CHINA’S TAKE OVER OF TAIWAN COULD HAVE “REVOLUTIONARY IMPACT” ON U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY
If China takes over Taiwan, it would be “the most revolutionary situation in security terms in East Asia since the rise of Japanese power in the 1930s and the outbreak of World War II”, according to Peter Enav, Editor of the Taiwan Strait Risk Report.
Enav emphasized that President Donald Trump’s decision to support Taiwan or accede to a Chinese take-over is a critical national security question.
Reflecting concerns in Japan, a January Nikkei Asia report worries that in upcoming negotiations between the Trump Administration and China: “Beijing may request that the U.S. change its wording on Taiwan, shifting, for instance, from “not supporting” Taiwanese independence to “opposing ” it.” [1]
Enav warned that increased Chinese pressure on Taiwan could lead to restrictions on ocean shipping to the island, higher marine insurance rates and possible restrictions on the sale of high-end semiconductors, made in Taiwan, to the United States.
Enav spoke at a Propeller Club of Northern California webinar produced in cooperation with the California State University Maritime Academy on January 21, 2025.