Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) members on Friday launched a campaign urging governments to assess the domestic economic effect of a shock in the Taiwan Strait.
The campaign, named “Operation Mist,” is aimed at compelling governments to admit that “cross-strait stability is in the domestic interests of nearly every country in the world,” IPAC said.
A war over Taiwan would result in a US$10 trillion shock to the world economy — about 10 percent of global gross domestic product, a report published by Bloomberg Economics showed.
Photo: Reuters
“No country will be immune from this economic fallout, which is likely to be at least five times worse than the economic damage caused by Ukraine,” the cross-national parliamentarian group said.
Ordinary people would have to bear the consequences if governments fail to de-escalate and deter a cross-strait conflict, it said, adding that “it behooves elected representatives worldwide to ensure this does not happen.”
“Operation Mist” was initiated by several cochairs and members of IPAC, including German member of the European Parliament Reinhard Butikofer, Dutch lawmaker Jan Paternotte, Australian Senator David Fawcett and French Senator Olivier Cadic.
Stewart Malcolm McDonald, a British lawmaker who is also an IPAC member, asked during a British parliamentary debate in January whether the UK government had conducted economic modeling on the potential impact of an economic blockade by China on Taiwan or a full-scale invasion.
British Minister of State for Indo-Pacific Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan responded, saying that the government is focusing on how it can “build resilience in UK interests and support partners.”
Speaking to reporters, McDonald on Friday said he believed the British government had simulated various Taiwan Strait scenarios, but is unwilling to release the information.
Like some other British lawmakers, Macdonald said the British government should make its findings and conclusions public.
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about 1,900 as
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
MORE RESPONSIBILITY: Draftees would be expected to fight alongside professional soldiers, likely requiring the transformation of some training brigades into combat units The armed forces are to start incorporating new conscripts into combined arms brigades this year to enhance combat readiness, the Executive Yuan’s latest policy report said. The new policy would affect Taiwanese men entering the military for their compulsory service, which was extended to one year under reforms by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2022. The conscripts would be trained to operate machine guns, uncrewed aerial vehicles, anti-tank guided missile launchers and Stinger air defense systems, the report said, adding that the basic training would be lengthened to eight weeks. After basic training, conscripts would be sorted into infantry battalions that would take
DEEP-STRIKE CAPABILITY: The scenario simulated a PLA drill that turned into an assault on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, with the launchers providing fire support Taiwan yesterday conducted this year’s first military exercises at Longsiang Base in Taichung, demonstrating the newly acquired High Mobility Artillery Rocket System’s (HIMARS) ability to provide fire support and deep-strike capabilities. The scenario simulated an attack on Penghu County, with HIMARS trucks immediately rolling into designated launch areas and firing barrages at the Wangan (望安) and Cimei (七美) islands, simulating the provision of fire support against invading forces. The HIMARS are supposed to “fire and leave,” which would significantly increase personnel and equipment survivability, a military official said. The drill simulated an exercise launched by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern
RSS