How Would China Take Over Taiwan? One of These 5 Strategies
- Xi’s military has options ranging from stepped up coercion to an outright invasion of the island ...

... Xi’s preferred option is the one he’s pursuing right now: Coercion below the threshold of war ...

... Taiwan isn’t one island. It is a collection of islands, some of which are within swimming distance of the mainland. During the 1950s, Mao Zedong’s forces shelled two of those islands, Kinmen and Matsu, triggering crises with the US. Mao backed down, and the islands are still under Taipei’s control. But they — and their 140,000 residents — probably aren’t defensible if the PLA attacks, perhaps by using subterfuge such as a supposed humanitarian crisis to put its forces ashore ...

... A third option would be the blockade. In this scenario, Xi would seize upon some pretext to cut Taiwan off from the outside world ...

... If a blockade isn’t sufficient, China might choose a fourth option — bombardment ...

... The fifth and final option is the nightmare scenario. A full-scale invasion would likely begin with a massive airstrike against Taiwan’s armed forces and critical infrastructure, coupled with sabotage and attempts to assassinate its leadership ...