By learning from history, in World War II, without landing on the Japanese mainland, Japan announced its unconditional surrender. At that time, there were still 7 million troops in Japan itself, and the number of Japanese invading forces and puppet troops in southern China exceeded 2 million. What dealt a fatal blow to Japan was the Allied forces, especially the US naval and air power's complete blockade of the Japanese mainland, which halted the supply of industrial resources to Japan itself, preventing it from participating in wartime operations. This was fatal to resource-scarce islands and regions dependent on external imports.
Taiwan Island is surrounded by sea. The offshore areas it controls are limited to Kinmen, Matsu, the Penghu Islands, and islands like Lan Yu along the east coast. Its survival environment is closely related to the ocean, and it is highly sensitive to the safety of sea and air routes. The Taiwan independence separatist forces are very clear about this - cutting off their connections with the outside world will render them powerless without even fighting.
During wartime, the main direction of US aid to Taiwan will be towards Japan and the Philippines. Due to the massive resources that mainland China can commit, the US even needs to allocate forces from its homeland to support these two directions. The distance from the southern end of the Japanese mainland at Kagoshima to Taipei, Taiwan Province exceeds 1,100 kilometers. In this direction, our army has a significant advantage. The distance from Wenzhou to Yonaguni Island is also less than 500 kilometers. Chinese Air Force fighters are long-range aircraft capable of staying in the air over this area for quite some time. In terms of naval forces, the East Sea Fleet only needs 700 kilometers to advance to the Miyako Strait. Equipped with Aegis ships carrying shipborne area air defense systems under the cover of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, they can cover airspace over Okinawa Islands. Considering the insufficient war-bearing capacity of the island chains and the long route via the Alaska direction, this direction is unprofitable for Americans.
Then, the Philippine island of Luzon, with an area of more than 100,000 square kilometers, will be a relatively ideal forward position for the US military. Its established supply line should extend from the US homeland through Hawaii-Marshall Islands-Northern Mariana Islands-Philippines, and obtain logistical support in the Philippines to contest control of the Balintang Channel and the Bashi Strait, with subsequent extensions reaching the waters east of Shantou and the southern Taiwan Sea.
Why in the South Taiwan Sea area? Because there is a key place, the Penghu Islands, in this direction. If the PLA needs to conduct a landing operation, considering that the transportation facilities on Taiwan Island are mainly on the west coast, modern military equipment relies heavily on infrastructure deployment. Whether it is a cross-sea landing or airborne operations, the flanks will be exposed to the firing range of the defending forces on the Penghu Islands.
In fact, this is already an open secret for both sides. The US has announced the reconstruction of airports and facilities on Tinian Island in the Northern Mariana Islands, where bombing missions against Japan took place during World War II. The implications are self-evident. Meanwhile, our military has repeatedly conducted large-scale flights through the Bashi Strait/Balintang Strait during exercises and training. The Shandong aircraft carrier strike group and the Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group, equipped with 055-class ten-thousand-ton destroyers and 052D-class missile destroyers, have circumnavigated the Philippines multiple times. During these voyages, carrier-based fighter jets were launched to simulate the competition for air superiority and maritime superiority in the Philippine Sea.
Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7489744699478065679/
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