The senior US general claims that while a Chinese attack on Taiwan is not imminent, the US is nonetheless “very attentively” observing.
According to Gen. Mark Milley, China is obviously developing the capability to attack at some point, but doing so would need political decision-making.
According to China, Taiwan is a separatist province that has to be united with the mainland, maybe via force.
It has declared that it will “resolutely demolish” any attempt to back Taiwan’s independence and has accused the US of doing so.
China and the US, Taiwan’s most important ally, have recently increased tension noticeably.
While the US has dispatched navy ships into Taiwan’s waters, China has been launching dozens of aeroplanes into Taiwan’s air defence zone.
US President Joe Biden claimed in May that China’s close flying of jets over Taiwan put it “flirting with danger.” If the island was attacked, he swore he would defend it with force.
In response, Beijing stated that it “would not hesitate to battle” to stop Taiwan from formally gaining independence, charging the US of “violating its commitment to Taiwan” and “interfering” in China’s internal affairs.
One significant worry is that if China invaded Taiwan, it would start a war. Beijing has previously stated that, if required, it would use force to recover the island.
But according to most analysts, this is unlikely at this time.
Taiwan has been significantly bolstering its air and sea defences in response to the ongoing discussion about whether China has the military capacity to successfully invade.
However, many believe Beijing is aware that such a move would be extremely expensive and disastrous for the entire world, not just China.
China has consistently said that it wants to “peacefully reunite” with Taiwan and that it will only take action in response to a provocation.
A formal declaration of independence by Taiwan would probably be one of the causes. But despite her insistence that they already have sovereign status, their president, Tsai Ing-wen, has steadfastly avoided this.
This stance, known as “maintaining the status quo,” is supported by the majority of Taiwanese, albeit a shrinking minority expresses a desire to progress toward independence.
In a similar vein, the US has often said that it does not desire war and would prefer to avoid becoming involved in an expensive military fight in Asia.
Why is China interested in the Ukraine crisis?
Gen Wei repeated China’s stance on Sunday that it wanted “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan and that this would only take action in response to a provocation.
A formal declaration of independence by Taiwan would probably be one of the causes. But despite her insistence that they already have sovereign status, their president, Tsai Ing-wen, has steadfastly avoided this.