China Eyes Taiwan’s Outer Islands as First Step in Reunification
Taiwan’s outer island residents and government officials fear they will likely be the first military objective of its People’s Liberation Army in any future armed conflict with China. The islands, Kinmen and Matsu, are only about three miles from the Chinese city of Xiamen, yet 124 miles from Taiwan.
Analyst Comment: Taiwan’s Pratas Islands are also a likely initial military objective, located only 160 miles southeast of Hong Kong but 276 miles from the southern end of Taiwan. Both sets of Islands are claimed by China but have been under the control of Taiwan since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. The Pelosi visit to Taiwan has put China’s President Xi Jinping in a position of weakness only months prior to November’s Chinese Communist Party Congress. The Pelosi visit was also watched live via state-backed news feeds by a considerable portion of the Chinese population, and China’s unwillingness to stop her from reaching Taiwan has been a source of nationalist disappointment on Chinese social media. To win a third term as Party Chairman, Xi may need to conduct some type of face-saving maneuver, in addition to the large-scale PLA exercises of the past two weeks. The islands are lightly defended, and militarily speaking, they are low-hanging fruit. Either way, China cannot allow the islands to remain under Taiwan’s control if it seeks to force a reunification, whether that be by a coercive embargo or outright invasion.
by vtgothic 
