China building highway to Taiwan

[amadeus]

http://english.people.com.cn/200208/24/eng20020824_101996.shtml

Looks like announcing giant bridge projects isn't a new concept to China.

 

[JohnRM]

This cannot be true. They have been speaking of building bridges across water bodies such as the Straight of Gibraltir and from Sicily to the Italian mainland. These crossings are less than ten miles across each and still have not even been attempted. Attempting a one-hundred mile crossing of the Formosa Straight would be like the Wright Brothers trying to build the Space Shuttle.

EDIT: All that I can say is "Highway to Hell".

 

[blindside]

They can pay for the bridge by invading Taiwan after its built and looting it completely.

 

[Cuivienen]

This cannot be true. They have been speaking of building bridges across water bodies such as the Straight of Gibraltir and from Sicily to the Italian mainland. These crossings are less than ten miles across each and still have not even been attempted. Attempting a one-hundred mile crossing of the Formosa Straight would be like the Wright Brothers trying to build the Space Shuttle.

EDIT: All that I can say is "Highway to Hell".

China, however, does not have an electorate to please.

 

[Fetus4188]

China is taking this whole modernization thing too far..

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

What where they ing when they came up with this one?

 

[Winner]

Bridge is cheaper than thousands of transport ships I guess

In SMAC, I've also often built a landbridge to reach nearby continent, than built maglev and sent few dozens of hover tanks

 

[Sims2789]

After checking this map:

I realized they are a little off the sane benchmark.


Well, it also depends on the depth of the seabed, winds, currents, seismic activity... But whatever, it will still eat up China's roadbuilding money for the next decades


Maybe they will figure a war to annex Taiwan would be cheaper than a bridge all the way there

Wonder why Lü-Yü, Liuch'lu Yü, and the Pescadore Islands are part of China but Quemoy and Wuch'iu Hsü are part of Taiwan? It's an odd way to make national borders.

 

[Cuivienen]

It's because the Taiwanese only control what the Chinese are willing to allow them. China probably occupied those little islands off of Taiwan as a show of strength at some point.

 

[stratego]

Wonder why Lü-Yü, Liuch'lu Yü, and the Pescadore Islands are part of China but Quemoy and Wuch'iu Hsü are part of Taiwan? It's an odd way to make national borders.

Oh it doesn't matter. Taiwan, China, same thing.

 

[sourboy]

As incredible such a thought would be, it sure is a gutsy move on China's part from the stand off with America perspective. Kudos for the laugh & creativity.

 

[stratego]

I just looked up "China: Road" and found this article. Maybe China shouldn't go on with this road thing.

Nearly 100,000 killed on China's roads in 2004
Nighttime road accidents were to blame for almost half the 99,217 people killed in traffic accidents in China last year, the government said Friday.

About 30 percent of the accidents were caused by drivers with less than three years experience, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Roads in China are extremely dangerous. Accidents are frequently caused by reckless driving, poor road conditions and overloaded vehicles.

China's economic boom has meant a surge in the number of people who own cars and who are obtaining driver's licenses for the first time. Many people also drive without any license.

The overall death toll from road accidents fell 4.9 percent from 2003, Xinhua said, but did not provide figures for the year previous.

Some 451,810 people were injured, down 14.9 percent from the previous year, the report said.
I AM :
A Man A Woman
I'M SEEKING :
A Woman A Man

 

[FearlessLeader2]

If the PRC had brain one (or is it merely the desire to do so?) it would have already re-annexed Taiwan as a fait accompli. I'm not going to say how unless the PRC comes up with a LOT of U$ currency to give me, because I'm not giving anyone ideas anymore. Taiwan does them more benefit free though, I'd imagine. All that currency flowing into to their starved economy kept them alive for fifty years while communism was slaughtering peasants-er people left and right.

Of course, now that PRC is looking self-sufficient, Taiwan may be losing is utility value as a 'free vassal' (cf Soviet private plot farms). If that's the way they're looking at this inside the Politburo, then the bridge/tunnel ploy is a pitiful way of sending troops over, and horribly expensive too.

Hey, PRC leaders, give me money, I'll give you Taiwan. I'll work cheap too. US$500,000, all in advance, I give you an unbeatable plan for retaking Formosa. I'm sure you have people who can find me.

 

[Elrohir]

I doubt your plan is all that good FL.

 

[Jeff Yu]

Wonder why Lü-Yü, Liuch'lu Yü, and the Pescadore Islands are part of China but Quemoy and Wuch'iu Hsü are part of Taiwan? It's an odd way to make national borders.

The Republic of China controls territory from two provinces of China, Fujian, and Taiwan. The Pescadores, Kinmen, Matsu, and so on are Fujianese islands controlled by the ROC (and still administered as part of Fujian province), while the PRC (mainland China) controls the rest of the Fujian. The entirety of the Taiwan province is controlled by the ROC. The Fujianese islands were garrisoned by Chiang Kai-Shek because he deemed them essential for launching an amphibious invasion for the reconquest of the mainland. Because they're historically part of Fujian province, Taiwanese independence parties have proposed giving the islands to China if they declare independence.

 

[silver 2039]

Looks like it would be easy enough for the PRC to take it since it's so close to the mainland. You know that swhat happened in the book Dragonfire and Dragonstrike

China seized the Spartly Islands and invaded Taiwan landing in the northern industrial area but getting defeated there.

 

[Gelion]

In SMAC, I've also often built a landbridge to reach nearby continent, than built maglev and sent few dozens of hover tanks

How did you do that? Raise terrain?... *thinks*...
...
I got it! The Chinese will raise terrain untill they can biuld a road to Taiwan and then invade!... With hovertanks!

 

[Jeff Yu]

Looks like it would be easy enough for the PRC to take it since it's so close to the mainland. You know that swhat happened in the book Dragonfire and Dragonstrike

China seized the Spartly Islands and invaded Taiwan landing in the northern industrial area but getting defeated there.

They'd doubtless be taken very quickly in a war, since they're only 5 kiles or so off the coast. It's possible to see the coast of China from those islands. Taiwan isn't bothering to put anything but symbolic forces on them since they realize that defending those islands isn't viable. But then again, the Taiwan independence people have proposed handing them over to China upon declaration of independence.

 

[Elrohir]

Looks like it would be easy enough for the PRC to take it since it's so close to the mainland. You know that swhat happened in the book Dragonfire and Dragonstrike

China seized the Spartly Islands and invaded Taiwan landing in the northern industrial area but getting defeated there.

China doesn't have the amphibious forces to invade Taiwan, let alone Taiwan and the Spratly Islands. Their navy is a joke too, and their air force is only mediocre. The only area where they have any sort of advantage is with the Army, and only then with sheer numbers.

 

[Cuivienen]

How did you do that? Raise terrain?... *thinks*...
...
I got it! The Chinese will raise terrain untill they can biuld a road to Taiwan and then invade!... With hovertanks!

That's about how long it would take for China to finish a land bridge to Taiwan...