test Defence of Taiwan Debate - Munk Debates

Defence of Taiwan Debate

March 31, 2021
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Defence of Taiwan Debate

Be it resolved, there is no credible military defence of Taiwan in the face of Chinese aggression.

China’s takeover of Hong Kong, and its increasingly aggressive military manoeuvres in the South China Sea have many wondering whether Taiwan is the country’s next “reunification” target. While politicians debate whether it’s in the West’s interest to step in, strategists say the more pertinent question is whether a military defence of Taiwan is even possible. China now boasts the world’s largest army, conventional air force, coast guard, and navy. These vast military resources provide Beijing with the capacity to overwhelm Taiwan through a combined amphibious assault using nuclear attack submarines, destroyers, and aircraft carriers, and an airborne assault using strategic stealth bombers, fighters, and helicopters. Some experts argue that it is wishful to think that the US can defend Taiwan militarily from half a world away unless there is a radical reset of American military strategy and posture towards China.

But others contend that despite China’s clear military superiority over Taiwan, the island nation enjoys many advantages when it comes to fending off an invasion. Taiwan’s unique geography and navigational challenges of the Taiwan Strait mean that an amphibious invasion is a daunting task even for a navy the size of China’s. The country has one of the best early warning systems in the world, and combat aircraft sequestered in mountain locations across the island that could repulse a large-scale airborne assault. The almost two million Taiwanese who are trained to defend the country -guerrilla tactics included – vastly outnumber any possible Chinese invasion force. Add in US aircraft carriers, ballistic missiles, armed drones, and high-tech minefields, and a Chinese military conquest of Taiwan could end up handing Beijing its biggest military defeat since WWII.

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