Taiwan China Update

… the most severe in the 40 years since I’ve enlisted.

Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng on tensions with China.

• Over the weekend, China sent nearly 150 military planes into Taiwan’s airspace. While China periodically sends military planes as a show of force or “harassment” vs. Taiwan, the recent number of planes – a record amount in one day (50+) – is notable.
  
• Taiwan and China have no diplomatic relations. A civil war split the two entities. Communist China considers Taiwan part of its own territory; Taiwan does not and has elected its own officials.
  
• After the show of military force by China, French government officials arrived in Taiwan this week – an acknowledgement of Taiwan that angers the Chinese. President Biden’s national security advisor will meet with a Chinese counterpart this week in Europe.
  
• Why It Matters: Concerns remain about a potential military conflict between China and Taiwan, and whether such a conflict will spill over and involve other nations.

French senators arrive in Taiwan amid tensions with China

The Economist calls this situation “The most dangerous place on Earth”: The United States is coming to fear that it may no longer be able to deter China from seizing Taiwan by force. Admiral Phil Davidson, who heads the Indo-Pacific Command, told Congress in March that he worried about China attacking Taiwan as soon as 2027.