While Taiwan braces itself against the threat of Chinese invasion with its largest military drills in decades, Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership faces international arrest warrants for persecuting women and girls.
Though separated by thousands of miles and significantly different histories, both crises raise the pressing question: Why do some regimes fight so hard to dominate those who clearly want freedom?
The China-Taiwan Battle
On July 9, Taiwan launched its annual Han Kuang military exercise, the biggest and longest since the drills began in 1984. Lasting 10 days, the 2025 edition simulates real-time defenses against a full-scale invasion from China, involving 22,000 troops, U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket systems, drone warfare, and civil evacuation alerts across major cities.
“We must be ready for the worst while hoping for peace,” said President William Lai, whose tougher stance against China has drawn both domestic praise and Beijing’s ire.
Beijing, meanwhile, responded with fury both diplomatically and economically. On the eve of the drills, China’s Commerce Ministry blacklisted eight Taiwanese defense firms, including Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation and Jingwei Aerospace, banning them from receiving dual-use technology exports.
Colonel Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, dismissed the exercises as “a bluff” and warned that reunification with Taiwan is an “unstoppable historical trend.”
Despite such rhetoric, Taiwan is a self-ruled democracy of 23 million people. Most identify as Taiwanese, not Chinese. Yet China, under President Xi Jinping, continues to claim the island as a breakaway province one it vows to “reunify” with, by force if necessary.
The U.S., while not officially recognizing Taiwan as a country, is bound by its Taiwan Relations Act to help it defend itself. But under the uncertain return of Donald Trump to the White House, Taiwan’s leadership is increasingly focused on self-sufficiency and asymmetric defense, part of what it calls the “porcupine strategy.”
“The goal is not to win a war, but to make one too costly for China to fight,” said military analyst Chen Ping.
International relations observer Noah told The News Chronicle,
“Taiwan adds to China’s pride and power; letting go would make China look weak,” he said.
“Also…Taiwan builds some of the most advanced computer chips [which] I believe increases Taiwan’s value to China”
Rights advocate Joseph agreed stating: “China sees Taiwan as integral to its authority, driven by territorial nationalism and geopolitical strategy.”
Afghanistan’s Criminalization of Womanhood
While Taiwan gears up to resist annexation, Afghan women are still facing erasure. On July 2, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for the Taliban’s Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani. The court accused them of crimes against humanity, specifically gender persecution.
“There are reasonable grounds to believe they ordered, induced, or solicited persecution against women and girls based on gender,” the ICC declared, citing bans on female education, employment, mobility, and even public speech.
Since the Taliban regained control in August 2021 after U.S. withdrawal, women have been stripped of nearly all rights. Girls over 12 are barred from school and women are excluded from most jobs. Decrees now require women to cover not just their bodies and faces, but also their voices.
In March 2024, Akhundzada even reinstated public stoning as punishment for women accused of adultery.
Rights advocate Joseph Olorunyomi, speaking to The News Chronicle, called the Taliban’s erasure of women’s rights, “a moral failure,” and pointed to the ideological roots of the regime’s oppression.
“They strongly advocate against gender equality. And I believe it is a strong sign of insecurity,” he added, calling for “global pressure to restore Afghan women’s dignity and freedom.”
So far, the Taliban government has rejected the ICC’s authority. “This is an insult to Islam and a hostile act,” its foreign ministry said, adding that the court had ignored “war crimes by foreign forces.”
However, Human Rights Watch welcomed the arrest warrants. “It’s a rare moment of accountability in a country where abuse has long gone unpunished,” the group said, urging further investigation into crimes by other actors, including Islamic State and U.S. forces.
Conclusion
Despite vast differences, both China and the Taliban seem driven by the same fear: the fear of losing control.
For Beijing, Taiwan represents more than territory; Observer Noah said to TNC, “It’s about pride, power, and the image of strength.”
Taiwan is a symbol of unfinished national unity and a threat to the Communist Party’s legitimacy. “If Taiwan formally breaks away, it could embolden separatist sentiments in Tibet, Xinjiang, or Hong Kong,” notes regional expert Mei Lin Zhou.
For the Taliban, women’s autonomy threatens the strict religious order they use to justify their rule.
Both regimes also use external threats to rally domestic loyalty. China paints Taiwan’s independence movement as a U.S.-driven conspiracy. The Taliban blames Western influence for women’s rights advocacy.
As Afghan activist Fatima Amini put it:
“You ask why we resist? It’s simple. Because if we don’t speak, we disappear.”
And as Taiwan’s President Lai said during last year’s Han Kuang drills:
“Freedom is not gifted. It is defended! every day, and everywhere.”
