Today, China seized a Taiwanese commercial fish boat, near a Taiwanese island. Boat and crew taken to China on a faulty charge. Taiwan sent 2 coast guard ships to help. China sent 6 more ships and many aircraft. No shots fired, but China is trying to start wars all over the China sea.
Has been going on for decades. In 1988, China sunk three Vietnamese ships. In 1996, shots actually were fired between Chinese and Philippine gunboats. In 2010, a Chinese boat rammed two Japanese boats. Yes, this is an issue. Is it any bigger an issue than it's been for 40 years. No, although there are forces out there that would like to make some people believe this is an escalation that it really isn't.
According to a global military think tank if China were to actually attack Taiwan the Chinese navy would be wiped off the face of the planet at the cost of most of our naval 7th fleet aircraft that would be sacrificed destroying the Chinese fleet. China would lose the war with the Pac Rim allies but at great cost to both sides. The Chinese know this as well...diplomatically they are playing both sides against the middle in case Russia, N Korea or Iran have sustained success or become weakened, China will be like Italy in WWII...they'll flip sides for an economic boost in a heart beat...Taiwan has very high tech defensive capabilities and is difficult to fight as their airforce and anti aircraft missles are tunneled into mountain sides instead of being exposed on flat airstrips. Taiwan is from the oceean floor to the highest peaks like the Himalayas...rugged mountains with deep sea walls all around it. Few Shallow beaches to launch an amphibious assaust....Taiwan has a natural moat surrounding it and the ocean is turbulent around it. Wee have developed pretty scary underwater and airborne drone weaponry.
And that doesn't even include the fact that China not only would be fighting basically every other country in the Pacific, they'd be fighting NATO. China's tested some of its military resources in Ukraine. It hasn't gone particularly well.
