Re:Speak softly, and carry a big chip
by lambo4bkfast on Saturday January 21, 2023 @09:56PM
(#34473747)
Given that their population is on decline, why would sacrificing many of their young population be to their benefit?
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Re:Speak softly, and carry a big chip
by etempleton on Saturday January 21, 2023 @10:31PM
(#34473958)
That is why I think they might be more inclined to conduct a blockade.
You take what you can while you're powerful, it's easier to defend what you have when you're weak.
Russia is in the exact same boat, they were running out of time and young people as well
It probably wouldn't be to the benefit of China as a country. But that might not matter given how much Xi has consolidated power - the question is whether it benefits him. And if he wants to end up in the history books as "great leader who completed reunification of the country" or some such, he might have to rush even if that significantly increases the costs.
(There are good reasons to believe that something similar wrt Putin is the primary motivation behind the war in Ukraine, BTW.)
That's more true of Taiwan's population. Taiwan's fertility rate is set to be the world's lowest.[1] So it doesn't seem like the population is Taiwan's advantage.
[1] https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/04/21/asia-pacific/so...