TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A report released by the US Department of Defense on Wednesday said that China is taking steps to prepare for an invasion of Taiwan.
The report titled “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC) 2024," said that last year Beijing “continued to erode longstanding norms in and around Taiwan by employing a range of pressure tactics against Taiwan.”
The document warned the PLA is preparing a “contingency to unify Taiwan” with China via military might if deemed necessary by Beijing while also “deterring, delaying, or denying any third-party intervention on Taiwan’s behalf.”
It added that China has launched a comprehensive campaign to pressure the Lai administration and show disapproval of closer US-Taiwan ties.
According to the report, China has a range of options to coerce Taipei. Examples include a joint blockade campaign, a limited force campaign, joint firepower strikes, and an amphibious invasion.
The report pointed out that an amphibious invasion of Taiwan would be “one of the most complicated and difficult military operations for the PLA.” Nevertheless, it said PLA amphibious brigades in 2023 carried out “realistic, large-scale amphibious operations that are almost certainly aimed at supporting a Taiwan invasion scenario.”
The authors said that although the PLA does not have enough landing ships for an invasion of Taiwan, it may have sufficient capabilities augmented by civilian lift vessels and helicopters. The PLA may also trust in the shipbuilding industry's capacity to produce ship-to-shore connectors quickly.
The report noted that last year the PLA navy transferred 300 land-based fighter jets to the air force to focus on improving carrier-based air operations. Meanwhile, the PLA rocket force is prepared to launch “missile attacks against high-value targets” in Taiwan to “degrade Taiwan’s defenses, neutralize Taiwan’s leadership, or break the public’s will to fight.”
However, the report also observed that Taiwan is taking measures to address this threat by building its war reserve stocks and noncommissioned officer corps. Taiwan's 2023 defense report, meanwhile, emphasized the importance of bolstering asymmetric and joint capabilities to deter invasion.