Taiwan is ‘God’s gift’ to defend from China but it will need allies’ help

A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would present Beijing with a multitude of challenges despite the awesome superiority in ground, air, naval and missile forces of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Taiwan’s topography is the greatest obstacle to an invading amphibious force, with sheer mountains rising from the beaches and a series of heavily fortified mini-island outposts that would pose a serious threat to PLA warships. The Taiwan Strait is also mined.

In terms of firepower and combat capability, the PLA has everything at its disposal to overwhelm Taiwanese forces, including thousands of short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles and a massed array of fighter aircraft and bombers. China’s fifth-generation Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter, also known as the Mighty Dragon, has capabilities unmatched by Taiwan’s advanced F-16V