New CNAS Policy Brief: Resisting China’s Gray Zone Military Pressure on Taiwan

Washington, December 7, 2023 — Today, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) released a new policy brief, Resisting China’s Gray Zone Military Pressure on Taiwan by Jacob Stokes, Senior Fellow in CNAS’s Indo-Pacific Security Program.

The report details how the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is intensifying its pressure campaign against Taiwan by leveraging military and security operations in the “gray zone” between war and peace.

The report argues that the PRC uses gray zone military pressure to advance several key objectives. These include asserting Beijing’s claim to Taiwan; intimidating Taipei and its partners; improving the combat capabilities of China’s military, known as the People’s Liberation Army; wearing down Taiwan’s military; and creating a cross-Strait “new normal.”

“China’s gray zone military and security pressure takes many forms and serves multiple aims. Finding ways to resist and counter such pressure on Taiwan is important in the near term, given the upcoming presidential election and transition on the self-governing island,” writes the author. “Completely stopping China’s gray zone pressure will be impossible, but it can be resisted and countered. Developing and implementing effective responses will be a cornerstone of the larger effort to uphold the status quo as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait in the years ahead.”

The report concludes with recommendations for how policymakers in the United States, Taiwan, and like-minded countries can take steps to withstand increasing gray zone military pressure from China.

For more information or to schedule an interview with Jacob Stokes, please contact Alexa Whaley at awhaley@cnas.org.