• PugJesus@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Did you not read your own fucking source.

      The US has sold weapons to Taiwan in the past through a separate program called Foreign Military Sales (FMS).

      The difference is that the current program being used is one normally reserved for assistance to sovereign nations.

      • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Yes, and under the previous program the US merely sold weapons like any other dealer. This new program provides grant assistance i.e. direct transfer of arms for free. That’s clearly different!

        • PugJesus@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          You said:

          August was literally the first time the US has ever directly transferred US military equipment to Taiwan.

          But keep moving those goalposts, you’ll find one you like eventually. Probably. If the heat death of the universe doesn’t occur first.

          • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            I just literally said that arms sales are different from direct military transfer! How is that moving goalposts? Taiwan bought weapons before and, if I understand the grant program correctly, it’s now getting them either greatly discounted or free. That’s an escalation!

            • PugJesus@kbin.social
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              1 year ago

              I just literally said that arms sales are different from direct military transfer! How is that moving goalposts?

              “This was literally the first time the US has ever directly transferred US military equipment to Taiwan.”

              “It’s literally not, we have directly transferred arms for as long as Taiwan has been a thing, and your own fucking source notes that.”

              “Okay, but it’s the first time you’ve ever directly transferred equipment for free!”

              Yeah, definitely not a movement of the goalposts. I’m always at a loss as to whether tankies are dumb or just disingenuous cretins.

              • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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                1 year ago

                Transaction is different from transfer.

                If I buy a gun, the store is not directly transferring the gun to me. It’s a transaction.

                If I am granted a gun grant by the store and then get a gun for free or greatly discounted through a guaranteed low/zero interest loan, that’s not really a transaction. That’s a transfer.

                Why do you deny that this is an escalation?

                • PugJesus@kbin.social
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                  1 year ago

                  If I buy a gun, the store is not directly transferring the gun to me. It’s a transaction.

                  No, that is literally and legally a transfer and a transaction.

                  Jesus Christ.

                  Why do people with no understanding of language attempt to play semantic games?

                  Why do you deny that this is an escalation?

                  An escalation of Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against imperialism? You yourself admit that there’s no chance of Taiwan invading China. So why is Taiwan being able to defend itself so worrying? If China’s only interest is in peaceful reunification, Taiwan’s military might is irrelevant. If China is willing to go to war to annex Taiwan against the wishes of it’s people, that’s imperialism, and makes you a bootlicker.

                  So why is this an escalation? Is that you support imperialism (obvious answer), or that you haven’t fully thought through your own argument?

                  Oh, and for anyone following, in the past 30 years we’ve sold almost 100 billion dollars worth of military equipment to Taiwan, and are currently considering an aid package of 6 billion dollars over the next ten years. Much escalation. Very wow.

                  • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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                    1 year ago

                    Why do people with no understanding of language attempt to play semantic games?

                    You’re the one playing semantic games! Fuck, my point was that this new transfer is different and you jumped up my ass trying to pretend like zero escalation has happened and this is nothing new. This is clearly new! This is clearly a step above what we were doing before, and Democrats are selling out refugees to keep doing it (or did you forget what this thread is about?)

                    What the fuck ever. Technically transfer always happened. You were right.

                    But surely you realize that subsidized transaction is different from pure financial transaction!

                    An escalation of Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against imperialism? You yourself admit that there’s no chance of Taiwan invading China.

                    Taiwan doesn’t have to invade for these weapons to be used against China, you realize this right? All it takes is one boat being sunk because China is trying to control trade routes into Taiwan.