China boasts the largest Navy in the world by size and is fully capable of blockading Taiwan, a senior U.S. Navy commander confirmed in a Wall Street Journal interview.
“They have a very large navy, and if they want to bully and put ships around Taiwan, they very much can do that,” Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, told The Wall Street Journal.
Tensions between China and the United States have been mounting in recent weeks, as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last month to reaffirm U.S. commitment to the island nation. Her trip represented the first time in 25 years that a high-ranking elected U.S. official has visited Taiwan.
China launched military exercises in the days that followed Pelosi’s visit, handily demonstrating its ability to carry out a blockade around Taiwan. In four days’ worth of exercises, the Chinese military launched almost a dozen missiles in six live-fire zones around Taiwan. “This establishes an encirclement of Taiwan island,” said Chinese Major Gen. Meng Xiangqing. “This creates very good conditions for reshaping the strategic situation in a way that benefits unification,” said Meng.
The U.S. Navy commander’s remarks to The Wall Street Journal preceded Sunday’s airing of a “60 Minutes” interview, in which President Biden made it clear that U.S. forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. Following the interview, a White House official clarified that there had been no change in the U.S.’s official policy regarding Taiwan, according to CBS News. The commander-in-chief has previously alluded to the possibility of U.S. military intervention, breaking from long-standing U.S. policy of “strategic ambiguity” toward Taiwan.
U.S. Navy Admiral Thomas said he did not know if China would invade Taiwan or carry out a blockade, but owned his responsibility to be prepared for whatever China may do. Due to the “non-kinetic” nature of a blockade, Admiral Thomas suggested there would be ample opportunity for the international community to peacefully resolve differences between China and Taiwan.
The communist nation has made no secret about its long-held goal to seek reunification with Taiwan. However, its recent actions suggest that it may choose to actively pursue that goal sooner, rather than later, experts suggest. “I think they have shown their intentions, encircling Taiwan and countering foreign intervention,” said Ou Si-Fu, research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research. A blockade could serve as a precursor for a full invasion, which would likely entail political and economic costs for China, National Defense University’s Philip Saunders told The New York Times late last month. While China boasts the largest navy in size and numbers, the United States possesses more advanced warships, Admiral Thomas said. China’s naval advantage is that is it churning out new ships at a pace far exceeding that of the United States. China remains a “pacing challenge,” with growing capabilities that could serve to make their goal for reunification with Taiwan a not-so-distant reality.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
READ NEXT: Report Identifies 3,500 Targets China May Strike in Taiwan, Undersea Cables Most Vulnerable >>
China has Our Intel via TikTok , other in the US, Our trade
Tourism to China & stealng our Tech
Pearl Harbor 2 is by missile strike, see movie Under Seige, 1990s
Makes you wonder why our Government “leaders” seem to play down the real danger presented by China. Hell, they even sell them oil from our emergency reserve, leaving us in a bind, especially if they decide to try something stupid. If we don’t get all essential industries back in this country, you know, like medicines, defense parts,and only God knows what other vital industries we depend on them for. There’s probably better than a 50-50 chance we will be at war against them, or Russia, maybe both at the same time.
The US did not sell oil from the USNPR. False. How do you define 50 -50?, Neither yes or no. That’s helpful. There’s also a 50-50 chance that you might be right. That’s even more helpful. So, what next?.50-50. Sounds you have been listening to Flynn a bit much. As Director of DIA he once said it would be a generation (of what dunno) we would have to worry about China.Sounds a lot like 50-50 tome.
What a**hp;e allowed this to happen??? WE once had a Navy second to none. As a Navy veteran, I am appalled at the state of our military. The first foundation of our revolutionary war was the mutual defense of the colonies. Who dropped the ball?? The people are about to become slaves and you had better learn Chinese.
I am too old to fight the need battle for your freedom.
Valdez
The future as history. What happened before can happen again. In the1930s, Japan built the largest and most modern Navy in the world at that time. Their military occupied most of East and southeast Asia and the western Pacific islands.
Fast forward to today: the Chinese have built the largest and most modern navy: they are building naval ports around the world. Right now, they manage the Panama Canal (thanks Jimmy Carter); are building a base in the Solomon Islands (think Guadalcanal) and Cambodia and the west coast of Africa. Looks like Nicaragua is on their menu too.
Some wise scholar once said. if we ignore the lessons of history, we will be forced to relive them.
Saying a blockade is “non kinetic” is obfuscatory. The blockade becomes “kinetic” as soon as someone sails or flies past it and is attacked. It remains non kinetic so long as everyone surrenders their right to sail/fly by it. An invasion can be similarly non-kinetic, so long as no one opposes the invasion.
Limitation of a blocksde is that it is just surface. Blockades can be run either under or over, besides via covert routing. An inconvenience, but not a shutdown.
It is easy to become complacent and sleep on one’s laurels. Perhaps some of the Pentagon brass will ponder this article and cancel some of their drag queen tea parties and pronoun think tanks. When the Chinks invade they will line up all the nonconformist gender weirdos along a gaping trench and pull the triggers. That’s what they think about ‘gender equity.’
Must be defense appropriations time. Think about this critically… China imports 85% of their energy and nearly as much in terms of key food inputs. They have neither energy or food security. Given the performance of Russian systems in Ukraine against NATO systems, as well as the likely sanctions regime to arise following an invasion or blockade of Taiwan, you can bet China is rethinking this whole Taiwan invasion thing after realizing that a trio of US Arleigh Burkes and a few attack boats could shut down everything headed to China from the Persian Gulf via the Indian Ocean and Malacca Strait. Yes – largest navy – but pay attention to actual power projection, because they have 2 aged jump carriers and a third intermediate working up, bits and pieces of a single CSG, plus a whole lot of frigate or smaller coastal stuff that cannot sail much over 600 miles from a friendly port under combat conditions. Keep in mind that carrier aviation is a skill set that takes decades to develop… and the Chinese have been doing it for about a decade under peacetime conditions. The US has been doing it for about 100 years, with the UK and other friendly NATO powers nearly as long.
Finally, recognize that the bellicose nature of Chinese behavior has far more to do with their craptastic response to their COVID crisis (ineffective vaccine… rolling shut-downs… no options to treat outbreaks beyond lockdowns), a growing domestic financial crisis, and a steadily evaporating global low tech assembly market than any need to invade a country that has been preparing for amphibious assault for the past 60 years.
In a world where individuals can trigger a national boycott, invading Taiwan would guarantee that the Chinese would be dealing with a 50% or more cut in energy, an effective end to the intermediate goods trade with most of the rest of the world, and likely a major famine just as the second round of African Swine Fever takes away their dietary protein of choice.
Stop calling it “reunification.” What CCP has in mind is takeover, absorption and subjugation of Taiwan.