Challenge: nuclear armed Taiwan

The U.S. never recognizes the PRC, leading to worse relationship between the ROC and the PRC?
 

Anderman

Donor
They simply read the Wikipedia article about the Hanford B_Reactor where the Plutonium for the Manhattan project was produced and copy the reactor ?

Building nuclear weapons is not that complicated for a country like Taiwan.
 
Taiwan certainly has the technological capability to build an atomic bomb, and they pursued an atomic weapons program after the PRC bomb in 1964. In 1974, the CIA estimated they could have the bomb within 5 years. After the death of Chiang Kai-Shek in 1975, his son, Chiang Ching-Kuo, mostly gave up the program, although some low-level plutonium experiments may have continued into the 80s. source.

The main problem I see is that Taiwan is caught between the US and the PRC, neither of which want Taiwan to have atomic weapons. But I think that's an obstacle that can be overcome. Maybe we could keep the China lobby strong, so that the US still hasn't recognized the PRC in the 80s, and Taiwan becomes an "Israel of the East" that the US needs to support no matter what.
 
Taiwan certainly has the technological capability to build an atomic bomb, and they pursued an atomic weapons program after the PRC bomb in 1964. In 1974, the CIA estimated they could have the bomb within 5 years. After the death of Chiang Kai-Shek in 1975, his son, Chiang Ching-Kuo, mostly gave up the program, although some low-level plutonium experiments may have continued into the 80s. source.
Im pretty sure if Taiwan stopped its money for recognition policy they could afford this.
 
I think they'd need independence before Nationalist China takes it over. If the island is a part of Nationalist China, then it inevitably becomes a political game between the Nationalists and the Communists, and that doesn't necessitate a nuclear deterrent because in the back of the Nationalist's head is always the idea that the communist government will collapse and they will have their opportunity to step in and restore their position.

Remove that thought, make it so the leaders of Taiwan don't care about retaking China and only care about maintaining their independence and you've come a lot closer to a nuclear Taiwan.
 
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