TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A disturbing military strategy targeting Taiwan's critical infrastructure has been detailed in a Chinese military publication, according to a Monday (May 26) report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP, 南華早報). The Hong Kong-based newspaper revealed that Naval and Merchant Ships (艦船知識), a magazine with ties to China's defense industry, outlined how Beijing could potentially cripple Taiwan by striking just 30 to 40 key infrastructure sites, achieving strategic objectives without launching a full-scale invasion.
According to the SCMP analysis, military planners identified weekday afternoons in the pre-typhoon summer period as optimal timing for such operations. The strategy envisions simultaneous strikes against Taiwan's power grid, water supply, transportation networks, and internet infrastructure to create widespread societal disruption. Taiwan's vulnerability stems from its heavy dependence on imported energy and materials, the report explained, making its tightly interconnected infrastructure systems particularly susceptible to what Chinese military strategists term "city blackout warfare."
The SCMP report detailed Taiwan's energy vulnerabilities, noting that thermal power plants generate approximately 78% of the island's electricity, while nuclear facilities contribute another 11%. Taiwan imports nearly 98% of the raw materials needed for power generation, creating a strategic weakness. Military simulations cited in the Chinese magazine claimed that coordinated strikes on just three critical power substations would trigger a catastrophic blackout across northern Taiwan with a staggering 99.7% probability of success.
The analysis suggests that precisely timed infrastructure attacks could amplify system failures, accelerating the collapse of water supplies, transportation networks, and healthcare services by up to 40% and effectively halting daily life across Taiwan. While the SCMP cautioned that the military magazine may not represent Beijing's official policy, the report noted disturbing parallels between these theoretical scenarios and actual People's Liberation Army (PLA, 解放軍, China's military) exercises conducted in April, which appeared to target facilities resembling Taiwan's largest liquefied natural gas terminal. ◼
