Taiwan launched 36 rockets from US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) into the Taiwan Strait on June 10. This marks the first time the island has live-fired American-made missile launchers in waters directly facing China.
The truck-mounted launchers were stationed along Taiwan’s western coast, positioned near sites identified as probable invasion landing zones. HIMARS is a mobile rocket launcher designed to fire precision-guided munitions with a 300-kilometer reach, putting targets in China’s Fujian province within striking distance.
Taiwan has procured 29 of these systems from the US as part of an asymmetric defense strategy. This approach invests in mobile, hard-to-find weapons that make any invasion attempt prohibitively expensive for the aggressor.
Taiwan’s defense budget has climbed to over 3% of GDP. On the missile front, Taiwan aims to grow its anti-ship missile inventory to more than 1,800 units by 2029. This includes 450 Boeing Harpoon missiles secured in early June 2026, with an additional 400 units in the delivery pipeline.
This military buildup carries significant implications for crypto investors. Taiwan produces the vast majority of the world’s advanced semiconductors. A military escalation in the Taiwan Strait would send shockwaves through every asset class that depends on global supply chains.
Crypto markets have historically reacted to geopolitical shocks in unpredictable ways. Bitcoin has at various points been treated as both a risk-on asset and a safe-haven asset depending on the severity and nature of the crisis.