[Ruriko Ikusawa]

After Chinese Reunifacation, what is to be the fate of the Taiwanese Military? As we all know, Taiwan has a fairly good Military Industry. Will the equipment be sold, scrapped, or incorporated into the PLA?

[Red Fox Ace]

My guess is, the Taiwanese military will simply be incorporated as a separate branch of the PLA or a "United Chinese Military."


To scrap or sell it would be worse than useless. Taiwanese military equipment is mostly Western, and would be great for the Chinese military to incorporate and reverse-engineer. Very valuable for the ROC's forces to be added to the PRC's.

[Violet Oboe]

Possibly a ?Special Military Region Taiwan? would be formed after the island would have been reintegrated into the structure of the chinese state. After all most ROCA officers are professionals and as long as their loyalty towards the motherland is not in question they should be allowed to serve for China.

Nevertheless PLAN and PLAAF will inevitably move into a number of ?joint bases? with ROCN and ROCAF since the island is strategically of pivotal importance for PLA's defence perimeter. This kind of strictly limited presence of navy and airforce troops would be directed only at the strategic defence of ?Greater China? as a whole whereas ROCA would be in charge of regional defence of the island region and of internal security.

[Sampanviking]

With all these things, you need to look at the Tiawanese Civil and Military establishments and ask what is in any such arrangement for them. We all know what the PRC wants, but what will the ROC be looking for in return?

For the Military, we have to ask what Career enhancements will come from such co-operation or reunion? will TDF Officers be able to apply for commands on the Mainland etc?

Will Presidents Hu's speech on New Years EVe give us any clues on this?

[Renmin]

I think it will most likely result in Taiwan keeping its military and defending itself with the possibility of military aid from the mainland if needed kinda like how HK has its own police force and stuff like that.
This whole reverse engineering things looks catchy but I dont think it would happen. It certainly wont help negotiations between the mainland and taiwan for reunification if Taiwan thinks that the mainland is going to take the island's military and reverse engineer everything. I dont think PLA would even establish a base in Taiwan. Maybe a few military ports here in there for PLAN ships but I doubt of a actual base.

[Violet Oboe]

At least some airforce and radar bases along the eastern coast of Taiwan in the vicinity of T'ai-tung and Hua-lien are certainly very attractive for any strategist...LOL

Also very fitting would be a sub base on Lan-y? island 65 km east of Taiwan since from there PLAN subs should have uninhibited access right into the Philippine Sea and simultaneously the strategic communications between Japanese/US bases (Ryu-Kyu Islands) and the Philippines could be severed effectively in any occurring crisis.

P.S.: Eventually Taiwan's asset in the South China Sea (the ?biggest?of the Spratly Islands) Itu Aba should not be ignored. Acquiring the islet as a base for PLAN, already with a decent airstrip and relatively large barracks in place would give PLAN firm control over the central part of the Spratly Island region.

[Sampanviking]

I wonder if Violet Oboe has identified those areas meant by the term Military Co-operation in Hu's speech?

Taiwans Spratleys claim is hotly disputed and weakened by its International Isolation. Going joint with the PRC could give them both the extra leverage in the area that they both want!

[Renmin]

But wernt the Spratly Islands claimed by China after its confrontation with South vietnam? I thought that issue was done...
Wait, how can taiwan claim the Spratlys? Did they ever have any involvment?

[Red Fox Ace]

Renmin, on Jan 5 2009, 02:58 PM, said:

But wernt the Spratly Islands claimed by China after its confrontation with South vietnam? I thought that issue was done...
Wait, how can taiwan claim the Spratlys? Did they ever have any involvment?

Taiwan holds Taiping Island, the largest island in the Spratlys.


The Spratlys are contested by the PRC, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, and Vietnam.

[Violet Oboe]

Red Fox Ace, on Jan 6 2009, 11:45 PM, said:

Taiwan holds Taiping Island, the largest island in the Spratlys.


The Spratlys are contested by the PRC, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, and Vietnam.

Western sources mainly refer to the island as ?Itu Aba? and Taiwan has obviously ?demilitarized? any existing facilities some years ago but nevertheless the ROC is in control there.

Red Fox, do you know whether the stories about a nuclear waste storage site on Lan-y? island are correct? Possibly the indigenous people on the island are not exactly thrilled about this kind of development...

[Red Fox Ace]

Violet Oboe, on Jan 6 2009, 07:58 PM, said:

Taiwan has obviously ?demilitarized? any existing facilities some years ago but nevertheless the ROC is in control there.

Taiwan still maintains quite a substantial military/Coast Guard force on Taiping/Itu Aba island. In fact Taiwan recently built a very large $20 million airstrip to allow large aircraft to take off and land there.

Violet Oboe, on Jan 6 2009, 07:58 PM, said:

Red Fox, do you know whether the stories about a nuclear waste storage site on Lan-y? island are correct? Possibly the indigenous people on the island are not exactly thrilled about this kind of development...

I've heard of it, didn't research much, the indigenous people aren't happy of course but I suspect their voice may be overridden.