Cyberattacks and economic warfare could cripple Taipei
Beijing might use a different blueprint to force Taiwan to be part of mainland China
Forget a massive invasion of Taiwan. Forget a blockade of the democratic island. Instead, China could launch a cyberattack followed by an economic war to bring what Beijing has described as a “renegade province” to its knees.
The goal would be to force Taipei to “surrender” to the mainland’s ruling Communist Party of China, a report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies revealed. Not a shot would be fired or a missile launched in this ‘gray zone’ battle.
“Modern globalization has created more economic connections that China can exploit to achieve coercive aims,” the study by the Washington-based research institute stated.
“Technological innovation created even more digital connections, offering more possibilities for coercion, including through the targeting of critical infrastructure [or cyberattacks],” the report pointed out.
China could destabilize Taiwan’s financial system.
Foreign Policy
Background:
- China is now a major military power after a decade-long modernization program.
- It is rivaled only by the United States after building the largest surface fleet in the world.
- In the past four years, the navy arm of the People’s Liberation Army has conducted live-fire drills and exercises around Taiwan.
Delve deeper: “[The island’s] greatest vulnerabilities extend beyond its military. A new tabletop exercise reveals financial, cybersecurity, and energy risks that China could exploit,” Foreign Policy reported last week.
Between the lines: “China could destabilize Taiwan’s financial system to incite social unrest as a precursor to invasion,” the report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said.
Big picture: To combat this, Taipei must “work with allies to strengthen collective resilience against Beijing’s weaponization of economic interdependence,” Russell Hsiao, of the Global Taiwan Institute in Washington, told the Associated Press.
China Factor comment: Beijing’s hybrid warfare blueprint failed to impress Taiwense President Lai Ching-te. On Saturday, he made it clear that the island will not become part of Communist China, as reported by CNN.