TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Pentagon officials on Tuesday (Sept. 19) said that a Chinese attempt to blockade Taiwan would likely end in failure, while there is "nothing easy" about an invasion of Taiwan.

During a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee, Army Major General Joseph McGee, vice director for strategy, plans, and policy of the Pentagon's Joint Staff said that such a blockade, much less an invasion of Taiwan is easier said than done. Ely Ratner, U.S. assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan would have slim chances of success.

When asked about the possibility of a blockade, McGee said that Taiwan has preparatory steps such as storing food, but argued that a blockade of Taiwan is not likely given the difficulties in executing such a massive undertaking. "I think it is an option but probably not a highly likely option - when you start looking at the military options - much easier to talk about a blockade than actually do a blockade," said McGee.

Ratner said that a People's Liberation Army (PLA) blockade of Taiwan would be "devastating to the international economy" and would likely spur the global community to band together against Beijing. He said that Taiwan "would have options on its own" and the international community would work to "ensure the delivery of industrial resources, raw material, energy, and other critical items" in the event of such a blockade.

For these reasons, Ratner said a blockade "would likely not succeed, and it would be a huge risk of escalation for the PRC, where it would likely have to consider whether or not it was willing to ultimately start attacking commercial maritime vessels."

As for a potential invasion of Taiwan, the general predicted that the PLA would face great difficulties in conducting an amphibious invasion of Taiwan given that the Taiwan Strait is "between 90 and 100 miles in width," while the D-Day invasion forces only had to cross 25 miles. He argued that it would be impossible to launch a full-scale surprise attack, "They would have to mass tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of troops on the eastern coast, and that would be a clear signal."

"There is absolutely nothing easy about a PLA invasion of Taiwan," said McGee. He also pointed out that Taiwan has very few beaches suitable for placing large numbers of landing craft and "a population that we believe that would be willing to fight so there is absolutely nothing easy about a PLA invasion of Taiwan."