Deterrence or War in the Taiwan Strait?

ASCF REPORT, March 5, 2025
Three interesting, and potentially explosive, developments occurred as February came to a close: Taiwan (ROC) finally answered the PRC’s gray-zone attacks by intercepting and detaining the Chinese crew of a Togo-flagged cargo ship, after the ship severed undersea fiber-optic cables connecting Taiwan with the world. Two days earlier, a U.S. general was spotted participating in a table-top military exercise in Taiwan, alongside Taiwan’s defense minister and top military officers. And two days before that, Taiwan leaked photos of ROC fighter-jets testing a new anti-ship missile. In short, it seems the U.S. and ROC are signaling Beijing…