With the world distracted, China intimidates Taiwan
Chinese warships and fighter jets are testing Taiwan’s defences
THE TANKS queued patiently with the cars, delivery trucks and bright yellow taxis before rolling serenely through the traffic lights. The drill, in Yuanshan, a town south-east of Taipei, was intended as practice at repelling a Chinese invasion. Some of the tanks, covered in webbing, hid in a copse, about as inconspicuously as is possible for a 50-tonne vehicle. The unit had good reason to be rehearsing. In recent months China has been rattling more sabres than usual at Taiwan, which it considers part of its territory. With covid-19 subsiding in China but consuming America, some in Taiwan feel vulnerable.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Strait and harrow”
Asia April 11th 2020
- Not even Singapore has been able to avoid a lockdown
- Uzbekistan is reforming its judicial system—up to a point
- With the world distracted, China intimidates Taiwan
- Japanese women rebel against painful dress codes
- An Australian court overturns a cardinal’s conviction for sexual abuse
- South Korea presses on with an election
- The eternal, fanciful allure of the South Pacific
From the April 11th 2020 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Asia
Taiwan’s political drama is paralysing its government
Domestic dysfunction plays right into China’s hands
An angry culture war surrounds Australia Day
Conservatives claim that wokeness is destroying the national holiday
The fate of a ranting driver raises doubts about the “new” Uzbekistan
It seems free speech is not so guaranteed after all
Indian politicians are becoming obsessed with doling out cash
Handouts are transforming the role of the state—perhaps for the worse
How to end the nightmare of Asia’s choked roads
The middle classes love cars but hate traffic
Can Donald Trump maintain Joe Biden’s network of Asian alliances?
Discipline and creativity will help, but so will China’s actions