PLA Sends out Timely Reminder

Experimenting with the new ring flash in the yard, caught this spider waiting patiently for breakfast.

J Michael scores again in The Diplomat. In a piece on a Chinese simulation of an attack on Taiwan as an ad for an airshow (Taipei Times report)....

Here’s a lesson on how not to win an opponent’s hearts and minds, courtesy of the Chinese. While showcasing a ground strike package during the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Guangdong (better known as the Zhuhai Air Show) last week, the Chinese sought to win over foreign clients with a promotional video showing aircraft being blown to bits at an airbase in a country with which Beijing hopes to “reunify.”

...Cole puts his finger on a key point:

Consequently, the benefits of engagement seemed to outweigh the occasional reflex in Beijing to block Taiwan from joining global organizations, such as the U.N., or to participate in international events, from film festivals to military competitions, under the name “Taiwan.” Although such incidents make the news in Taiwan, they rarely outlive the news cycle and are quickly forgotten. Meanwhile, the starkest contradiction — China’s continued military buildup targeting Taiwan despite improving relations — has become a fact of life in Taiwan, an abstract that, aside from academics and a handful of government officials in the U.S., does not keep anyone awake at night.

Every year we go through the ritual of hearing that the number of missiles facing Taiwan has increased. In fact we are used to it, like the summer typhoons, the stray dogs turning up in the neighborhood, and the arrest of local baseball players for cooperating with organized crime. It's part of life. It's become normalized. When the volcano doesn't erupt, we stop thinking about it....
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Daily Links:

• Lien Chan hints that he might support Taichung Mayor Jason Hu for KMT Party Chair against Ma next year amidst the usual KMT whining about Ma Ying-jeou.
• Taiwan emerging solar power company merger to shake up solar power industry in consolidation period.
• SCMP now reports Ma Administration has changed its mind, won't lodge protest over Ma the Bumbler. First he was gonna do it, now he's backed off? Well, the Economist said he was indecisive and likely to change his mind in response to public outcry...

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