China and the island of Taiwan have been in a period of heightened tension since early August following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei on Aug. 2.
How will their war arsenals fare in the event of a hypothetical armed conflict?
As you can see, the superiority of mainland China is immense in the diagrams below although we don’t seem to be on the brink of conflict in the region right now, according to analysts (read below):
1 of 3 infographic shows a comparison of forces between China and Taiwan — Photo: Arte/g1
Infographic shows comparison of forces between China and Taiwan — Photo: Arte/g1
International military analysts believe a possible direct attack from China could destroy more than half of Taiwan’s weapons within hours if forward planning targets the island’s air and sea bases.
Since it would be a confrontation in the Taiwan Straits (see map below), missiles, planes and ships would be the most relevant equipment.
The Chinese have more than 10 types of combat ships, from submarines to drone carriers (the first in the world), most of them equipped with the 3M22 Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile.
2 of 3 infographic shows the main Chinese weapons available in its arsenal — Photo: Arte/g1
Infographic shows the main Chinese weapons available in its arsenal — Photo: Arte/g1
Beijing does not recognize the island of 24 million as a state and is looking for ways to expand its influence and even take control of the territory.
China’s law obliges the country to act in the face of an impending threat to its territorial integrity. This arrangement is known as “One China”.
Should Beijing see its territory threatened, the constitution provides for the possibility of intervening militarily in the region at any time.
China is conducting missilelaunching exercises off Taiwan’s east coast
3 of 3 Chinese President Xi Jinping during an event June 30, 2022 — Photo: Selim Chtayti/Pool via Portal
Chinese President Xi Jinping during an event June 30, 2022 — Photo: Selim Chtayti/Pool via Portal
However, this is currently not likely. General Mark Milley, the top US military official, told the BBC in July that “there is no sign or indication” that a Chinese attack on Taiwan is imminent.
However, he cautioned that China is “clearly developing a capability” to strike, adding that the US is “watching very closely”.
“China is trying to warn the US and Taiwan not to take additional measures that challenge China’s borders,” Bonnie Glaser, Asia program director at the German Marshall Fund US, told Al Jazeera.
“The US and many other countries have their own ‘one China’ policy and they do not accept China’s ‘one China’ principle,” she said on social media.
Military and demographic superiority
Aside from having more resources to invest in its military, China has a far larger territory and population than Taiwan. While Taiwan has about 23 million inhabitants, China has 60 times more people on its territory (about 1.4 billion).
This is reflected in the number of active units within the country’s armed forces. China has more than 2 million deployed troops, while Taiwan has just 169,000, according to a BBC poll based on The Millitary Balance 2022 and data from the IISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies).
Despite its small population, Taiwan has more than three times as many reservists as China. However, in the event of a supposedly rapid move by China, these reservists could not immediately help in the fight.
Taiwan minister accuses China of planning island invasion after lengthy military drills
China and Taiwan have been separated since 1949, when Mao Zedong’s communist forces defeated the nationalists who took refuge on the island.
The Chinese consider the island one of their historical provinces, but do not control the territory.
The day before the war in Ukraine began, China’s Foreign Ministry said that “Taiwan is not Ukraine and has always been an inalienable part of China.”
The Chinese government refuses any contact between representatives of Taiwan and representatives of other countries. Since the election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ingwen in 2016, who advocates proTaiwan independence, the Chinese government has increased military and diplomatic pressure on the island.