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Regards
Adolf
No Minister 
Around 1949 a small island in the Pacific Ocean was invaded by a grossly corrupt bunch of losers.
They were running away because they had been found out and were very, very unpopular on the Mainland.
Against the wishes of the indigenous, whom history tells us were far-reaching seafarers and probably populated much of the central and southern Pacific, this group took complete control of that island.
Even now the natives of that island deeply resent the invaders and many wish them gone.*
The Seppos, unlike today, were anti-communist at the time and supported the invaders, dragging much of the Western World with them.
Now the country that had historically ruled that Island wants it back, having never recognised those invaders as anything other than illegal occupiers.
The Seppos now threaten World peace in support of those invaders when China reclaim Taiwan.
This is a fight New Zealand should steer well clear of!
*Information supplied to me by an indigenous man (an engineer) who moved to New Zealand with his family.
Did the “grossly corrupt bunch of losers.” kill millions of their own people by starving them to death trying to implement fuckwit commie ideas?
No!
And is the bunch that live there now, far removed from the group that landed in 1949, running a democratic, capitalist nation much like our own (except more successful)?
Yes!
Well okay then, let’s just stand aside and let the Big Boys on the mainland do whatever they like. There will likely be any number of National, ACT, Labour and Green MP’s who will agree with you, for varying reasons of course, but mainly because they love Mainland money.
Tom, the current government of China didn’t do that either. They also are far removed from that of 1949.
My information is that the “democracy” in Taiwan may be slightly different than “democracy” in New Zealand or the USA (although NZ is moving their way).
Nor do I suggest the communists (and now capitalists) were/are good guys.
The current (upcoming?) scrap is a damned sight more complicated than you suggest and is being pushed by the Seppo war-mongers, eager to make money off arms, rather than any idea of upholding any correct ownership rights.
You’ll note also I don’t call for no action, either for or against anyone, just suggest that New Zealand should not be part of that action – because there is no “right” side.
I’m not averse to the concept of the “Seppo’s” military money makers doing well out of any war where they’re selling weapons. But in terms of having the power to drive foreign policy decisions your argument worked better six decades ago when Defense spending was a far larger part of both the US government budget and GDP, which is why so many Lefties pushed that argument back then.
Whereas nowadays:
AFIK it’s not Seppo arms manufacturers who put the takeover of Taiwan into the Chinese constitution and they’re not the puppet masters making Xi talk about it often enough, plus a lot of minions further down the political and military scales in China.
As far as NZ is concerned I don’t think you need worry; our military is so useless that we’d be a hinderance rather than a help. Hopefully that’ll keep us in China’s good graces once the shooting stops.
MTT
Try applying those arguments to Germany and the Sudetenland in 1938.
Never appease an aggressor.
Adolf, how the fuck does staying out of a questionable squabble equal appeasement?
This local spat is of less international disturbance than Vietnam was.
Tom, hogwash.
It’s Seppo arms manufacturers’ money driving the Seppo-caused European disagreement and it will be the same group stirring up the (to be Seppo-caused) unpleasantness in the Republic of Formosa.
This is the Clinton/Obama/Biden legacy and the main thing that Trump disrupted.
Notably, as usual, neither action will be anywhere near the American mainland.
I agree (almost) with your comments re New Zealand military forces. The only thing New Zealand can contribute is (a very few) feet on the ground, we can’t afford anything else.
My point holds: NZ must stay out of this squabble
This may well be the first time I’ve ever heard a supposed neutral observer take the side of the communists over the legitimate government of China, which resides in Taipei to this day.
Taiwan is Free China, and that is all there is to it. I wouldn’t start a nuclear war over many things, but if the PRC decides to invade, they should expect all the Gobi dust in Beijing to turn to glass.
Communists?
Unlike communist New Zealand, currently China is a capitalist dictatorship.
Last week there was a post here on private companies issuing parking citations in New Zealand, which I fell victim to within a week of living here. I am happy to report that they requested a screencap of my New World transaction and accordingly declared the matter at an end.
Hopefully, if anyone else gets caught up in this nonsense, they will remember that a) There has to be a clear signposted contract to pay parking fees; b) They can only claim for tangible financial loss; and c) Supermarkets that do things like this will simply lose business to their competitors. Just tell them these three things and they will back off.