A government notice for citizens to ‘stockpile daily necessities’ has sparked panic-buying and widespread concern that Beijing is preparing to move against Taiwan.
The directive was issued November 1st by China’s Commerce Ministry after a series of COVID outbreaks and heavy rains drove an increase in vegetable prices.
“Recent extreme weather events have hit crops in #China,” tweeted BBC’s China correspondent Stephen McDonell, who sought to ease public anxiety over the directive. “This has had an impact on supply chains leading to the price of certain vegetables to double. Now, fears that #coronavirus restrictions in the coming months could hit supply chains reducing the availability of certain produce.”
State-run media outlets in China claimed the directive was issued to ensure citizens are prepared in the case of future lockdowns, but it seems obvious to me that Beijing is gearing up to attack Taiwan.
As I wrote in a previous article, the CCP’s hesitation to move against the island nation may be a matter of poor timing.
Similar to Hong Kong, Taiwan is a self-governing territory Beijing has long sought to absorb into itself. Tensions between the island and the mainland have increased in recent months due to China’s habit of conducting ‘military exercises’ in the island’s airspace. Complicating matters is the developing relationship between Taiwan and the United States – a relationship that includes weapons sales.
While the advice to stockpile may also be linked to weather events and supply chain issues, it is plausible that China intends to move against Taiwan in the near future. The regime understands that its window is limited since Biden will only be in power for three more years. They know he is weak and the fight for Taiwan will be over in a matter of hours.
Sources:
China panic: Nation ‘preparing for war’ as citizens asked to ‘stockpiled necessities’
China’s advice to stockpile sparks speculation of Taiwan war