After taking office on May 20, President and Vice President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Lai Ching-te and Hsiao Mei-chin, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched military exercises surrounding Taiwan on the 23rd. In response, experts believe that the ROC military’s anti-blockade capabilities can crush the enemy, and have put forward five suggestions to counter the CCP’s military actions.
Peng Jieshen, former instructor of the ROC Marine Corps Anti-Plundering Team and former lecturer at the Thunder God Consulting Company, told Dajiyuan that the CCP recently engaged in intimidation and threats against Taiwan before President Lai Ching-te’s inauguration on “520.” By unilaterally canceling the 503 flight route, initiating the W122 and W123 flight routes, attempting to shorten Taiwan’s air defense warning time, and using the incident of a CCP fast boat illegally entering Taiwan’s restricted waters in the Kinmen-Xiamen sea area resulting in two deaths as an excuse, CCP naval and maritime patrol ships repeatedly entered Taiwan’s restricted waters of outlying islands, attempting to challenge Taiwan’s jurisdiction over its sea and airspace.
Peng Jieshen mentioned that after President Lai stated in his inauguration speech that the Republic of China (ROC) and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, the CCP saw that its threats were ineffective. As a result, the CCP’s Eastern Theater Command announced military exercises, titled “Joint Sword-2024A Training,” conducted in the waters surrounding Taiwan and the Kinmen Islands on the 23rd and 24th, planning five exercise zones in the sea areas surrounding Taiwan.
In response, the ROC Ministry of National Defense announced on the 23rd at 8 p.m. that since 7:20 a.m., they had detected 49 instances of CCP aircraft conducting sea activities, with 35 instances crossing the median line and its extension into the northern, central, and southwestern airspace, coordinated with CCP ships performing military exercises.
Peng Jieshen pointed out that the purpose of CCP’s military exercises this time, though to secure air and sea control on the battlefield, relies on whether the various military branches purged by Xi Jinping over the years and the newly appointed CCP commanders lacking operational experience can command multiple branches of the military in a coordinated manner, as well as whether their command and control systems are mature in battlefield operations, serving as the CCP’s biggest test during the military exercises.
He noted that while the CCP aims to dominate the battlefield space and seas, the ROC Ministry of National Defense firmly declared to the people that the military is not afraid of the adversary and will not fear tyranny. The joint operations of the three armed forces and the Coast Guard vessels and the ship-to-ship missile (referred to as missiles in Taiwan) vehicles are prepared to respond.
Drawing from a video provided by the Taiwan Coast Guard, he stressed the importance of the Coast Guard’s Vigorous Lan ship, which, located 24 nautical miles from the Pengjia Islet, in carrying out eviction missions, sternly broadcast to the CCP Yiyang missile frigate, “Your actions will severely disrupt the peace, stability, and safety in the Taiwan Strait, increasing security risks. Please adjust your course immediately. If you insist on entering the 24 nautical miles adjacent to Taiwan, we will take evasive action!” Following the broadcast, the CCP vessel finally turned and left! “The strong protection of our maritime and airspace by the ROC military is worthy of the admiration and praise of the people!”
Regarding the CCP’s military exercises surrounding Taiwan, Peng Jieshen proposed five suggestions:
Firstly, as four CCP vessels conducted maneuvers in the waters off Hualien in eastern Taiwan, approaching within the 24-nautical-mile contiguous zone of Taiwan, their intention to target the Hualien Chia Shan Base is evident. In a real combat scenario, the CCP may concentrate greater forces in this area, such as the aircraft carrier 075 and submarines.
The ROC military should seize this opportunity to practice anti-blockade tactics as a countermeasure, with the navy engaging in standoff monitoring with large vessels and using multiple Kuang-6 fast boats to swiftly approach the enemy fleet from the north and south, creating dual interference to induce the enemy ships to change formation in preparation for a ROC attack. Meanwhile, the Tuojiang-class ship should swiftly maneuver to the rear of the enemy fleet for a four-sided encirclement, demonstrating a small force strategy in maritime guerrilla warfare exercises.
Furthermore, Taiwanese submarines should seize the opportunity for underwater attacks and expand their military achievements. This not only hones the skills and courage of the ROC Navy’s junior officers and soldiers but also sends a clear message to the CCP of the ROC military’s determination to defend the sovereignty of the Republic of China, no longer passively accepting standoff situations with the CCP.
Secondly, while the CCP conducts military exercises on islands such as Kinmen, Matsu, and Wushu, their primary objective is to target the Marine Corps company stationed on Wushu, a tactic commonly used by the CCP attempting to concentrate superior forces to defeat enemy elite troops, thus destroying the enemy’s morale and confidence.
Drawing comparisons, he mentioned historic battles such as the Menglianggu Battle during the Chinese Civil War, where the CCP utilized human wave tactics to defeat the ROC’s leading general Zhang Lingfu’s division. Similarly, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War, Mao Zedong mobilized approximately five armies to defeat the US Marine 1st Division, resulting in heavy casualties for the CCP and a successful breakout for the US Marines and 100,000 Korean refugees.
Facing the CCP’s conventional tactics, he advises that in the event of cross-strait conflict, the goal may be to defend the ROC Marine Corps company stationed on Wushu, recommending the ROC military employ long-range precision missiles and anti-ship missiles to support the garrison on Wushu, aiding the Marine Corps in defending against powerful adversaries.
Thirdly, in light of the CCP’s encirclement in the waters surrounding Taiwan, forming five separate zones, he suggests that the ROC military should conduct anti-blockade exercises and incorporate them into the annual Han Kuang military drills.
Fourthly, given that the CCP is attempting to blockade Taiwan with military exercises in the waters surrounding the ROC, the critical chokepoint is the Bashi Channel. As the US Marine Corps has constructed positions and stockpiled ammunition on the Pratas Islands, effective interception of the CCP’s encirclement of the eastern coast of Taiwan requires cooperation with the US and Philippines for mission coordination.
Fifthly, since the Japanese government acknowledges that “if Taiwan has a problem, Japan also has a problem,” the ROC Ministry of National Defense should negotiate with Japan to promote joint anti-blockade efforts under the principle of “One country in trouble, all countries in the Indo-Pacific region are in trouble.” This would involve Japan leading requests for Indo-Pacific countries in their own territorial waters, such as the Sea of Japan, Miyako Strait, Bashi Channel, South China Sea, Gulf of Thailand, and Malacca Strait, to conduct simultaneous distant anti-blockade military exercises when the CCP mobilizes or blockades a certain country in the Indo-Pacific region.
Such collaboration could help neutralize the CCP’s numerical advantage in warships, block sea routes to Guangzhou and Shanghai, and exhibit the determination of Indo-Pacific countries to resist CCP aggression, effectively thwarting CCP’s expansionist ambitions and ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.