Asia | An interview with Admiral Tang Hua

China is using an “anaconda strategy” to squeeze Taiwan

Taiwan’s navy commander warns that his forces are increasingly strained

Taiwan Navy Commander Tang Hua
No choking matterPhotograph: Reuters
|TAIPEI

China’s dislike of Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te is no secret. Chinese authorities call him a stubborn, confrontational “separatist” who may provoke war in the Taiwan Strait. But since Mr Lai’s election in May, it is China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) that has been raising the chances of conflict by deploying more air and naval craft around Taiwan. “The PLA is using an ‘anaconda strategy’ to squeeze the island,” says Admiral Tang Hua, Taiwan’s navy commander.

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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “China’s anaconda strategy”

From the October 5th 2024 edition

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