Admiral John Aquilino, the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, noted that China has significantly increased its official defense budget, which now exceeds $223 billion – a 16 percent rise over recent years. Aquilino also stated that the People's Liberation Army (PLA), China's armed forces, has substantially expanded its arsenal with more than 400 new fighter aircraft and 20 new major warships while doubling its inventory of ballistic and cruise missiles since 2020. All this despite facing economic challenges.
He also mentioned that the PLA has been conducting rehearsals for operations against Taiwan, including simulations of encirclement with maritime and air blockades.
Moreover, Aquilino accused the Chinese military of using aggressive tactics to pressure Taiwan into accepting reunification.
"The well-documented, multidomain operation established a new, more dangerous status quo for PLA activity and posture around Taiwan, normalizing warship patrols around Taiwan and military flights crossing the Taiwan Strait centerline," he stated, noting that this ramp-up in military activity and pressure on Taiwan could not point to anything but preparations for an invasion of Taiwan.
"All indications point to the PLA meeting President Xi Jinping’s directive to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. The PLA’s actions indicate their ability to meet Xi’s preferred timeline to unify Taiwan with mainland China by force if directed," he added.
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In response to the claims, Jeff Liu, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, stated that there's nothing the country can do but prepare and strengthen its defenses.
"Regarding the speculation that China may attack Taiwan in 2027, there are different speculations and interpretations. However, we can't predict when China will launch a war, but we must make all preparations. The most important thing is to strengthen our own defense capabilities as an effective deterrent to China's use of force," Liu said. (Related: Taiwan: China may not be ready to invade by 2027.)
China has accused the U.S. of escalating tension in the Indo-Pacific region
Communist Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian also responded to Aquilino's claims by reiterating Beijing's belief that Taiwanese concerns are an internal affair of China and that the U.S.'s so-called interference is escalating tensions in the region.
“Some people in the U.S. have been trying to hype up the China-threat narrative to escalate tensions across the strait and instigate confrontation. We firmly oppose that,” Jian told reporters during a press briefing in Beijing.
Even within the U.S. military establishment, doubts persist regarding China's intentions. U.S. Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., who also serves as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, suggested that Xi might not be inclined towards a forcible takeover of Taiwan.
Instead, Brown believes Xi will "try to use other ways" to get the democratically-governed island nation reunited with Beijing.
"I do think that Xi Jinping doesn't necessarily want to take Taiwan by force," Brown Jr. said back in November.
However, China's actions do not match their statements. In the latest meeting between Xi and President Joe Biden in California back in November, Xi urged the U.S. to cease its arms sales to Taiwan and support China's vision of peaceful reunification with the mainland.
"The U.S. side should take real actions to honor its commitment of not supporting 'Taiwan independence,' stop arming Taiwan, and support China's peaceful reunification," Xi told Biden during the meeting.
Read more stories about a potential conflict between China and Taiwan at CommunistChina.news.
Watch Brannon Howse of "Worldview Report" and David Zhang of the Epoch Times discussing the possibility of China invading Taiwan as early as 2024.
This video is from the Worldview Report channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Domestic crisis may force China to invade Taiwan, lawmaker warns.
China sanctions 5 U.S. defense corporations in answer to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
Taiwan to buy 400 American anti-ship missiles as China continues to threaten the island nation.
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