yep; Artie is correct,we went to both ports numerous times in 60 61.
We took on stores,some of the best pineapple I remember from there.
We also froze our asses off running the straights .
Kept the fools from shooting big shells at each other.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:

quote:

Originally posted by SIG4EVA:
I wish them luck. We have bases in Guam, Japan, Korea etc. and would destroy them quickly and with ferocity.

You leading the charge?

I think not.

Sit in the back of the bus and keep coloring in between the lines mister.

I sure as hell would. I have family there.

quote:

Originally posted by Mikito:
Is this to be used as a bargaining chip with China in regards to North Korea?

You might be on to something

quote:

Originally posted by 225fan:
ArtieS is correct. When I was in the Navy (69 to73)we went to Taiwan many times. Dean

quote:

Originally posted by 45 Cal:
yep; Artie is correct,we went to both ports numerous times in 60 61.

It seems that official port calls may have ended as of 12/31/1979, with the end of the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty.

That date also marked the end of official diplomatic relations between America and the Republic of China (Taiwan), with America's recognition of the People's Republic of China as the official Chinese government, which allowed the start of official diplomatic relations between America and (mainland) China.

But the US has maintained unofficial diplomatic relations with Taiwan ever since, and we currently have a less overt treaty with Taiwan, including the provision for aiding Taiwan with defense articles and services to assist them with self-defense.

It's called a "policy of deliberate ambiguity". The US doesn't officially recognize Taiwan as an independent country or the rightful government of China, as a means of appeasing mainland China, but doesn't recognize China's claim to sovereignty over Taiwan, as a means of appeasing the Taiwanese.

So diplomatically, it's a bit more complicated than "We used to go to Taiwan all the time, so we'll just start going again".

^^^ It seems you are correct. I thought we were still visiting there. I note that the US refers to visits as "suspended" indicating that we reserve the right to resume visits.

We also sell Taiwan a shitload of weaponry, so there is certainly a "presence" there outside of ship visits.

Oh, and fuck the PRC.

Maybe I'm full of it, but I can't see the PRC kicking off a nuclear exchange because of a port of call visit or because a US vessel put in for emergency repairs or provisions. OTOH, we'd lose one hell of a lot of credibility in Asia if we didn't help Taiwan defend itself from a ChiCom invasion.

Taiwan is more China than China, and more of a friend to us.

Fuck the commies who control the mainland.

quote:

Originally posted by murphman:
What's the big deal? They didn't shoot one of our leaders - they only shot Archduke Ferdinand.

I see what you did there.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
Taiwan is more China than China, and more of a friend to us.

Fuck the commies who control the mainland.

Very true, the commies wrecked the hell out of their physical heritage, destroying everything wrong think. If you want to see historic China go to Taiwan.

Also true
Taiwan: Where Japanese go to feel at home on vacation

quote:

Originally posted by SIG4EVA:
I wish them luck. We have bases in Guam, Japan, Korea etc. and would destroy them quickly and with ferocity.

Have you forgotten that China has nuclear bombs?

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by craigcpa:

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
Taiwan deserves their independence.

How so?

Maybe because they are the group that supported us against the Japanese in WWII? It was not the Communist regime that did that.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
One guy said this? Is this the official position of the Chinese government? And have we docked warships in Taiwan before?

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:

Uh...are you sure? China has a large military, and we'd fighting at the end of a long logistical chain with a severely impaired military thanks to sequestration (and other issues).

I'm sure we could find a chink in their armor.

Oh no you dint!

They say that they would, but who knows. Could be a bluff. I don't know that the PRC wants war over Taiwan any more than we do.

We seem to have a longstanding understanding over Taiwan. The PRC claims it is part of the PRC and they are the true masters, the Taiwanese claim to be the legitimate government, and we sort of ride the fence while talking a good game about Taiwanese independence. And the reality is that they are essentially separate countries.

That has worked for 70 years now. I don't think anyone wants to fuck it up except the nattering classes on the internet.

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
Maybe because they are the group that supported us against the Japanese in WWII? It was not the Communist regime that did that.

Actually it was the troops under Mao who spent most of their troops fighting the Japanese while Chaing was trying to consolidate his power. General Stillwell, the ranking American on site, had to threaten to withhold supplies from the Nationalist Army unless they started attacking the Japanese instead of Mao's troops

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
Maybe because they are the group that supported us against the Japanese in WWII? It was not the Communist regime that did that.

Actually, it was, in part. The Nationalists and Communists set aside their fighting in order to fight the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Once the Japanese were defeated, they resumed their civil war, with the Communists ultimately prevailing and the Nationalists being driven off to Taiwan.

At some point we're either going to slug it out with China, or just cede that side of the world to them.

I was on a BLT in '77, and on another in '78, both times we made port calls in Taiwan.

Imagine a future civil war where the communist faction beat us regular Americans and took control of CONUS (crazy, I know, but...), and as a result we had to pack up and take over Hawaii while trying to keep "America" alive, both the notion and those who survived.

You better believe those Americans living in exile in Hawaii would either (a) want to kill or eject the commies from the mainland and return "home" to "our country", or (b) at least declare our independence and sovereignty in Hawaii to (re)make America, again.

The situation in Taiwan is a bit more complicated than that, and yet it's not, too. One of the key reasons independence isn't more popular amongst the Taiwanese is that many former Chinese nationalists see it as giving up on ever getting their home (mainland China) back.

I don't think China wants the economic ramifications of aggression toward an ally of ours.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
We seem to have a longstanding understanding over Taiwan. The PRC claims it is part of the PRC and they are the true masters, the Taiwanese claim to be the legitimate government, and we sort of ride the fence while talking a good game about Taiwanese independence.

As a young minor .gov functionary in the early 90s I'd occasionally need to send correspondence to the government of Taiwan via their representative in the United States.

They have (have had) no embassy per se, just a "coordinating office," because we don't actually have diplomatic relations with Taiwan. And despite writing on official government business, I couldn't use government letterhead to correspond with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office.

No joke. It's the one time I had to send official communications on plain bond paper rather than DoJ letterhead. Because sending a letter on-- gasp!-- official letterhead MIGHT signify official recognition of Taiwan, and MIGHT-- gasp again!-- offend the PRC.

Meanwhile, the PRC had accredited DOZENS of PLA officers to their embassies in the U.S. as "military attaches," despite having no actual treaty or mutual cooperation agreements involving military matters. They were, of course, MI types. Spies, gathering military, industrial, and economic intel, under full "diplomatic cover" that we willingly extended, KNOWING that they were spies.

Thanks, BJ. Now we know where Hillary got it. Coincidentally, this is around the time PRC operatives were donating hard currency to Clinton/Gore's reelection campaign. During an era where they were actually foreign-cash-strapped, the PRC decided that Clinton and AlGore was absolutely the team the Commies wanted in the White House, so much so that they were willing to launder hard currency into the Democratic coffers to facilitate that.

We've appeased the bastards for no real reason favorable to US interests (to include Most Favored Nation status, again under BJ Clinton) for decades. F them. F them 'til they crap blood, especially over Taiwan, which has been nothing but a friend to us for almost 80 years.