China’s military move to bring Taiwan to its knees
Scenarios being worked out by Beijing include quarantine and blockade of the democratic island
China is working on military scenarios before a covert invasion of Taiwan. They include a quarantine and a blockade of the democratic island.
As tensions increase between Beijing and Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, ‘drip, drip’ war plans are being finessed to force the Taipei government to unify with mainland China.
“There’s general agreement both in the United States and Taiwan that if China wanted, it could quarantine or blockade Taiwan today,” Bonny Lin, a senior adviser at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, told The Wall Street Journal.
The facts:
- Chinese ruler Xi Jinping is pursuing a “coercion campaign to strangle” the island.
- The Communist Party considers Taiwan a “rogue province.”
- Yet it has never ruled the island, making “reunification” a myth.
- It also has no democratic mandate from the citizens of Taiwan.
- It does not even have a mandate at home or from overseas Chinese.
- In short, invading Taiwan would be an unprovoked act of aggression.
Our worst nightmare scenario [involves] a blockade.
Huang Chung-ting, a defense analyst at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research
Delve deeper: Still, a quarantine would see the navy of the People’s Liberation Army intercepting ships that deliver life-saving imports to the island. This would involve targeting the largest port of Kaohsiung. Eventually, it would be expanded into a full-blown blockade.
Between the lines: “Our worst nightmare scenario [involves] a blockade,” Huang Chung-ting, a defense analyst at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a Taipei-based think tank, told The Wall Street Journal at the weekend.
Bottom line: “[That would] actually come from American isolationism, where the US decides to step away from Taiwan Strait issues,” Huang said.
Big picture: President Lai appears to be “betting that China’s appetite for retaliation will be limited by Beijing’s interest in containing tensions with” [President Donald] “Trump’s administration,” and the looming trade war.
China Factor comment: In December, China deployed more than 90 naval ships with air support around Taiwan in the South China Sea. These exercises have become a regular occurrence and would be the prelude to a quarantine, blockade or invasion of the island.