Taiwan turfs out video streamers run by China’s web giants

Taiwan has moved to turf out Chinese video-streamers operated by Tencent and Baidu. A Tuesday notice from Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs makes it an offence for local businesses to facilitate Tencent’s WeTV and Baidu’s iQIYI in the nation. Neither operates in Taiwan, but both have found local proxies that bring their …

[LazLong]

Fat chance of that happening without an invasion

"But the ban also comes against a background of China being increasingly insistent that Taiwan – which it characterises as a rogue province – should again become part of a single Chinese nation."

Not that there has ever been much of a chance of Taiwan ever willingly reuniting with China, but fucking over Hong Kong hasn't increased the chances.

China's treatment of Hong Kong is a perfect example of what Trump would do to America if he had the chance.

[Triggerfish]

Re: Fat chance of that happening without an invasion

No Trump fan, but can we leave out everything having to mention him at the slightest chance? It's becoming the new Godwins law..

[LazLong]

Re: Fat chance of that happening without an invasion

> No Trump fan, but can we leave out everything having to mention him at the slightest chance? It's becoming the new Godwins law.

Hitler. Hitler Hitler. Stalin Trump Hitler. Trump Trump Trump. Hitler Trump. Stalin.

Mao. Trump Mao Hitler. Stalin Mao. Stalin Stalin Stalin Putin. Putin Trump Hitler Stalin. Mao Putin.

;-)

[alain williams]

So what will the rest of the world do ...

in 3 years time when China invades Taiwan ? Stand by tut-tutting as we have done with Hong Kong or start a war ? You might say are 24 million people worth a war ?

Neither would be pleasant, but we need to decide & act now so that China will not invade.

[IGotOut]

Re: So what will the rest of the world do ...

Hong Kong is completly different. China legally "owns" Hong Kong, the British just borrowed it.

Taiwan is a whole different matter, it way more complex. Really ROC coud say they are the true China and PRC is the imposter.

Its a very messy and complex situation.

Would we defend it if China invaded? I hope not. You would really be looking at WW3.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: So what will the rest of the world do ...

> China legally "owns" Hong Kong, the British just borrowed it.

Clarification: Britain "borrowed" only the New Territories. Hong Kong island and the Kowloon peninsula were ceded to Great Britain in perpetuity. It was only by the good grace of the UK (read: due to the impracticality and expense of maintaining a separation) that the HK region in its entirety was handed back to China.

> Would we defend [Taiwan] if China invaded? I hope not. You would really be looking at WW3.

I'd rather see lunatics threatening war to defend their allies, than milquetoast Chamberlains kowtowing to expansionist bullies.

If you want to prevent war, you have to be ready to start one.

[IGotOut]

Re: So what will the rest of the world do ...

"If you want to prevent war, you have to be ready to start one."

Well when its a tinpot dictatorship like Iraq (which went so well) that's one thing, but one of the largest armies in the world?

And do you not think that that North Korea would not leap at the chance to invade SK while the USA and UK are busy fighting China?

China would happily sacrifice 100,000 troops defending it's own lands, would the US even accept loosing a 100, let alone 1000 defending a country most people couldn't find on a map?

It's not going to happen. All you gave to do is look at what happend when Russia annexed Chrimia to realise sometimes that you assess the situation, and go, "Nope".

If anything PRC is more worried about an economic response than military one.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: So what will the rest of the world do ...

Clarification Britain leased the new territories but it 'borrowed' Hong Kong in the same way it borrowed India, Malaysia and most of Africa

[EvilDrSmith]

Re: So what will the rest of the world do ...

>than milquetoast Chamberlains kowtowing to expansionist bullies.

While agreeing with the sentiment (have an up-vote), that's a little harsh on Chamberlain.

Appeasing Hitler in 1938 was seemingly the better alternative to starting a war that the UK was completely unprepared for, and thus might well lose. With hindsight (which is perhaps to say, if he'd had more accurate intelligence on the true capabilities of the German armed forces, and greater confidence in the Czechs), it's easy to say he got it wrong. However, he was answerable to a parliament that wasn't keen on war, so was politically and militarily weak in 1938. However, he did oversee a significant strengthening of the UK's forces - not the action of someone determined to avoid a fight and kowtow to bullies under any circumstance.

'Poor Neville, history shall be unkind to him. I know, for I shall write it' WS Churchill (Supposedly)

[WolfFan]

Ah, history

Just a few things...

1 Taiwan, then known as Formosa, was a Japanese possession until 1945.

2 How seriously did the Japanese take this? The code signal for the Pearl Harbor attack was “Climb Mt. Niitaka”, said mountain being the tallest in the Japanese Empire, and located on... Formosa. The initial air assault on the Philippines was launched from... Formosa. Kamikaze strikes on Allied ships around the Philippines and later Okinawa, launched from... Formosa.

3 Some Japanese naval and air force personnel either hung around or moved to Formosa and joined up with Chiang’s boys, on the principle that they hated Commies too.

China may try to take Taiwan, but it will get hurt in the process. And the Indians and Japanese (and the Russians! And the Vietnamese!) are sitting around waiting to drop the hammer on the wounded tiger.

This, of course, ignores the facts that the South China Sea is painted in big red, white, and blue letters ‘Property United States Navy’, and that the whole reason the US got into the Second World War was... the Japanese eating the Republic of China.

If China invades Taiwan, shortly thereafter there will no longer be a People’s Republic of China.

[Dinanziame]

Taiwan disconnect

That's the most interesting disconnect I've met between people from mainland China and the rest of the world. You do expect differences of opinions about Beijing or Tibet, but it's more surprising that if you ask them if Taiwan is a country, they answer "of course not". And they are just as surprised to learn that in the rest of the world, the vast majority of people consider that Taiwan is of course a country, since it has its own laws, it own government and its own army.

Each side has only half of the story. People from mainland China know that Taiwan is not officially recognised by almost any country — not by the US, not any European country, not the UN. People outside of mainland China know that for all practical purposes, their country has relations with Taiwan like any other country, with a not-an-embassy led by a not-an-ambassador handling visas and trade relations, etc.

[Nifty]

Hong Kong was Taiwan's vaccinnation

Only a few years ago there were popular pro-mainland politicians in Taiwan and much of the public was sentimental and warm to the idea of some kind of reunification.

Then Hong Kong.

Proving that if you use hard power, you don't need to bother with soft power and you will lose friends faster than you acquire vassal states.