In response to China’s increasing claims of democratic Taiwan as their own, Taiwan has strengthened their own military deployments in the South China Sea. China has also increased military activity near Taiwan as they attempt to forcibly overpower their sovereignty. The United States has been supporting Taiwan’s claim to self-governance and democracy, and has been providing technology for Taiwan’s submarine fleet; the US is the primary source of arms for Taiwan. The primary goal is preparedness for any potential Chinese attacks, a notion that appears to be plausible as tensions heighten in the S. China Sea. Taiwan is continuing to modernize and ramp up their armed forces as they continue to struggle with China over air/water space near the island. Presently, Taiwan’s military and naval strength are dwarfed by China’s.
Disputes in the South China Sea have heightened as China continues to exert their dominance over the region. Specifically, their development of man-made islands have created major controversies regarding Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), as well as the air bases they are building on them. Chinese regional expansionism is a major concern for Taiwan, as they understand that China is “more than capable of starting a war”. Chinese military strength vastly outweighs that of Taiwan, and as they continue to economically expand in key economic zones, Taiwan reasonably fears being overpowered. To this extent, it will be interesting to examine US involvement in any potential outright conflict as they are the primary source of military technology for Taiwan. While Sino-American relations have been strained, it is a complicated relationship as they are important trade partners for each other. US backing of Taiwan has been a major point of contention between the two giants– if China were to attack Taiwan and it developed into warfare, the role of the United States will have major international ramifications. If the US directly intervenes, it may sever an already strained relationship with China, altering the global economic dynamic. At present, it may be wiser for the three figures to focus on facilitating diplomatic resolve, before taking undoable action.