In Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Beijing sees lessons for Taiwan

As the world reels from the economic toll of Iran’s blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, concern is rising over China’s potential cutoff of another critical waterway.The Taiwan Strait, a narrow, 110-mile-long channel between Taiwan and mainland China, is a lifeline not just for Taiwan, but for Asia and the rest of the world.One-fifth of the world’s maritime trade flows through the Taiwan Strait, compared with about 8% through the Strait of Hormuz, according to research by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. Why We Wrote This In its quest to unite the self-governing island of Taiwan with mainland China, Beijing has considered – and practiced – a blockade of the Taiwan Strait, a critical waterway on which global trade relies. Is the world prepared? Yet China has considered – and recently practiced – a military blockade of Taiwan as part of its long-term goal of taking over the self-governing island, which would include restricting access to the strait. Such a blockade, if it lasted a year, could slash world gross domestic product by more than 5%, a February report by Bloomberg Economics found.Beijing is closely watching how the Iranian regime has wielded its leverage