China may not yet have the capability to fully invade Taiwan, but its potential to impose a blockade on the island nation has become a significant concern as tensions rise across the Taiwan Strait.
Recently, China has been inspecting foreign cargo ships entering Taiwan, suspecting that the island is importing arms and armament to defend against a possible invasion. This has severely hindered Taiwan’s ability to import critical parts and components necessary for its defense industry.
A safe passage was established with U.S. assistance about a year ago, but it has been repeatedly disrupted by China’s naval ships and aircraft. Taiwan has made some efforts to establish an anti-amphibious force, but a more effective solution could be for the QUAD to form an amphibious force based in Taiwan, capable of identifying suitable landing spots on Chinese shores if necessary.
China seeks to dominate technologies associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and renewable energy security. The PRC has increasingly sent aircraft into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone as a show of force, and in 2020, Taiwan reported a Chinese cyberattack on ten government agencies aimed at stealing information.
Many analysts predict a complete takeover of Taiwan by China by the end of 2025.
