I see the first two businessmen are oil men (a chink in the armor, no racial-slur-pun intended). I had an interview scheduled with Aramco before my PhD scholarship came in (probably made the wrong choice, in hindsight)…
Tibet was part of the Qing Empire and the Republic of China. As the successor state, they claimed it.
They fought a war against India in 60 years ago over disputed territory, won decisively, and then retreated back to their claimed boundaries.
The invasion of Vietnam (40 years ago) was over the Vietnamese overthrowing the government of Cambodia; they subsequently retreated.
They claimed the South China Seas and built some islands- undoubtedly aggressive, but no war.
They also gave up all claims on Outer Mongolia, no doubt under prodding from Big Brother Soviet Union, but they have never made a claim on it, even after the collapse of the USSR.
They’re an aggressive pushy neighbor; Nazi Germany they’re not.
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Using this argument Japan would have an equally valid claim on Manchuria. But I’m sure the Tibetans don’t see it this way. Anyways, I guess you’re rooting for them to reclaim their rightful possession of Taiwan then?
Well, that’s still a war. As for claimed borders, those are disputed. This was in the news a lot the past year, do you read the news?
It was still an invasion, and the retreat had something to do with getting their ass handed to them.
You should google salami slicing. And Sudetenland.
How generous of them.
Well, it is difficult to have a perfect analogy. But I’m sure the Uighers would agree with me on this one.
You’re really stretching to defend the CCP on this one…
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Remember that Mao supported sovereignty movements when they were communist. Mao didn’t take Outer Mongolia because it was already communist. Mao also supported Taiwanese Pro-Indpendence Communist Parties.
I didn’t know that (at least, not explicitly). So, not really generous at all? Also, buffers; another reason for Mao to not take it would be to have a buffer with Stalin. Buffers, totally a reason that it is better for China to have Japan, Korea, and the Phils in their sphere of influence rather than have those as US allies without much in the way of buffers (to be fair, on land there is NK).
Another good one from the Economist, of course perfect analogies are difficult, so
Any more than comparisons with WW2 do. But it is worth considering history when we try to see the future.
Neo-con Establishment figures talk about Taiwan/China conflict:
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Some of them are in Kinmen (and Penghu) staring China right in the face.
By the way, Mearsheimer has done an about-face on American intervention in Taiwan. I just sent him an email asking him how he can square doing so with his theory that you can only dominate your own region.