Taipei: A Taipei-based defense expert has warned that China is increasingly seeking to project its power in the southern flank of the first island chain and urged Taiwan to beef up cooperation with the Philippines and Australia to defend it.

According to Focus Taiwan, the appeal was made by Huang Chung-ting, a researcher with the military-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research. This call to action follows the People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducting live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand last week. The PLA warships traveled to the Tasman Sea after passing through waters south of the Philippines and carried out exercises without notifying the two Oceanic countries, raising concerns among their leaders.

Huang argued that the control of these waterways by the PLA could significantly impact global trade, including Taiwan's imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). He emphasized the importance of Taiwan strengthening intelligence-sharing with the Philippines, particularly with the Western Mindanao Command, and with Australia to address potential military confrontations in the region.

This intelligence-sharing initiative should complement Taiwan's existing operations with its primary allies, Japan and the United States, Huang suggested. The first island chain, extending from Japan to Malaysia, serves as the first line of defense against China in the U.S. strategic posture in the Indo-Pacific region, with Taiwan occupying a crucial position.

Huang noted that the PLA drills in the Tasman Strait diverted attention from China's threat in the southern part of the first island chain, which could be detrimental to Taiwan. The route taken by PLA warships involved passing through the Philippines' Mindoro Strait and the Basilan Strait, effectively breaching the southern part of the first island chain.

Since the spring of 2024, there has been a sustained PLA deployment in the region, facilitated by completed infrastructure on South China Sea atolls, which has allowed China to expand its military footprint overseas. These actions reflect the PLA's strategy to control the Sulu Sea between the Philippines and Malaysia, aiming to limit U.S. presence in the area.

Huang also highlighted the PLA's interest in securing an alternative sea lane to the Malacca Strait in case of regional conflict and developing the capacity to threaten vital sea lanes for Taiwan's energy imports. Taiwan relies on imports for 98 percent of its LNG, and control over these sea lanes by the PLA could severely undermine Taiwan's resilience during wartime.

Furthermore, Huang warned that the PLA could damage Taiwan's morale and government credibility without direct confrontation by disrupting LNG carriers. Enhancing intelligence exchanges with the Philippines and Australia would stress the significance of the region's strategic position, or the "backyard become the front line," as Huang concluded.