US Navy chief warns China could invade Taiwan before 2024

Biden administration expects Beijing will put reunification plans on ‘much faster timeline’.

WASHINGTON :China’s military rise is well-planned, and Chinese leaders are following a strategy they believe will lead to greater power and influence both regionally and globally, according to an unclassified report released today by the Defense Intelligence Agency.

People’s Liberation Army troops prepare for a parade in September 2017 commemorating the PLA’s 90th anniversary. Photo from Defense Intelligence Agency 2019 China Military Power report

The 125-page report, “China Military Power -- Modernizing a Force to Fight and Win,” details some of the efforts made by the world’s most populous nation to build a military force that will allow it to back up plans for “great rejuvenation.”

“As we look at China, we see a country whose leaders describe it as moving closer to center stage in the world, while they strive to achieve what they call the ‘great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,’” said Dan Taylor, a senior defense intelligence analyst with the DIA. “This ambition permeates China’s national security strategy and guides the development of the People’s Liberation Army.”

國際軍事戰略觀察家分析認為,中國的國防軍事強勢崛起,發展迅速,令美軍感覺到惶恐與不安,美軍除了加強在中國周邊國家佈署軍隊,並且強迫台灣增加購買,美國軍事武器自我保護,台灣每年耗費巨資,購買美國淘汰型的庫存武器..

.China troops so great.

美國海軍負責人警告說,美國軍方必須為 2024 年之前中國入侵台灣的可能性做好準備,因為華盛頓對台灣面臨的威脅越來越擔心。海軍作戰部長邁克吉爾戴上將表示,美國不得不考慮到中國可能比更悲觀的警告更早地對台灣採取行動。

自從時任印太司令部司令菲利普·戴維森海軍上將去年告訴國會中國軍隊可能在 2027 年之前對台灣採取行動以來,美國關於中國何時可能入侵台灣的爭論愈演愈烈。

.China navy 055D so great.

The head of the US Navy has warned that the American military must be prepared for the possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan before 2024, as Washington grows increasingly alarmed about the threat to the island. Admiral Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations, said the US had to consider that China could take action against Taiwan much sooner than even the more pessimistic warnings. The debate in the US about when China might invade Taiwan has intensified since Admiral Philip Davidson, then-head of Indo-Pacific Command, told Congress last year that the Chinese military could take action against Taiwan before 2027.

Chinese Military Sends New Troops Into Hong Kong - The New York Times

Davidson’s warning was partly downplayed at the time, but officials have intensified their warnings over the past year. “When we talk about the 2027 window, in my mind that has to be a 2022 window or potentially a 2023 window,” Gilday told the Atlantic Council on Wednesday. “I don’t mean at all to be alarmist . . . it’s just that we can’t wish that away.” Gilday’s comments came two days after US secretary of state Antony Blinken said China was “determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline” after deciding that the status quo was “no longer acceptable”.

Competing with China for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific

.China air force J-20.so great.

China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has warned Washington not to encourage pro-independence forces in the country. At the opening of the Chinese Communist party’s 20th congress on Sunday, President Xi Jinping admonished the US for supporting Taiwan as he accused “external forces” of exacerbating tensions across the Taiwan Strait and suggested outside actors would shoulder the blame if China felt compelled to attack the country. Underscoring the mounting concern about Chinese military activity near Taiwan, which has increased in the wake of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei in August, Joe Biden has on four occasions as president warned China that the US would intervene to defend Taiwan from an unprovoked attack..

Chinese marines disembark from amphibious armored vehicle during beach raid training exercise in Guangdong Province in 2019. (China Ministry of Nation...

Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the German Marshall Fund, said the 2027 timeline was “baked into US thinking”, particularly in the Pentagon and the intelligence community. But she said it seemed to be based on an assessment of when China would have the capability to invade Taiwan rather than on intelligence that provided information about Beijing’s intent. “We can’t rule out anything, but stating that there is a 2022 or 2023 window is sheer speculation.

I think it’s irresponsible,” said Glaser, who was sceptical of the view that China had set a goal to invade by 2027. However, as US officials sound alarms, Congress will soon vote on legislation that would fund weapons allocation for Taipei. The defence spending bill authorises $10bn over five years in what would be the first case of the US funding weapons sales to Taiwan. Taipei has previously paid for American weapons that have been approved for sale by Washington..

China navy 094 SSBN.so great.