The Wall Street Journal:

China’s armed forces are capable of blockading Taiwan, a senior U.S. Navy official said, noting the size of the country’s navy, which is the world’s largest and growing fast.

“If they want to bully and put ships around Taiwan, they very much can do that,” Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, said in a Wall Street Journal interview.

China conducted military drills in August that sought to demonstrate its ability to blockade Taiwan, which China sees as part of its territory. The drills came in response to a visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island in August. By using a blockade, military analysts say, Beijing could try to force submission by Taiwan’s leaders without an invasion.

For decades, Washington has maintained a policy of strategic ambiguity, not saying whether it would directly intervene in a conflict. Though the White House says that policy hasn’t changed, President Biden has said the U.S. would defend Tai- wan if China tried to invade.

Click here to read more