Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China

by Hal Brands

after watching China swallow Hong Kong, Taiwan’s government approved a 10 percent hike in military spending and a bold new defense strategy.43 Under this plan, Taiwan would acquire huge arsenals of mobile missile launchers, armed drones, and mines; prepare its army to surge tens of thousands of troops to any beach in an hour; back those regular forces with a million-strong reserve force trained to fight guerrilla-style in Taiwan’s cities, mountains, and jungles; and set up a huge network of shelters and massive stockpiles of fuel, medical supplies, food, and water for a population psychologically prepared to ride out a bloody conflict for months. “We will defend ourselves to the very last day,” Taiwan’s foreign minister declared.44 If this plan, which was bolstered by another supplemental defense spending package in 2021, is fully executed, it would make Taiwan extremely difficult to conquer.