ABSTRACT
The degradation of cross-Strait relations since the mid-2010s has rekindled fears that Beijing could conclude that the time has come for the People’s Republic of China to impose a definitive solution to the Taiwan question. While the possibility of war is hardly a new feature of cross-Strait relations, Taipei faces today daunting challenges as the People’s Liberation Army reaps the benefits of a decades-long military modernization process. Confronted with a much stronger adversary, Taiwan has started exploring what official documents term ‘asymmetric’ and ‘innovative’ alternatives to guarantee its security. This chapter explores Taiwan’s response to an evolving Chinese threat and the options that are still available to Taipei. It argues that while Taipei has taken significant steps towards a strategy of denial, it is still far from having developed the type of forces that would optimally support such a strategy.
