Taipei, Aug 3 (IANS) The possibility of China’s invasion of Taiwan is a scenario openly practised in military exercises launched by Beijing and based in its political doctrine. Taiwan cannot depend only on its distant allies, and its survival relies on having a defence partnership with Japan, a report has detailed.
“For Taiwan, survival depends not only on its own resilience but on the strength of its alliances. Among potential partners, Japan stands out as the most proximate, capable and politically aligned actor. Taiwan must therefore deepen its defence linkages with Japan, not as a symbolic gesture, but as a strategic necessity,” Khedroob Thondup, nephew of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, wrote in a report in the European Times.
Taiwan and Japan are bound geographically. The Ryukyu Islands stretch from Kyushu to Taiwan, creating a natural corridor through which any Chinese military operation would pass. Japan’s southern flank would be exposed, and its sea lines would be threatened if Taiwan were to falter.
Similarly, Taiwan will become isolated if Japan falls, implying that their fates and defence are intertwined. A closer defence framework between Japan and Taiwan would bolster deterrence by complicating China’s calculus and increasing the costs of aggression.
Taiwan and Japan should conduct regular joint exercises to improve interoperability between their forces, enhance intelligence sharing on Chinese military activities, create coordinated logistics and contingency planning for a prolonged conflict, and legal frameworks that would facilitate the deployment of Japanese forces backing Taiwan’s defence, the report in the European Times mentioned.
“Taiwan cannot afford to rely solely on distant allies. Its survival depends on forging a defence partnership with Japan that is as practical as it is political. For Japan, defending Taiwan means defending itself. For Taiwan, linking arms with Japan is the clearest path to deterrence. The time for ambiguity has passed. The time to deepen practical defence cooperation is now,” wrote Thondup.
Last month, Taiwan criticised the China Coast Guard (CCG) for patrolling east of the island, terming the action an unlawful expansion of authority in contravention of international law and posing a threat to regional stability. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said that China has no sovereignty, jurisdiction, or law enforcement authority in waters east of Taiwan, Taipei Times reported.
In a statement, the MAC said: “Repeating an illegal act does not make it lawful, nor will such actions gain international recognition.” The MAC’s statement came after China announced the launch of a new coast guard patrol east of Taiwan.
The MAC said that Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and all government agencies would take necessary measures to protect the nation’s sovereignty and ensure the security of its surrounding waters in response to what it termed China’s increasing destabilising actions.
It further said that Taiwan will continue to work with its democratic partners to uphold freedom of navigation and the security of regional sea lanes while firmly opposing any attempts to change the international order through force or coercion.
–IANS
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