Contributed by Glen Davis

The Kuomintang (KMT) was once the reactionary political regime in control of China.  At the victory of the Chinese revolution in 1949,  They fled the Chinese mainland to the island of Taiwan, 160 Kilometres away at its furthest point. after arriving wit harmed force, they set up a brutal regime. Th name of the island was changed to the Republic Of China (ROC).

Reunification is not only the policy of China. It is also the policy of the KMT, except under its own rule.

There were brief military clashes with China in the 1950’s. One was in September 1954, when ROC shore-based artillery attacked Chinese vessels sailing in the Taiwan Strait. This led to a military Response from China. The United States of America’s (U.S.) Seventh Fleet was deployed on the ROC side.

Photo from the Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images: Republic of China soldiers stacking artillery shells in 1954

On 1 January 1979,  the U.S. recognised the Peoples Republic of China and its  sovereignty over Taiwan. The United Nations followed on 25 October 1971, and Australia came in at the tail end on 25 January 1973. Only 14 United Nations member states, along with the Vatican’s Holy See, maintained diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Taiwan will once again be part of China. This is the reality. When? I doubt if it’s before the Beijing Winter Olympics of 2022. but after that, it’s increasingly likely. It’s a question of how this is going to take place.

The push for independence came a new party, the Democratic Progressive Party, which came into existence in 1986, and is now the government of Taiwan. This party pushes greater accommodation with the U.S. as the cornerstone of its foreign policy. It has been a vehicle for Washington’s pull away from recognition of the island as part of China.

Photo from Taiwan News: There is already a US naval presence in the Taiwan Straight

How will the “West” -read the U.S. and its friends – respond? Will a new war be unleashed? It’s possible events they will be pushing the world into a dangerous state. Somewhere we’ve not been for a long time or should want to go.

What does this have to do with Australia?

A move towards  reunification will anger those holding power in Washington. If they become angry enough and turn to military intervention, this could lead to a conventional war in Taiwan Strait.

Here’s where Australia may get dragged in.

Current Australian government policy is all the way with the USA. This means direct involvement in military action.

The Pine Gap Joint Defence Facility in the Northern Territory is deeply ingrained in the U.S. military machine. Information processed there, courtesy of  U.S. satellites, is passed on to their military, to detect and destroy enemy, read Chinese, satellites and more.

The Pine Gap Joint Defence Facility

You wonder if the Australian government really cares about us being a signatory to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty on stopping militarisation of space. The spying and communications role of Pine Gap violates the treaty.

By Australia providing valuable information in a war situation, it puts us at risk of a conflict. Is this in Australia’s best interest: is this what we want?

Can global united peoples action stop the war drums?