Tensions between China and Taiwan have reached alarming heights as a surge in military activity from Beijing heightens the possibility of warfare. A key instigator is the 2024 election of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who describes himself  as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence.” Lai’s election coincides with an exacerbation in Chinese aggression, including a 300 percent increase in military flights around Taiwan since May and a major October drill involving Chinese army, navy, air, and rocket forces that encircled the island. Most recently, in early November, over 35 Chinese military aircraft, including nuclear-capable H-6 bombers and drones, were detected flying to the south of Taiwan for two consecutive days.

This past Wednesday, a Japanese warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait for the first time. Government officials reported to Yomiuri Shimbun that the JS Sazanami would complete exercises within the South China Sea, a territory contended between China and Taiwan. 

In a televised meeting on Thursday, plans for a 2024 unity ticket between two of Taiwan’s major political parties fell apart due to disagreements over which candidate would top the ticket.

On Nov. 15, Taiwan’s two main opposition parties in the 2024 presidential election agreed to a joint presidential ticket that may have serious implications for the outcome of the elections and the trajectory of Taiwan. The landmark election will take place on Jan. 13, 2024, and may alter Taiwanese independence for decades to come.

The panel hosted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies discussed the statements made from the aforementioned military forum, as well as recent military developments in China’s People’s Liberation Army, otherwise known as the PLA, as per a recent report released by the United States Secretary of Defense.

Countries all around the world are watching the war between Israel and Hamas — and Taiwan is no exception.