Targeting Taiwan: Beijing’s Playbook for Economic and Cyber Warfare

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to “reintegrate Taiwan,” effectively stripping the Taiwanese people of their de facto independence. Achieving this takeover with minimal military action and limited long-term damage to Taiwan’s infrastructure and economy would offer the CCP substantial economic, diplomatic, and military advantages. A well-executed, well-resourced, and well-timed cyber-enabled economic coercion campaign could provide the CCP with such an opportunity.

To explore these threats, a delegation of FDD experts recently visited Taiwan to conduct war games and tabletop exercises (TTXs). These simulations were designed to evaluate the most salient and dangerous threat scenarios posed by the CCP to the Taiwanese people. The TTX involved 20 participants, primarily from Taiwanese banking and finance sectors, who simulated the roles of senior policymakers in Taiwan, the United States, and China. They assessed the most likely and perilous actions the CCP could take to isolate and coerce Taiwan short of outright war

The TTX produced several key recommendations to enhance economic, cyber, and societal resilience, and offered insights into how the United States and its allies can support Taiwan in its struggle for autonomy. To discuss these findings, FDD’s Craig Singleton and RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery are joined by Ti-Chen Chen of the Taiwan Academy of Banking and Finance and Ben Jensen of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Lili Pike of Foreign Policy will moderate the discussion and FDD Founder and President Cliff May, who headed the delegation to Taiwan, will deliver introductory remarks.

For more, check out: fdd.org/events/2024/10/04/targeting-taiwan-beijings-playbook-for-economic-and-cyber-warfare/