Taiwan Wants to Join the Quad, Lai Tells Delegation

[sanman]

This is probably the best time for them to make their case, given what's just happened to Ukraine:

Taiwan wants to join the Quad, Lai tells delegation - Taipei Times

Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

www.taipeitimes.com

Taiwan Wants to Join the Quad, Lai Tells Delegation

Vice President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday conveyed Taiwan’s desire to join the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) to a visiting US delegation.

During a meeting with the bipartisan delegation sent by US President Joe Biden, Lai said he hopes progress could be made on a Taiwan-US bilateral trade agreement, as well as on Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

He also expressed a desire for Taiwan to join the Quad, a strategic security dialogue between the US, India, Japan and Australia.

 

[phoenix2020]

I would like to see this happen. The US, India, Japan, Australia and Taiwan form a powerful and capable alliance based on very similar cultural and political values. (As does South Korea which could be added to the mix.)

 

[PirateMk1]

I would like to see this happen. The US, India, Japan, Australia and Taiwan form a powerful and capable alliance based on very similar cultural and political values. (As does South Korea which could be added to the mix.)

Make a NATO like organization between all. I would also recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation.

 

[phoenix2020]

We should also add New Zealand to the compact, then put them in charge of the whole thing. They seem to be the only nation making pragmatic and consistently smart decisions these days. I'd probably be willing to bow to our new New Zealand Overlords.

Do we have any New Zealanders on this forum? If so, how would you feel about running, you know, Earth?

 

[phoenix2020]

Make a NATO like organization between all. I would also recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation.

I'd like that too, but it will never, ever happen.

See, the funny thing about 'red lines' is that most people draw them with great pomp and circumstance then back off when one of the lines gets crossed. Most everyone does that. Everyone that is, but China. China has always been very explicit about this and their 1.4B people are united and almost entirely in lockstep on this point. Anyone who recognizes Taiwan as a sovereign nation will be cut off entirely from China without warning, and China is able to react to and absorb that kind of disruption more easily than we could.

 

[Rexedgar]

How can it be a quad if they add Taiwan. On a tangent, I just found out that SEATO was dissolved in 1977.


Also: https://thehill.com/homenews/admini...ecognize-taiwan-as-free-and-sovereign-country

 

[Rexedgar]

We should also add New Zealand to the compact, then put them in charge of the whole thing. They seem to be the only nation making pragmatic and consistently smart decisions these days. I'd probably be willing to bow to our new New Zealand Overlords.

Do we have any New Zealanders on this forum? If so, how would you feel about running, you know, Earth?

Don’t get Bodi started!

 

[uptower]

Ukraine should serve as example of what happens when the world dithers. I’m not just talking about the last few years. NATO had twenty years to let Ukraine in ( though it had a pro-Russian govt at one point iirc). Still if like some of the Baltic states and other eastern bloc, it had joined many years earlier when Russia was too weak to stop it, this invasion wouldn’t be happening.

China is not ready to invade Taiwan yet. It doesn’t quite have the air and sea superiority to attack a fortified island nation. However, it can be seen as analogous to Ukraine’s situation in most other respects. Except Taiwan would be a more than willing to get join international alliances. If powerful allies get involved sooner rather than later, form a military compact and share resources with Taiwan, then that puts China in a much weaker position to bully it.

In five years it will probably be too late. Ten - forget it.

 

[phoenix2020]

Ukraine should serve as example of what happens when the world dithers. I’m not just talking about the last few years. NATO had twenty years to let Ukraine in ( though it had a pro-Russian govt at one point iirc). Still if like some of the Baltic states and other eastern bloc, it had joined many years earlier when Russia was too weak to stop it, this invasion wouldn’t be happening.

China is not ready to invade Taiwan yet. It doesn’t quite have the air and sea superiority to attack a fortified island nation. However, it can be seen as analogous to Ukraine’s situation in most other respects. Except Taiwan would be a more than willing to get join international alliances. If powerful allies get involved sooner rather than later, form a military compact and share resources with Taiwan, then that puts China in a much weaker position to bully it.

In five years it will probably be too late. Ten - forget it.

Conceptually I agree with you. Getting to specifics, though, I think five to ten years ago was the time to do this. I believe that today, in 2022, it is now too late and it's inevitable that Taiwan have a China-approved government in the near future, as a matter of basic survival. If we formed a mutual-defense compact with Taiwan today, we'd be in a shooting war with China tomorrow.

This is the one single area where I actually agreed with Trump and was hopeful we'd see some forward motion. (Then we all discovered he was a blithering idiot who only knows how to tweet and golf.) The U.S. has pandered to China for 20+ years and in doing so we've lost any hope of a long-term independent Taiwan. The best we can do now is act to make sure we develop a domestic advanced semiconductor fab capability (5nm and smaller) as soon as we can. We should offer easy dual citizenship to Taiwanese residents to take advance advantage of what will likely be a dramatic exodus of world class talent in the next decade or so.

 

[uptower]

Conceptually I agree with you. Getting to specifics, though, I think five to ten years ago was the time to do this. I believe that today, in 2022, it is now too late and it's inevitable that Taiwan have a China-approved government in the near future, as a matter of basic survival. If we formed a mutual-defense compact with Taiwan today, we'd be in a shooting war with China tomorrow.

This is the one single area where I actually agreed with Trump and was hopeful we'd see some forward motion. (Then we all discovered he was a blithering idiot who only knows how to tweet and golf.) The U.S. has pandered to China for 20+ years and in doing so we've lost any hope of a long-term independent Taiwan. The best we can do now is act to make sure we develop a domestic advanced semiconductor fab capability (5nm and smaller) as soon as we can. We should offer easy dual citizenship to Taiwanese residents to take advance advantage of what will likely be a dramatic exodus of world class talent in the next decade or so.

Sad but quite possibly true. My timeline may be optimistic. Taiwan might be best served by "voluntarily" going over to China.

 

[phoenix2020]

Sad but quite possibly true. My timeline may be optimistic. Taiwan might be best served by "voluntarily" going over to China.

Yeah. Particularly if we make the United States the destination for Taiwanese people and businesses to voluntarily come over here. Taiwan is a small island. Its people, their ethic and ingenuity and businesses and expertise... that's the real asset. China will eventually get the island, that is inevitable. They needn't get all the people though.

 

[AGENT J]

We should also add New Zealand to the compact, then put them in charge of the whole thing. They seem to be the only nation making pragmatic and consistently smart decisions these days. I'd probably be willing to bow to our new New Zealand Overlords.

Do we have any New Zealanders on this forum? If so, how would you feel about running, you know, Earth?

@Bodhisattva is one

 

[Bodi]

@Bodhisattva is one

@phoenix2020

I already run DP... soooo... why not the world too?

 

[gino]

We should also add New Zealand to the compact, then put them in charge of the whole thing. They seem to be the only nation making pragmatic and consistently smart decisions these days. I'd probably be willing to bow to our new New Zealand Overlords.

Do we have any New Zealanders on this forum? If so, how would you feel about running, you know, Earth?

You do realize that New Zealand has basically dissolved their military, right? They are the LAST ones who should be placed in charge of anything military!

 

[Noodlegawd]

How can it be a quad if they add Taiwan. On a tangent, I just found out that SEATO was dissolved in 1977.


Also: https://thehill.com/homenews/admini...ecognize-taiwan-as-free-and-sovereign-country

They can call it "the Quint" and this guy can be their mascot -- he was a right fine seaman in his day in fact: