Taiwan tests response to Chinese blockade built on legal pressure

Taiwan ran a tabletop exercise simulating a Chinese maritime blockade built on approvals, inspections and seizures rather than missiles or tanks. The drill, presented at a meeting of President Lai Ching-te’s Whole-of-Society Defence Resilience Committee, tested how the government would respond if Beijing tried to choke off shipping to and from the island through legal and administrative pressure.

National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lii Wen said the exercise was carried out earlier Thursday. In the scenario, China’s Coast Guard first demanded that ships entering or leaving Taiwanese ports seek Beijing’s approval, then escalated to boardings, searches and seizures of vessels. The drill also imagined declarations being filed through the China International Trade Single Window, a trade-portal system.

The response plan was built in layers. Taiwan’s coast guard would take the front line, the military would move immediately to combat readiness, and ministries would launch diplomatic and information campaigns arguing that the pressure violated international law and freedom of navigation. Taiwan depends heavily on shipping for commerce and imports.

Lai created the Whole-of-Society Defence Resilience Committee on June 19, 2024, with Bi-khim Hsiao, Pan Men-an and Joseph Wu as deputy conveners. The committee coordinates military planning, civil defense, government continuity and public messaging.

The United States, Britain, France and Germany raised concerns on Wednesday over recent Chinese coast guard activity off Taiwan’s east coast, warning that the patrols threatened regional stability and freedom of navigation. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that about $2.45 trillion in goods, more than one-fifth of global maritime trade, crossed the Taiwan Strait in 2022.