China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned.
Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it.
Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said.
In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer, Type 052D destroyer and Type 0903 supply ship was spotted in the Sibutu Passage, a strategically important sea lane off Malaysia that links the Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea, he said.
In June of that year, a PLAN force consisting of a Type 071 amphibious transportation dock and three other warships were spotted in the waters southeast of Pilas Island in the Sulu Archipelago of the Philippines and north of Santa Cruz Island in the Basilan Strait, he said.
In July, Russia held the Ocean-2024 exercise in the South China Sea — a large strategic naval drill including more than 400 ships, submarines, support vessels and 120 naval aircraft — with China participating as a key partner, he said.
In October of that year, a PLAN carrier strike group with the aircraft carrier Liaoning as the centerpiece was spotted sailing in the direction of Indonesia’s Sulawesi island in the seas southeast of the Philippine island of Mindanao, Huang said.
One month later, China’s ally Russia held the Orruda-2024 bilateral naval exercise with Indonesia in Surabaya, Indonesia, and the adjacent Java Sea — with Russian Minister of Defence Andrey Belousov saying the exercise is designed to repel “large-scale aggression of a potential enemy.”
The events, coupled with the Chinese bases on Subi Reef (渚碧礁), Mischief Reef (Meiji Reef, 美濟礁) and Fiery Cross Reef (Yongshu Reef, 永暑礁) show that the PLAN is growing more advanced and capable of extending the range of its operations, Huang said.
They also showed that Beijing’s strategy is to penetrate through the Sulu Sea running from the South Luconia Shoals (南康暗沙), claimed by Taiwan, Malaysia and China, to the Philipines’ Balabac Strait and Leyte Gulf, he said.
Most importantly, they evidenced an intention to not only secure an alternative sea line of communication to the Malacca Strait, but to also threaten a line of communication on which Taiwan would depend during wartime for its energy supply, Huang said.
Disrupting Taiwanese LNG access would significantly undermine the nation’s resilience during a conflict, he said.
This means that China could harass or expel LNG carriers to strike at Taiwanese morale and the credibility of its government without having to blockade or isolate it entirely, Huang said.
The French-led multinational naval drills Exercise La Perouse and Exercise Pacific Steller, held from Jan. 16 to 24 and last month respectively, and involving nine nations — Australia, Canada, France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the UK and the US — simulated pincer movements at the northern and southern end of the first island chain, he said.
These exercises, which involved carrier-type capital ships from the US, Japan and France, suggest the US and its allies are cognizant of the threat China’s advancements pose, he said.
Huang urged the government to monitor and respond to the developing situation in concert with friendly states including the US and Japan, while improving intelligence sharing with the Philippines.
Closer links with the Australian military are also needed for the nation to confront the new threat, he said.
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
There have been clear signs of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempts to interfere in the nationwide recall vote on July 26 in support of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators facing recall, an unnamed government official said, warning about possible further actions. The CCP is actively involved in Taiwanese politics, and interference in the recall vote is to be expected, with multiple Chinese state media and TAO attempts to discredit the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and undermine public support of their recall movement, the official said. This interference includes a smear campaign initiated this month by a pro-Beijing Hong Kong news outlet against
A week-long exhibition on modern Tibetan history and the Dalai Lama’s global advocacy opened yesterday in Taipei, featuring quotes and artworks highlighting human rights and China’s ongoing repression of Tibetans, Hong Kongers and Uighurs. The exhibition, the first organized by the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan (HRNTT), is titled “From the Snowy Ridges to the Ocean of Wisdom.” “It would be impossible for Tibetans inside Tibet to hold an exhibition like this — we can do it. because we live in a free and democratic country,” HRNTT secretary-general Tashi Tsering said. Tashi Tsering, a Taiwan-based Tibetan who has never
A first shipment of five tons of Taiwan tilapia was sent from Tainan to Singapore on Wednesday, following an order valued at NT$600,000 (US$20,500) placed with a company in the city. The products, including frozen whole fish and pre- cooked fish belly, were dispatched from Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, where a new aquatic processing and logistics center is under construction. At the launch, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) called the move a “breakthrough,” marking Taiwan’s expansion into the Singaporean tilapia market. Taiwan’s tilapia exports have traditionally focused on the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, Huang said, adding that the new foothold in
RSS