The Chief of US Naval Operations, Admiral Mike Gilday, says China has a 20-year track record of delivering ahead of time on each and every promise, which leads him to believe that the communist state will try to seize Taiwan by force any day now. He said, as quoted by several media:
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When we talk about the 2027 window, in my mind, that has to be a 2022 window or potentially a 2023 window.
I don’t mean at all to be alarmist . . . it’s just that we can’t wish that away.
This is now an expedited prediction compared to the previously 'Davidson Window', coined after retired Adm. Phil Davidson, who told Congress last year, as the military’s Indo-Pacific Command chief, that he expected China could invade Taiwan by 2027, New York Postreports.
Xi Jinping's plan
China considers Taiwana break-away region, and Chinese President, Xi Jinping, recently stated that his country’s top priority is reunification with the island.
The US has been following a ‘One China’ doctrine, which takes into consideration the claims of China towards Taiwan, however, it also deems the island’s sovereignty as unsettled.
Recently, US President Biden vowed to rush towards the support of Taiwan in case Beijing launches a military invasion.
The US Navy is at present ill-prepared
According to NationwideNews, last week, US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, also warned about the imminent outlook of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
A very different China has emerged under Xi, and Beijing could invade Taiwan on a much faster timeline than previously considered
Meanwhile, a HeritageFoundation report reveals that the US is ill-prepared to face China in a confrontation due to being outnumbered in ships.
292 vessels compared to China’s more than 350, the US should grow its fleet to about 400 ships to compete with China.
Nevertheless, Admiral Gilday has said that they have set forth a $27.5 billion shipbuilding budget which is now being considered by Congress, New York Post reports.
Sources used:
-NewYork Post: ‘China could invade Taiwan later this year, top Navy officer warns’
-Nationwide News: ‘China could invade Taiwan this year, US admiral warns’
-Heritage Foundation: ‘To Deter China, the U.S. Navy Must Build a Connected Fleet at a Faster Pace’
-Financial Times: 'US Navy chief warns China could invade Taiwan before 2024'
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