The US and its allies should treat the Taiwan Strait as part of the Pacific theater of operations to help counter threats from China, a military affairs researcher said on Sunday last week. Institute for National Defense and Security Research military expert Shen Ming-shih (沈明室) said he made the assessment in response to Japanese researchers’ comments following recent Chinese military drills.
Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said that the drills differed from earlier ones in that they involved Chinese fishers as a maritime militia. The exercises simulated a blockade of critical marine corridors and attacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure.
There is also the possibility China could take control of the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) with drones and militia in the event of a Taiwan-China conflict, Nakagawa said, although Shen told the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) that it would be unlikely to attempt such a move in the short term, as it would go against Beijing’s hopes to sow division between Japan and the US.
However, “Japan would be dealt a major blow if the islands were occupied by China,” he said.
Officials in Japan and the US are well aware that the annexation of Taiwan would be detrimental to their own national interests, and suggestions that Japanese islands might also become targets of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have been made before.
China has been waging a disinformation campaign targeting Okinawa for the past several years. In March, The Diplomat reported that China might even target the prefecture for annexation by citing false claims that it was once Chinese territory.
Even if China’s ambitions went no further than the Diaoyutais, its occupation of the islands would project its naval power significantly closer to Okinawa and boost its capability to impose a blockade in the Bashi Channel or the Miyako Strait. Moreover, US forces in Okinawa would face a significantly greater threat.
Following Shen’s suggestion, the US and Japan could bolster coordination with Taiwanese forces to protect their own regional interests. Given shared claims over the Diaoyutais, Taiwan and Japan should put aside their differences and cooperate on the defense of the archipelago through joint patrols and coast guard deployments. The two sides could build shared facilities on the archipelago’s main island, from which they could jointly monitor Chinese drills in the vicinity.
A key focus of joint efforts between the three countries should be the deterrence of Chinese blockades of the Bashi Channel, the Miyako Strait, and the waters between Japan’s Yonaguni Island and Taiwan. Ensuring that the passageways remain unobstructed, and that submarine communication cables that traverse them remain secure and undamaged, is crucial to the integrity of the first island chain.
Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun on Jan. 30 last year reported that China constantly has four warships deployed around Taiwan, which would likely play a role in access denial efforts in the event of a conflict.
Over the past year, China has allegedly used cargo vessels to damage submarine cables connecting Taiwan. On April 21, Chinese-language media reported that a Chinese cruise ship had sailed within 2 nautical miles (3.7km) of Pingtung County’s Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島).
To protect against all such threats, Taiwan must closely monitor Chinese-operated vessels — commercial, civilian and military — that come close to its shores. Taipei could enlist the help of Japan and the US in the task.
Taiwan, the US and Japan must send China a clear message that harassment will not be tolerated.
Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on April 9 said that the first group of Indian workers could arrive as early as this year as part of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India and the India Taipei Association. Signed in February 2024, the MOU stipulates that Taipei would decide the number of migrant workers and which industries would employ them, while New Delhi would manage recruitment and training. Employment would be governed by the laws of both countries. Months after its signing, the two sides agreed that 1,000 migrant workers from India would
In recent weeks, Taiwan has witnessed a surge of public anxiety over the possible introduction of Indian migrant workers. What began as a policy signal from the Ministry of Labor quickly escalated into a broader controversy. Petitions gathered thousands of signatures within days, political figures issued strong warnings, and social media became saturated with concerns about public safety and social stability. At first glance, this appears to be a straightforward policy question: Should Taiwan introduce Indian migrant workers or not? However, this framing is misleading. The current debate is not fundamentally about India. It is about Taiwan’s labor system, its
On March 31, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs released declassified diplomatic records from 1995 that drew wide domestic media attention. One revelation stood out: North Korea had once raised the possibility of diplomatic relations with Taiwan. In a meeting with visiting Chinese officials in May 1995, as then-Chinese president Jiang Zemin (江澤民) prepared for a visit to South Korea, North Korean officials objected to Beijing’s growing ties with Seoul and raised Taiwan directly. According to the newly released records, North Korean officials asked why Pyongyang should refrain from developing relations with Taiwan while China and South Korea were expanding high-level
Japan’s imminent easing of arms export rules has sparked strong interest from Warsaw to Manila, Reuters reporting found, as US President Donald Trump wavers on security commitments to allies, and the wars in Iran and Ukraine strain US weapons supplies. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ruling party approved the changes this week as she tries to invigorate the pacifist country’s military industrial base. Her government would formally adopt the new rules as soon as this month, three Japanese government officials told Reuters. Despite largely isolating itself from global arms markets since World War II, Japan spends enough on its own
RSS