Taiwan Is Under Siege With or Without Tariffs
The trade war is ratcheting up tensions between Beijing and Washington. Taipei needs to be more prepared.
China can exploit cracks from Trump’s tariffs to pressure Taiwan.
Photographer: I-Hwa Cheng/BloombergIt makes sense to think that Donald Trump’s trade war is increasing the risk for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan because it adds pressure on Beijing. But the self-ruled island isn’t more vulnerable because of the tariffs. It’s already under siege from the mainland on multiple fronts.
Taipei has long been a geopolitical flashpoint. It now risks losing its hard-won autonomy if it doesn’t confront these threats with greater urgency. That means strengthening military capabilities, passing a long overdue defense budget, and preparing citizens for a possibly prolonged period of mainland aggression. It has already invested in missile defense systems and asymmetric weaponry, and extended the conscription service. But progress on these deterrence measures has been uneven.