Tag: Kaohsiung

A Narrow Pacific Waterway is at the Heart of U.S. Plans to Choke China’s Vast Navy +

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Reuters reprint: A Narrow Pacific Waterway is at the Heart of U.S. Plans to Choke China’s Vast Navy

Until recently, locals say, this smallest and least populous province of the Philippines was a peaceful backwater. But geography dictates that it is now on the frontline of the great power competition between the United States and China for dominance in the Asia-Pacific region. The islands sit on the southern edge of the Bashi Channel, a major shipping lane between the Philippines and Taiwan that connects the South China Sea with the Western Pacific.

This year’s exercises revealed how the U.S. and its Philippine ally intend to use ground-based anti-ship missiles as part of efforts to deny the Chinese navy access to the Western Pacific by making this waterway impassable in a conflict, Reuters reporting shows. These missiles could also be used to attack a Chinese fleet attempting to invade Taiwan or mount a blockade against the democratically governed island.

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Recent Chinese maneuvers show how access to the Bashi Channel is critical for Beijing’s plans in the Pacific. In June, a powerful Chinese navy aircraft carrier battle group used this passage to enter the Western Pacific before launching an extended series of exercises south of Japan, according to Japanese military tracking data.

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Taiwan Issues Rare Confirmation That U.S. Special Operators Are Training On The Island (Updated)

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Taiwan Issues Rare Confirmation That U.S. Special Operators Are Training On The Island (Updated)

U.S. Marine Corps special operators from the Marine Raider Regiment recently began conducting drills on the island, Taiwan’s Naval Command confirmed to Taiwan News on November 9, 2020. While U.S. forces have trained in Taiwan, this fact has generally not been publicized by either American or Taiwanese officials since 1979. That year, the U.S. government officially recognized the Communist regime in Beijing as the sole legitimate authority in China and formally severed diplomatic ties with the Nationalist government in Taipei. At the same time, the United States has reserved the right to continue supporting Taiwan and its military until there is a final settlement over its status vis-a-vis the mainland.

This all suggests that a particular focus is being placed on infiltration and interdiction missions, as well as reconnaissance, reflected also in this latest exercise with the Raiders. In particular, in a conflict scenario, Taiwan is expected to deploy special operations teams to various islands in or near the Taiwan Strait from where they would be able to harass Chinese forces, delaying their advance, or perhaps even launching raids on the mainland. These forces could also act as an early warning force of an impending invasion via the collection of critical intelligence during clandestine amphibious operations.