China Could Quarantine Taiwan With Coast Guard to Undermine the Island’s Sovereignty: Report

Taiwan is at risk of ceding some of its autonomy to communist China should Beijing decide to inflict severe economic pain on the island via a “gray-zone” quarantine, according to experts from a Washington-based think tank. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in a report released earlier this month, warns that it is “more feasible” for the Chinese regime to quarantine Taiwan in the near future rather than to invade or blockade the self-ruled island. A quarantine is a “law enforcement-led operation to control maritime or air traffic within a specific area,” in other words, using customs rules to harass ships. Under a quarantine, the Chinese military “would play a supporting role.” In contrast, a blockade that stops all maritime traffic is considered an act of war under international law....