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Opinion | How PLA military drills around Taiwan weaken the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy
- In simulating a blockade of Taiwan, Beijing took advantage of a rare strategic window of opportunity to seize the geopolitical upper hand, striking at the heart of US influence in the region
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The People’s Liberation Army said on August 10 it had concluded its largest exercises around Taiwan in decades, following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei, and that it would continue regular combat readiness patrols in the Taiwan Strait.
From a geostrategic perspective, the exercises are a clear sign that a blockade of Taiwan has always been part of Beijing’s plan to achieve unification.
Breaking the opponent’s resistance without a fight and causing them to collapse on their own is an exceptional strategy, straight out of Sun Tzu’s Art of War. This is certainly a superior and more pragmatic tactic than unification by using military force.
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However, achieving this would require certain conditions, resources and windows of opportunity.
The Taiwan Strait is of high strategic significance, both for Beijing and others. It is a key route connecting Japan and South Korea to the global market. Meanwhile, more than 90 per cent of China’s international goods trade is conducted by sea. Theoretically, there are four main strategic channels for China’s maritime trade, most of which passes through the strait.
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To create conditions for the control of Taiwan, China has long held that the strait falls within its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. It recently clarified its position again. However, the US still intends to continue with freedom of navigation operations in the strait.
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