According to a recent Pentagon report, the number of Chinese short-range ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan has now increased to 450. The report also estimates the number of missiles will increase by 75 per year over the next few years. This is a 50 percent increase from earlier growth estimates by the US. The report also warns that unless Taipei undertakes the necessary improvements to its military power, China will have the capability to rapidly destroy this nation's airfields within the next few years. It will also be able to use short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, special forces and other military power to rapidly undermine Taiwan's ground, air defense, and command and control facilities.
The content of the report was no surprise because China's military ambitions have always been obvious. What's worrying is that Taiwan's military preparedness has been declining quickly due to the sluggish economy and the relaxation of psychological defenses caused by cross-strait interactions.
One possible strategy of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) would be to launch a fierce surprise attack featuring information warfare, air raids, missile attacks, a naval blockade and amphibious and airborne blitzes that will target key strategic areas, causing massive destruction and thereby forcing Taipei to surrender. Beijing could also gradually turn up the military heat on Taiwan, forcing this nation's leaders to adopt policies that are in China's interest. China's military buildup is not only aimed at Taiwan but is also meant to fight forces from the US or other countries that may emerge. Beijing may adopt asymmetrical tactics to put US aircraft carrier fleets coming to Taiwan's help into a complicated war situation. China is a solid threat to both Taiwan and the US.
What is even more difficult to guard against than the PLA's rising military might is China's attempts to unravel Taiwan's national will and to block US intervention in cross-strait issues by diplomatic and other non-military means. Now that the US needs Beijing to influence North Korea regarding Pyongyang's nuclear program, it could become more aloof to the Taiwan issue. This could set the stage for China to force Taiwan to the negotiating table under terms favorable to Beijing. This is what Taipei must guard against first and foremost.
The increasing trade and economic exchanges across the Taiwan Strait are the most damaging to the nation's psychological defense. After moving their companies and money to China, many Taiwanese businesspeople have become Beijing's spokespersons, demanding direct links and supporting the "one China" principle. Hong Kong's fate since its handover to Beijing gives us a glimpse into the gradual-invasion model, which is harder to guard against than a military invasion. Only after seeing what was meant to be included in the territory's national security bill, also known as Article 23 legislation, did the people of Hong Kong realize that "one country, two systems" is a sugar-coated poison pill. Even a demonstration by 500,000 people against the proposed legislation not be able to salvage the interests of the people in the territory.
As long as China does not renounce the use of force against Taiwan, it will be the nation's biggest security threat. Taiwan will be forced to adopt a defensive "porcupine" response. The Pentagon report is a timely warning both to Taiwanese and Americans that they cannot afford to let down their guard against Beijing's threat.
Two sets of economic data released last week by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) have drawn mixed reactions from the public: One on the nation’s economic performance in the first quarter of the year and the other on Taiwan’s household wealth distribution in 2021. GDP growth for the first quarter was faster than expected, at 6.51 percent year-on-year, an acceleration from the previous quarter’s 4.93 percent and higher than the agency’s February estimate of 5.92 percent. It was also the highest growth since the second quarter of 2021, when the economy expanded 8.07 percent, DGBAS data showed. The growth
In the intricate ballet of geopolitics, names signify more than mere identification: They embody history, culture and sovereignty. The recent decision by China to refer to Arunachal Pradesh as “Tsang Nan” or South Tibet, and to rename Tibet as “Xizang,” is a strategic move that extends beyond cartography into the realm of diplomatic signaling. This op-ed explores the implications of these actions and India’s potential response. Names are potent symbols in international relations, encapsulating the essence of a nation’s stance on territorial disputes. China’s choice to rename regions within Indian territory is not merely a linguistic exercise, but a symbolic assertion
More than seven months into the armed conflict in Gaza, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take “immediate and effective measures” to protect Palestinians in Gaza from the risk of genocide following a case brought by South Africa regarding Israel’s breaches of the 1948 Genocide Convention. The international community, including Amnesty International, called for an immediate ceasefire by all parties to prevent further loss of civilian lives and to ensure access to life-saving aid. Several protests have been organized around the world, including at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and many other universities in the US.
Every day since Oct. 7 last year, the world has watched an unprecedented wave of violence rain down on Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories — more than 200 days of constant suffering and death in Gaza with just a seven-day pause. Many of us in the American expatriate community in Taiwan have been watching this tragedy unfold in horror. We know we are implicated with every US-made “dumb” bomb dropped on a civilian target and by the diplomatic cover our government gives to the Israeli government, which has only gotten more extreme with such impunity. Meantime, multicultural coalitions of US