The action immediately raised questions under international law about whether it amounts to an act of war. In the Indo-Pacific region, military planners have long feared that China might use a naval blockade to coerce democratically governed Taiwan to accept Beijing’s rule. Taiwanese officials have said a Chinese blockade of Taiwan would be an act of war and have far-reaching consequences for international trade. Washington, which opposes unilateral changes to the “status quo” over Taiwan, would say that Chinese naval encirclement of Taiwan would amount to a blockade. “A US blockade would undermine our ability to criticize a Chinese blockade of Taiwan,” Sterio said.

Source: Taipei Times December 20, 2025 17:14 UTC