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David versus Goliath? How Taiwan could protect itself against a Chinese attack

2022-08-05T12:48:51.360Z


David versus Goliath? How Taiwan could protect itself against a Chinese attack Created: 08/05/2022, 14:36 By: Stephanie Munk It is still military exercises that China started before Taiwan. How could the island in the South China Sea defend itself in the event of a real attack from its giant neighbor? Munich - The threat was already present - but since US Congressman Nancy Pelosi's taboo trip


David versus Goliath?

How Taiwan could protect itself against a Chinese attack

Created: 08/05/2022, 14:36

By: Stephanie Munk

It is still military exercises that China started before Taiwan.

How could the island in the South China Sea defend itself in the event of a real attack from its giant neighbor?

Munich - The threat was already present - but since US Congressman Nancy Pelosi's taboo trip to Taipei, China has been flexing its muscles even more towards Taiwan.

What if the military exercises China launched in response turned serious?

How could the island state of Taiwan with its 23 million inhabitants defend itself against the giant empire of China with 1.4 billion people?

China sees Taiwan as a breakaway part of its People's Republic and would like to incorporate the island - you can read here how this conflict came about.

Experts have feared a possible invasion by the Chinese People's Army for years, according to a Bundeswehr dossier on the subject.

China is arming itself noticeably: Both with the landing ships of the Chinese Navy and the marine infantry.

China and Taiwan: That's what the conflict is about

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China vs. Taiwan: Military superiority is overwhelming

If you look at the numbers, Taiwan wouldn't stand a chance: China's supremacy is overwhelming.

China's ruler Xi Jinping has an army of two million men at his disposal, ten times as many as in Taiwan.

According to a US Department of Defense report, the Chinese army has 355 warships and submarines, while Taiwan has only four submarines.

Not to mention the crushing Chinese air force: According to the US report, it is the third largest in the world with around 2,500 combat aircraft, including 176 bombers.

The number of Taiwanese bombers: zero.

But Taiwan has another pound in its pocket that is huge: US support.

Taiwan cannot be 100 percent sure of this - there is no obligation as in the case of a NATO alliance.

Nevertheless, it is considered likely.

In an interview with the US television channel CNN in autumn 2021, US President Joe Biden made it clear that the US would defend Taiwan against China: "We have an obligation to do this," he said, according to a report by the

editorial network Germany

.

The United States is supplying modern weapons to Taiwan - also out of selfishness

The probable intervention by the USA makes the situation very different from the Ukraine war, in which Washington ruled out direct involvement from the start.

While US troops are not stationed in Taiwan, the US has several warships and aircraft carriers in the region.

Washington also sells modern US weapons to Taiwan.

The island in the South China Sea is also dependent on this, because according to the Bundeswehr dossier, “no other state is currently prepared to upset China over arms sales to Taiwan”.

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The US does not support the island altruistically: for them, the island's independence from China is geostrategically important for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

"Losing the island to China would be a gigantic catastrophe for the United States and its allies," says the Bundeswehr report.

For Germany, too, an escalation of the conflict would be a super meltdown.

So how successfully Taiwan could defend itself against China depends in large part on the behavior of the US and other allies.

The decision as to whether he would intervene in a war rests solely with the US President.

The US Congress decided this in February 2021 with the “Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act”.

Taiwan's coast could cause problems for China - perfect conditions for guerrilla warfare

However, Taiwan offers another geographic advantage that will make it more difficult for China to conquer the country quickly: the coast of the island is steep, mountainous and surrounded by dense forests in many places.

Perfect for guerrilla warfare where the defenders have an advantage over the attackers.

Taiwan has a widespread bunker and defense system designed for a long defensive battle.

The aim of the Taiwanese in an attack by China could therefore be: hold out until the USA intervenes.

High mountains, dense forests: Taiwan's coast is difficult to attack and easy to defend.

© David Henley/Imago

China against Taiwan: Attackers would have to fear fatal counterattacks on the high seas

China would probably not be able to carry out a large-scale landing operation on Taiwan's more inaccessible locations,

Der Spiegel

writes in a report, referring to the journal

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

.

It would be immensely difficult to defend Chinese convoys across the South China Sea - especially because of the extremely quiet American nuclear submarines.

On the high seas, Chinese attackers would have to fear fatal counterattacks from modern submarines, drones and missiles.

Chinese military helicopters fly over Pingtan Island, one of China's closest points to Taiwan - part of military exercises that have followed Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.

© Hector Retamal/AFP

According to Nancy Pelosi's journey: China is rehearsing the real invasion

Still, the current military exercises are now giving China a chance to practice for a real invasion of Taiwan, according to an article in the

New York Times

.

The Chinese would use the military drills that ensued in response to Pelosi's trip to train how the island could be surrounded, cut off from allied support, and then attacked.

"Although these are drills that only look like a real battle, it can turn into a real battle at any time," General Meng Xiangqing, a professor of military strategy at Beijing National Defense University, said.

(smu)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-08-05

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