Chinese military officers march down the steps of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo / AP
Chinese military officers march down the steps of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo / AP
America’s military must be ready to respond to a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan that could come before the end of this year, the head of the US Navy has said.
Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of US naval operations, was the latest senior US military official to indicate heightened alarm over Beijing’s intentions towards the island.
“So when we talk about the 2027 window in my mind, that has to be a 2022 window or potentially a 2023 window. I can’t rule that out. I don’t mean at all to be alarmist by saying that. It’s just that we can’t wish that away.”
The admiral said the US Navy had adopted a “fight tonight” mentality in response and should become ready quicker, prioritising lethality and the size of the fleet.
In stark comments, he raised concerns that Xi Jinping, China’s President, may be much more willing than previously thought to seize Taiwan.
Xi delivered a landmark Communist Party Congress speech on Sunday in which he restated his vow to “reunify” Taiwan one day.
Speaking at the Atlantic Council in Washington, Gilday was asked about Xi’s speech and testimony by another US admiral to Congress last year that Beijing intended to be ready to take Taiwan by 2027.
Xi Jinping. Photo / Greg Bowker
Gilday said: “It’s not just what President Xi says, it’s how the Chinese behave and what they do. And what we’ve seen over the past 20 years is that they have delivered on every promise they’ve made earlier than they said they were going to deliver on it.”
To be prepared, the US should “maximise domestic production rates of weapons that really matter in a fight” and “give industry a clear set of predictable, stable funding”.
He said: “We’re talking about what we must have in order to deter and fight and win. The ships that we put out there have to be ready to fight.”
Taiwan: China will fail to take our island
His comments came as Taiwan’s top security official warned any attempt to invade the island would fail and turn China into an international pariah.
Chen Ming-tong said: “I want to solemnly tell the Beijing authorities that there is no chance of winning to attack Taiwan by force.
“It would lead to international economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation, ruining his [Xi’s] ‘great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making him a sinner of the Chinese nation.”
On Monday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned that Beijing wants to seize Taiwan “on a much faster timeline” than previously thought.
He added that “a very different China” had emerged under Xi and that any war over Taiwan would have an “enormous” impact on global trade.
The Pentagon said its policy toward China and Taiwan has not changed.
