August 25, 2026

Beijing Sees One Theater. Washington Should, Too

By: Ryan Claffey

This article was originally published in WPS Dispatch.

U.S. deterrence in the Pacific is fraying. Restoring it requires clearer commitments to resist China’s coercion, and the means to make them credible. As President Trump sends mixed signals and the Iran war drains critical U.S. munitions, Beijing is intensifying pressure on Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines, testing whether Washington will act or settle for statements.

Giving Taiwan the means to remain free is not a call for war. It is how the United States deters one, preserving peace along the First Island Chain and across the broader Indo-Pacific.

China’s gray-zone warfare against all three, coupled with its efforts to control the seas and straits between them, reflects a single coercive campaign across one connected theater. Each unanswered provocation reverberates across the First Island Chain, eroding confidence in Washington’s resolve.

Read the full article in WPS Dispatch.

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