8 Sep 2022 5:35 am
A superpower can project overwhelming power anywhere on the globe, yes.Cannonpointer » 07 Sep 2022, 10:09 pm » wrote: ↑ As I understand the term, "superpower" is any nation that can project power globally in a sustained manner.
Taiwan/Taipei/Formosa is what - 110 miles from china? China doesn't HAVE to be superpower. They will be fighting from supply.
Which brings us back to the OP. The old pedo did not blink.
Which is why it is important that cornpop was uncharacteristically clear and forceful.
We are the only superpower at the moment. Great Britain is a regional superpower. There are a few places Britain would have trouble with the logistics. However, if the US is able to provide England support bases England is nearly a superpower.
As for China taking Taiwan, yes they probably could manage to take Taiwan. It would take them some time and the losses would outweigh any gains they might achieve. Much of Taiwan would be unusable if they made a move. But it isn't about Taiwan.
China has what is known as a brown water navy at the moment. They can control their rivers and their coastlines. They cannot control deep water. They have 30 submarines, only one is nuclear and it is decent. Wouldn't last long. The rest are diesel and should they invade Taiwan these would be relegated to port or destroyed in fairly short order. As for carriers they are quite lacking. The South China Sea islands would be neutralized and made ineffective in time.
Essentially, yes China could take Taiwan but would have all their international commerce cut off within a very short time. I don't know how long China could function on an economic basis without the ability to export so much as a teddy bear. And imports? Forget it. Food would become a problem for them over time. It will take a little more time for China to get to a point it would be a viable option.