Why China Will Blockade, Not Invade, Taiwan

China’s October 14 “Joint Sword 2024B” military exercise, the fourth large exercise near Taiwan in the last two years, It reconfirmed Beijing’s vow to use force if necessary to compel Taiwan to join the People’s Republic of China (PRC) against the will of Taiwan’s people. Blockade eschews win-loss invasion risk while keeping US in rules-of-engagement limbo for months or years while strangling island into submission.   PRC officials and media said the exercise was a reaction to an allegedly provocative Republic of China National Day speech given by Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te. That claim was clearly bogus. Lai’s speech was…