Hell, people in Taiwan don't even think commies will actually hit. Just look at the real estate price that's just 300 meters from MND complex. 21 freaking million NTD for an apartment unit that gets blown to oblivion when commies hit. You can find the numbers in a website of Ministry in Interior. ( https://lvr.land.moi.gov.tw/ ) Let that sink in then tell me if the people in Taiwan was actually ready for commies.
The reality is whatever Party controls the LY Defense Committee benefits financially from the defense offset programs the US manages. That money goes into pockets and the Party political coffers for the elections. If you deescalate by not buying US weapons, neither Party or individuals get the kickbacks. The DPP and KMT are both corrupt, it's just that the KMT is more professional about how to do it than the DPP (that is one of the reasons Chen Shui-bian got caught). Corruption via Offsets is the how it works. No fighter aircraft, no money...basically no honey, no money...
The problem the U.S. has with arms sales is they do not want the more sophisticated equipment to end up in Chinese hands (F-16C/Ds, JDAMs, EW suites)...
Unless there is a radical black swan event in China's leadership and policy, they are coming no matter what Taiwan does, and far sooner than there is time to change the island's military's culture.
Hell, people in Taiwan don't even think commies will actually hit. Just look at the real estate price that's just 300 meters from MND complex. 21 freaking million NTD for an apartment unit that gets blown to oblivion when commies hit. You can find the numbers in a website of Ministry in Interior. ( https://lvr.land.moi.gov.tw/ ) Let that sink in then tell me if the people in Taiwan was actually ready for commies.
The reality is whatever Party controls the LY Defense Committee benefits financially from the defense offset programs the US manages. That money goes into pockets and the Party political coffers for the elections. If you deescalate by not buying US weapons, neither Party or individuals get the kickbacks. The DPP and KMT are both corrupt, it's just that the KMT is more professional about how to do it than the DPP (that is one of the reasons Chen Shui-bian got caught). Corruption via Offsets is the how it works. No fighter aircraft, no money...basically no honey, no money...
The problem the U.S. has with arms sales is they do not want the more sophisticated equipment to end up in Chinese hands (F-16C/Ds, JDAMs, EW suites)...
Unless there is a radical black swan event in China's leadership and policy, they are coming no matter what Taiwan does, and far sooner than there is time to change the island's military's culture.