes of its own people.
• Third, extensive and persistent cognitive and psychological campaigns aim to break the Taiwanese public’s will to resist by intimidating supporters of resistance, sowing doubt and fear among the population, and generating demands to trade political concessions for peace.
• Fourth, widespread information campaigns aim to decrease the US public’s and political leadership’s willingness to support Taiwan.

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/coercion-capitulation-how-china-can-take-taiwan-without-war

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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/8o2ocEQQr_g" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/v/8o2ocEQQr_g</a>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o2ocEQQr_g

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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/STq7LNwa3Gs" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/v/STq7LNwa3Gs</a>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STq7LNwa3Gs

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Democrats have nothing as usual!

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Key Takeaways: 

• The Fujian provincial government in the PRC launched a series of economic initiatives that aim to build political support in Taiwan for cross-strait integration. Promoting economic ties between Fujian and Taiwan’s outer islands furthers the PRC’s efforts to establish greater political influence over ROC municipalities.
  
• The United States and PRC held their first bilateral government negotiations on artificial intelligence risks and governance in Geneva, Switzerland on May 14.
  
• The PRC may make an upcoming PRC-South Korea summit conditional on South Korea not sending a delegation to Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te’s inauguration on May 20.
  
• The PRC is increasingly asserting its claims over disputed maritime features in three areas of the South China Sea to signal its resolve amid heightened tensions with the Philippines.
  
• CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping held a series of meetings with European and Russian leaders in April and May, after which he likely concluded that the PRC could maintain and deepen economic ties with Europe while continuing to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/china-taiwan-weekly-update-may-17-2024

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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/GPDdTue1okI" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/v/GPDdTue1okI</a>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPDdTue1okI

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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/TDZAHWIcigg" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/v/TDZAHWIcigg</a>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDZAHWIcigg

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Remember when you buy property in China you don't own it, you have a lease of 50 to 100 years that the Party can rescind at any time for any reason without compensation!

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Democrats, what do you think of China's massive devaluation of the Yuan?

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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/DPTBzVT9TLk" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/v/DPTBzVT9TLk</a>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPTBzVT9TLk

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Democrats, what do you think of China's massive devaluation of the Yuan?

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So much for the Yuan becoming the international currency of trade!