On October 16th, Xi Jinpin, the president of the People’s Republic of China, threatened to use force to take over Taiwan if necessary. President Biden responded to his threat saying that if China were to invade Taiwan, the United States would get involved and aid Taiwan in defending their country.

Statistics say that Xi Ping will likely win his next election, which will be his third service as the leader of China, this will give him more time to take Taiwan with negotiations or by force. Previous Chinese leaders said that the unification of China and Taiwan would be achieved over time, but now, the unification between the two countries is one of Xi Ping’s top priorities.

China has cut off communications with the Taiwanese government, which has ended years of trade between the two countries. Taiwan’s defense ministry stated that any Chinese military aircraft in Taiwan’s airspace would be counted as a first attack, and the east coast of Taiwan would be considered to be the front line during  the possible invasion. Lee Hsi Ming, Taiwan’s former chief of armed forces stated, “We don’t have much time to prepare ourselves, and our resources are far less than China’s. It’s an extreme imbalance”

Chinese aircraft have been instructed to ignore Taiwan’s median line, which has been respected by both countries for several previous years. China has banned Taiwanese businesses from selling goods to China, which is a heavy hit to Taiwan’s economy, and will punish any Chinese citizens who disagree with this new policy. The Taiwanese military has been instructed to be ready for an attack at any moment.

Studies show that around 64% of Taiwan’s citizens are not worried about China invading, but many of them said that if there were to be a war, China would most certainly win. The increasing pressure that China has added to the situation is still making many Taiwanese citizens worried. Many are worried due to the fact that China has positioned navy ships off the coasts of Taiwan. Taiwan reacted by sending surveillance vehicles to monitor Chinese naval activity.

If China were to end up invading Taiwan, the world market would suffer due to Taiwan’s major role in trade. This would lead to negative effects with the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, it could also affect research on Covid treatments.

In conclusion, China is conducting military drills on the “reunification” of China and Taiwan through either peace or by force. If an invasion were to occur, it would have negative effects on the world and its economy.