Taiwanese military drills aim to break through mainland China's blockade! Deploying warships and coast guard vessels to escort oil tankers and LNG ships through the blockade.

According to media reports on April 12, Taiwan's military plans to conduct its first inter-departmental anti-maritime blockade exercise in the coming weeks. This drill will involve navy warships and Coast Guard Administration vessels, providing armed escorts for oil tankers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) ships entering Taiwan, simulating a breakout from potential maritime blockades by mainland Chinese warships and aircraft.

Upon release of the news, local media outlets quickly picked it up—but almost universally responded with criticism: Using warships and coast guard vessels as bodyguards for oil tankers? Isn't this clearly a suicide mission?

Taiwan’s domestic energy self-sufficiency rate is only around 2%, with external dependence exceeding 97%. Coal, crude oil, and natural gas are almost entirely imported. Natural gas now accounts for about 50% of electricity generation, with 80% of imported LNG used directly for power generation. Even more alarming is the issue of reserves.

Taiwan’s natural gas strategic stockpile lasts only about 11 days. While oil can be stored longer, natural gas—being a "just-in-time" resource—cannot sustain supply for long under pressure.

Taiwan’s LNG imports depend heavily on others’ goodwill. Qatar alone supplies nearly 40% of Taiwan’s LNG, and most of this gas must pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Should the strait be blocked, over 30% of Taiwan’s natural gas supply would immediately be cut off.

China has 99 coast guard vessels over 1,000 tons, 46 vessels over 3,000 tons, and two vessels over 10,000 tons. In contrast, Taiwan has only three coast guard vessels above 3,000 tons, none larger than 5,000 or 6,000 tons. China’s coast guard also operates missile frigates converted from naval vessels—over 2,000 tons, equipped with naval guns and helicopters—outmatching Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration in firepower by several levels.

Knowing such a huge disparity in strength, why push forward with this drill? In my view, the core purpose isn’t actually to “break through” a blockade—it’s primarily to calm domestic public sentiment and project external presence, sending a message to the U.S. and Japan: “I still matter; don’t abandon me.”

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862426064542732/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.