On January 23, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force flew over a dozen aircraft over Taiwan’s air identification defence zone (ADIZ). Taiwan’s road-mobile Hsiung Feng cruise missiles “could easily survive and engage in counter strikes on enemy ships, amphibious staging areas, and airbases”. American military experts have already begun to find out ways in which the United States can help Taiwan’s modernisation plans without directly provoking China. The United States is Taiwan’s biggest arms supplier and has never hidden its intent to invest in Taiwan’s military counter-balance to China’s aggressive posturing. A second view emerging from the Americans is that “a robust Taiwanese missile arsenal might even help control escalation if Washington decides to intervene in a cross-Strait conflict”.

Source: Punch April 19, 2021 08:26 UTC