Boss, sit down tight, because I've got news that sounds like it's straight out of a sci-fi movie, but it's as real as it gets. Taiwan, bro, has unveiled some robot dogs that not only bark but also fire machine guns. That's right, mechanical dogs armed to the teeth, ready to defend the disputed islands with China. Let me break it down for you.
The Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, which is Taiwan's main military research center, showed off three models of four-legged robots developed by the American company Ghost Robotics. The baddest of them all: a robot puppy equipped with a fully functional machine gun, operated remotely. The others are for surveillance and intelligence gathering. Now, the authorities in Taipei are thinking of sending these beasts to the isolated islands in the South China Sea, like the Pratas Islands – controlled by Taiwan but claimed by Beijing. Experts say those spots are the most exposed to a Chinese invasion, so the robots could patrol the beaches and discourage any landing attempt.
Jen Kuo-kuang, the deputy director of the Taiwanese military institute, said the marines desperately want these systems on the beaches and coastal areas, including for patrol and inspection in Nansha and Dongsha. But although the army is interested, they haven't placed an official order yet. I mean, they're looking, thinking, but haven't made up their minds. Well, if you're in danger, don't sit around thinking, bro! If I were in their shoes, I'd buy ten of them and put one on every inch of beach.
Now, the context is simple: China and Taiwan have been arguing over the South China Sea forever. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and doesn't rule out using force. So Taiwan is rushing to invest in autonomous technologies and drones to have something to fight back if it comes to defense. And they're not alone: Romania also looked at the war in Ukraine and bought Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkey for $321 million, plus anti-drone systems from Elbit Systems. They also want to get some MQ-35A V-BATs, after the first one was donated by the US. Expert Mikhail Kokorich says Ukraine changed the game: now it's all about cheap, mass-produced drones and missiles.
On the same note, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a harsh message to China ahead of the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Rubio said that "no censorship can erase the past" and that the protesters' sacrifice for freedom will not be forgotten. Nice words, but in the meantime, China keeps flooding us with electric cars. In the first four months of the year, electric car registrations in the European Union rose by 33.8%, and the Chinese from BYD increased their sales by 143.9%. Leapmotor, with a growth of 582.2%. So on one hand they threaten us, on the other they sell us cars. What times, man! That's what happens when you have money and technology, unlike us, where Mioara argues at Lidl over a pack of rice.
So, bro, the world is constantly moving: Taiwan arms up with robots, China gets rich from cars, and we watch and wonder where we're headed. I say let's go to Fane's for a beer and discuss what's best for this nation, because my head is spinning hearing about dogs with machine guns.
