After months of secretive planning, and preparing the crew to defend their ship if necessary, the Royal Canadian Navy has transited the Taiwan Strait.

As HMCS Ottawa entered the busy and strategically critical body of water at sunrise, it was flanked by three Chinese warships armed with missiles and torpedoes. They mirrored Ottawa’s moves for the entire 17-hour crossing.

Canada made the journey along with the USS Ralph Johnson, a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer, in what both countries describe as a freedom of navigation exercise.

      • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
        122·
        1 year ago

        Do you know anything about Chinese history? Governments have been overthrown because of their response to floods, not ownership of any particular island.

        It was also a common belief that natural disasters such as famine and flood were divine retributions bearing signs of Heaven’s displeasure with the ruler, so there would often be revolts following major disasters as the people saw these calamities as signs that the Mandate of Heaven had been withdrawn.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandate_of_Heaven

          • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
            44·
            1 year ago

            Uh, if they cared that much about Taiwan they would have taken it by now. They care more about economic stability than “unity”. If you have a degree in “Asian Studies” that includes the Warring States period, you wouldn’t know about political science or economics. You know, recent history?

            The “Mandate of Heaven” is just an idea, but they don’t want to go putting ideas of incompetent government in people’s heads. That’s why they either try to respond well to disasters or cover them up.

    • Lafuma300@lemmy.world
      331·
      1 year ago

      Ah yes, they should be like the Canadians and concern themselves with territory near Nova Scotia and send their ships there; you know, totally sensible stuff.

        • persolb@lemmy.ml
          46·
          1 year ago

          I agree with you; but the parent comment is accurately drawing a parallel. Both China and Canada have issues and both are worried about a strait which objectively isn’t ‘theirs’.

          The difference is

          1. China has bigger problems, but the strait is at least close; although China is being a bully
          2. Canada has lesser problems, and the strait is on the other side of the planet; but they seem to at least be defending the public good.

          Point being, tying this to China’s flooding is silly. If Chinas actions are dumb, it is for unrelated reasons.

        • Lafuma300@lemmy.world
          16·
          1 year ago

          China bad, West good, we got it. Let’s go kill them, just to make western chauvinists happy.

      • ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca
        1·
        1 year ago

        A better Canadian comparison would be Jamaica (originally was going to be included in Canada), or the Northern US states (we have to US to prevent future conflicts after 1812)

        But that would assume Canada is actively claiming it and was the aggressor. A more homely example is Russia’s claim to Canada’s arctic territory however even that has been mostly diplomatic