Expert urges Taiwan, Philippines, Australia to team up on security

Taipei, March 2 (CNA) A Taipei-based defense expert has warned that China is increasingly seeking to project its power in the southern flank of the first island chain and urged Taiwan to beef up cooperation with the Philippines and Australia to defend it.

The appeal, made by Huang Chung-ting (黃宗鼎), a researcher with the military-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research, came after the People's Liberation Army (PLA) held live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand last week.

PLA warships traveled to the Tasman Sea after passing through waters south of the Philippines and conducted live-fire exercises there on Feb. 21 and 22 without notifying the two Oceanic countries in advance, drawing concerns from their leaders.

Given the importance of the waterways used by the PLA warships to global trade, including Taiwan's imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), PLA control of those routes and blocking LNG carriers could deal a huge blow to Taiwan, Huang argued in an analysis posted on Feb. 27.

Having Taiwan strengthen intelligence-sharing with the Philippines, in particular with the Western Mindanao Command, and with Australia, would be advisable, Huang argued, to confront the possible emergence of military confrontation in this region.

That sharing of intelligence should complement Taiwan's existing intelligence sharing operations with its two biggest allies in the region, Japan and the United States, he said.

The first island chain starts from Japan and extends southbound to Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

Conceptually these islands and nations form the first line of defense against China in the U.S. strategic posture in the Indo-Pacific region, with Taiwan sitting in a key location in the chain.

Australia and New Zealand represent part of the third island chain, but in his analysis, Huang said the PLA drills in the Tasman Strait were diverting attention from China's threat in the southern part of the first island chain, to Taiwan's detriment.

Huang said the route sailed by PLA warships to the Tasman Sea for the drills, which included passing through the Philippines' Mindoro Strait and the Basilan Strait from the South China Sea, "broke through" the southern part of the first island chain.

This followed a sustained deployment in the region since the spring of 2024, Huang said, enabled in part by the completion of major infrastructure on South China Sea atolls, allowing China to significantly expand its overseas military footprint.

These projections of power all reflect the PLA's attempt to take control of the Sulu Sea between the Philippines and Malaysia in an attempt to contain the U.S.' presence in the region, Huang contended.

They also showed the PLA's desire to secure an alternative sea lane to the Malacca Strait in case a war breaks out in the region as well as develop the ability to threaten the sea lanes Taiwan depends on for energy imports, Huang said.

Taiwan imports 98 percent of its LNG, and if the PLA were to control these key sea lanes, Taiwan's war time resilience could be seriously undermined as around 60 percent of its total LNG imports come from Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia via the southern part of the first island chain, Huang said.

Should the PLA be able to harass or block LNG carriers at that chokepoint as part of an offensive against Taiwan, Beijing could hurt the morale of Taiwan's people and the credibility of its government without having to blockade or isolate Taiwan, Huang said.

Stepping up intelligence exchanges with the Philippines and Australia would put greater emphasis on the issue of the "backyard become the front line," Huang concluded.