Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Tensions between the US and China continue to escalate, with the Taiwan issue at the heart of potential conflict.

The US-based RAND Corp think tank on Wednesday published a report titled Thinking Through Protracted War With China, which analyzed the forms a US-China war could take. The report envisions nine potential scenarios — ranging from proxy wars to direct conflict — two of which directly involve Taiwan.

In the first scenario involving Taiwan, China attempts to seize Taiwan through a naval blockade and launches an amphibious invasion. After the US intervenes, the armed conflict reaches a stalemate; both sides see catastrophic losses and are unable to achieve victory through military means.

Tomorrow is the 78th anniversary of the 228 Incident. On Monday, at a meeting with the Overseas 2-28 Survivors Homecoming Group at the Presidential Office, President William Lai (賴清德) spoke of the importance of protecting the nation’s freedom and sovereignty.

The 228 Incident is in the past, but the generational trauma exists in the present. The imperative to protect the nation’s sovereignty and liberty from Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aggression will remain for the foreseeable future.

The chaos and budget cuts in the legislature threaten the endeavor. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have worked together to slash the central government’s budget, including the national defense budget, severely restricting its ability to make the required increases in defense spending.