Taiwanese air force warns off incursion from increasingly bellicose China
Taiwan's military scrambled fighters and readied missile defenses after 27 Chinese aircraft entered its air defense zone Sunday, Reuters reports.
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) had launched a wave of similar incursions in early October. This latest provocation included 18 fighters, 6 bombers, and an aerial refueling aircraft. The PLAAF is currently working to improve its aerial refueling capabilities.
Chinese public opinion and political rhetoric have become increasingly bellicose in recent months, according to The New York Post, with some observers fearing that the People's Republic may be laying the groundwork for an invasion of Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a rebel province. The opinion, long-held by many foreign policy experts, that China would prefer to wait for conditions more favorable to peaceful reintegration is seemingly becoming less tenable as the nation has recently "ratcheted up military threats against the self-governing island," Military.com wrote in October.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Last month, President Joe Biden reiterated the United States' commitment to defending Taiwan against Chinese invasion, but whether the United States could win such a hypothetical conflict is another matter: In the autumn of 2020, the U.S. Air Force held a war game that simulated a conflict with China over Taiwan, and the American forces were soundly defeated.
Defense writer Michael Puttré, however, argues in Discourse that, with American support, Taiwan can expect to successfully repel any invasion attempted by China. He even suggests that the kind of large-scale amphibious invasion China would need to carry out may well be impossible if opposed by an enemy with modern weapons. No comparable invasion has been attempted since 1950.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?
Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Marine Le Pen's fake jobs trial
The Explainer The far-right French leader could face a fine, jail time, and a five-year ban from public office if found guilty of embezzlement
By Abby Wilson Published
-
How to earn extra cash for Christmas
The Explainer The holiday season can be expensive but there are ways to bolster your festive finances
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
The teenage 'maths prodigy' who turned out to be a cheat
Under The Radar Jiang Ping defied expectations in a global competition but something wasn't right
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Why China's young people are rejecting marriage
The Explainer Changing attitudes and a slowing economy are contributing to a slump in weddings
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Did the Covid virus leak from a lab?
The Explainer Once dismissed as a conspiracy theory, the idea that Covid-19 originated in a virology lab in Wuhan now has many adherents
By The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published