Taiwan Faces China Threats From Sea and Cyber

China’s “shooting drills” and cyberattacks pose dangers for Taiwan - and possible lessons for the U.S.

Two KH-6 Fast Attack Missile Boats sail in formation during a combat readiness exercise at the Zuoying Naval Base in Kaohsiung on January 9, 2025 (Photo by I-HWA CHENG/AFP via Getty Images)

EXPERT INTERVIEW — While much of the world’s attention in recent weeks has been on Europe, and the U.S. tilt to Russia in its pursuit for an end to the war in Ukraine, tensions remain high in a hotspot on the other side of the globe: Taiwan. 

Officials in China and Taiwan are tracking the situation in Ukraine with a focus on how the Trump administration’s approach there might signal a U.S. response in the event of a conflict with China. But in many ways, the self-governing island, which is claimed by Beijing, is feeling the heat right now. Taiwan’s defense ministry said Wednesday that China’s People’s Liberation Army had begun unannounced life-fire naval drills off Taiwan’s southwestern coast. The ministry said the “shooting drills” – just 40 nautical miles from the Taiwanese municipality of Kaohsiung – endanger commercial aviation and shipping, and “present an open provocation to regional security and stability.” 

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