Saturday, December 31, 2016

China Moves To Contain Taiwan

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen speaks on the phone with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump at her office in Taipei, Taiwan, in this handout photo made available December 3, 2016. Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Reuters: China considering strong measures to contain Taiwan: sources

China's military has become alarmed by what it sees as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's support of Taiwan and is considering strong measures to prevent the island from moving toward independence, sources with ties to senior military officers said.

Three sources said one possibility being considered was conducting war games near the self-ruled island that China considers as a breakaway province. Another was a series of economic measures to cripple Taiwan.

It was not clear whether any decisions had been taken, but the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Taiwan issue had become a hot topic within the upper echelons of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) in recent weeks.

Read more ....

Update #1: China considering tougher measures to contain Taiwan: 'We're ready, let's hit them hard' (International Business Times)
Update #2: China urges US to block Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen from stopover (The Guardian/Reuters)

WNU Editor: Taiwan has issued the following statement to China .... Taiwan's president urges China to stay 'calm and rational' amid rising tensions (DW) .... but I am willing to bet that the Chinese are not listening.

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