"17 #PLA aircraft and 8 PLAN vessels operating around #Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today.
10 of the aircraft entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ.
The ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as its own and has vowed to "reunify" with it, by force if necessary.
However, the CSIS report notes that Beijing has strong options that could avoid involving the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) directly.
Instead, these options could put Taiwan or its supporters, like the United States, in the position of initiating military conflict to preserve Taiwan’s autonomy.
Taiwan on Tuesday said it detected 17 Chinese aircraft and eight vessels operating around Taiwan, a crucial development that could lead to escalation amid ongoing tension between Beijing and the island nation, which deters from being part of China.Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence said that its forces reacted promptly after 10 Chinese aircraft entered its southwestern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ)."17 #PLA aircraft and 8 PLAN vessels operating around #Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 10 of the aircraft entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly," said Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence in a post on X.The island nation is closely monitoring the situation, with Taiwanese military forces prepared to take the required actions in response to the presence of Chinese military assets near Taiwan's airspace and waters.Meanwhile, a US think tank has warned that China could take control of Taiwan without a direct invasion by isolating the island, crippling its economy, and forcing it to succumb to Beijing’s will through "gray zone" tactics.This strategy could see Taiwan cut off from essential supplies like energy and access to its ports without China ever firing a shot, according to CNN.The report, released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington highlighted that Beijing has this option other than a full-scale invasion or military blockade to achieve its goals.Chinese leader Xi Jinping ’s increasingly aggressive stance towards Taiwan has heightened fears that the Communist Party might act on its promise to take control of the self-ruled island. China's muted response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine has only fueled these concerns.Analysts and military strategists typically consider two main options available to China: a full-scale invasion or a blockade. However, CSIS suggests a third method—quarantine—could be more challenging for the United States and other democracies to counter.China’s military and economic intimidation of Taiwan has grown more pronounced under Xi. The ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as its own and has vowed to "reunify" with it, by force if necessary. However, the CSIS report notes that Beijing has strong options that could avoid involving the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) directly. Instead, these options could put Taiwan or its supporters, like the United States, in the position of initiating military conflict to preserve Taiwan’s autonomy.
