Before we can come to any conclusions about mainland China’s anti-access and area denial tactics,we have to understand what genuine motivations they might have. As well as being a plan to reclaim Taiwan or keep the US away, it could also be a trap set up to provoke the Americans, via a doctrine officially known as “Surrounding One Target to Attack another”. No matter what their intentions, we have to appreciate the fact that China has thousands of years of history which will no doubt have an
effect on their decision making. The Chinese are proud of their history and philosophy and will tap into this wisdom for inspiration and guidance. As a result of the same history and philosophy, we people on
the other side of the Taiwan Strait will no doubt understand that if we can not figure out the true intention of mainland China’s anti-access and area denial tactics, sooner or later when surprises emerge,and the US, a strong ally of Taiwan, will pay the price.