Is Kinmen (Quemoy) on the Hot Seat Again
Is Kinmen (Quemoy) on the Hot Seat Again
China could invade the nearby islands
The Kinmen Islands, today under Taiwan sovereignty, are located just off the coast of China's Greater Amoy barrier island. You can see the Chinese city of Xiamen from Kinmen, which is little more than a mile away.
Kinmen has been known in the west by its old Portuguese name, Quemoy. It featured in the 1960 Presidential debates between Richard Nixon (fight for Quemoy and Matsu) and John F. Kennedy (don't defend Quemoy or Matsu). Kennedy, in the heat of the Presidential campaign, would change his view.
In 1949 Mao Zedong launched an amphibious assault on the island. Mao thought his attack would catch Chang Kai-shek (then encamped on Taiwan with the remnants of the Nationalist army) by surprise and hand him an embarrassing defeat.
The Chinese sent some 200 wooden boats loaded with soldiers and supplies, planning to bring ashore 19,000 soldiers reaching three landing sites: Guningtou, Huwei and Longkou.
Chang had some 40,000 garrison troops on the island, but they were lightly equipped other than twenty two M5A1 Stuart tanks left over from the fighting in Burma. Some of the tanks could barely move on the sandy soil at the beaches, but even stuck in the sand they put up very heavy counter fire.
Only 9,006 of the troops sent by China made it onto Quemoy. Of these, 3,873 were killed and 5,175 were captured. Whether the others made it back to China or drowned isn't known.
The battle was a great victory for Taiwan and Chang and still is celebrated as the Battle of Guningtou.
Thereafter, Kinmen was part of artillery duels with China in what is known as the Second Taiwan Straits Crisis. The shooting lasted for three months and almost triggered a nuclear war against China (at the time China did not have nuclear weapons). There are still heavy long range guns on Kinmen.
Today the island is peaceful and prosperous, but it is heavily fortified with command centers and supplies deep underground in bedrock. Even the old city hospital, now abandoned, was entirely underground --you would get to it by driving down a steep ramp.
The island is dotted with spiked traps to snare paratroopers, and emplacements on the beaches to block landing craft.
Kinmen has a civilian airport with a runway capable of handling jet fighters and transport aircraft. But Kinmen is somewhat distant from Taiwan --it is west of Taiwan and 187 km (116 miles) distant, well within range of Taiwan's Air Force and small navy.
For the most part Kinmen is an island of handcrafts, agriculture and superb sorghum liquor called Kaoliang. This is strong stuff --116 proof-- but very enjoyable (in reasonable quantities).
One of the top threats to Taiwan would be a Chinese attack on Kinmen, as it is very close to China and easy prey.
One wonders whether defending Kinmen will be part of the presidential debates leading up to the 2024 Presidential elections? Would Biden support Taiwan if China attacked Kinmen instead of Taiwan? What would Trump do?
Washington should prepare itself if China strikes Kinmen. If it is anything like the last time, it will be a bitter fight. But China is far better equipped today and will move fast. Is the Pentagon ready?