The Chicom threat to Taiwan

 Telegraph:

On a cloudy April morning, with the world’s media distracted by an explosive leak of highly sensitive documents from the Pentagon, more than 100 Chinese warplanes and ships circled Taiwan.

The three-day onslaught earlier this month was not the beginning of war, but rather the latest in a series of increasingly aggressive military drills dubbed “United Sharp Sword” in which Beijing rehearsed a full-blown invasion of its tiny democratic neighbour.

China’s military, it confidently declared, was now “ready to fight”.

Xi Jinping’s latest war games, which came as the Pentagon leaks revealed a warning that Taiwan was unprepared to fend off an attack by China, were a timely reminder of the threat of a conflict that would further destabilise an increasingly fragile geopolitical situation.

But worsening relations with Beijing aside, there are growing fears that a war in the region would upend global supply chains and leave the West scrambling to get hold of crucial technology. Now, British companies are being urged to act.

Alicia Kearns, chair of the foreign affairs committee, says bosses “shouldn’t ignore” escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific.

“It is imperative that British companies begin a thorough review of their supply chain resilience strategies as they relate to China and Taiwan,” she adds.

Taiwan has long been a source of political tension as China attempts to assert its control over the small island nation. The threat from Beijing has intensified in recent months, with US military officials warning an attack could be imminent.

Admiral Philip Davidson, former head of the US Indo-Pacific command, has previously predicted that China will invade by 2027 – a timeframe now known as the “Davidson window”.
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The population of Taiwan mostly consists of people who fled China when the Chicoms took control or their descendants.  They will need significant resources to defend themselves against a Chinese attack.  It is not clear where they will get them, although Taiwan does appear to have a strong tech sector.