Chinese threat to Taiwan “closer than most of us think,” said the US top admiral

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“My opinion is that this problem is much closer to us than most think,” said Adm. John Aquilino for the Senate Armed Forces Committee, which was reviewing his appointment to head the US Army’s Indo-Pacific Command.

China sees gaining full control over Taiwan as its “first priority,” Aquilino added.

The current head of command, Admiral Philip Davidson, told a hearing earlier this month that China could be ready to forcibly take Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island that Beijing claims as its sovereign territory, within six years.

But Aquilino said Beijing is building a track record of using violence to achieve the goals of the Communist Party sooner than US planners predicted.

“We have seen aggressive actions before than we expected, whether it was at the Indian border or in Hong Kong or against the Uyghurs. about a sense of urgency. We need to be prepared today, “Aquilino said.

Aquilino did not provide an exact timetable for when China might attempt a military takeover of Taiwan, nor did he cite new or specific information to support his claim.

Mainland China and Taiwan have been run separately since the end of a bloody civil war in 1949, but Beijing has vowed never to allow the island to become formally independent, and has refused to rule out the use of force if necessary.

“Taiwan is an inalienable part of China,” the Chinese defense ministry spokesman said in January. “The PLA will take all necessary steps to resolutely defeat any attempt by the separatists of ‘Taiwan independence’ and to vigorously defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

China is also adamant that its military is defensive.

“The development of China’s national defense is intended to meet its legitimate security needs and contribute to the growth of the world’s peaceful armed forces,” said the country’s 2019 white paper.

Admiral accuses China of ‘aggressive stance’

But Davidson said in his testimony to the Senate two weeks ago that the Chinese military has built a force intended for offensive operations.

“For all my life I cannot understand some of the capabilities they deploy in the field unless it is an aggressive stance,” he told the Senate Armed Forces Committee.

“I see them developing systems, capabilities and attitudes that would indicate they are interested in aggression,” said Davidson.

Aquilino said Tuesday that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is keen to have everything it takes to bring Taiwan under Beijing’s control.

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“The military threat to Taiwan is growing. The PLA continues to deploy a wide range of advanced weapons and systems as part of the ongoing modernization of the armed forces, specifically designed to achieve a decisive overmatch against Taiwan,” the US admiral said in a written statement.

For example, analysts note that Beijing has built a force of warships such as helicopter landing docks and large amphibious assault ships that can be useful in conquering islands.

Aquilino, the current commander of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet, said Washington needs to increase its terrifying capabilities in the Pacific, noting what has been done so far regarding China, including sending U.S. warships through the Taiwan Strait and the practice of dual carrier attack groups in the South China Sea has been ineffective.

“We certainly have changed their desire, intention, nor ability to carry out the greatest military build-up we’ve seen in a while,” Aquilino said.

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Asked by senators why the US should defend Taiwan, Aquilino said Washington’s credibility as an ally of places like Japan and the Philippines would be at stake should the island fall to Beijing.

“It would negatively impact our position in the region if that were to happen, and it would challenge the rest of our allies and partners and the US, negatively impacting our ability to operate freely in the area “, he said.

Aquilino also told senators that a Chinese military presence in Taiwan would give Beijing control of two-thirds of world trade, which travels through the island’s shipping routes.

The admiral ended the hearing and asked senators to fully fund the Pentagon’s Pacific Deterrence Initiative, a $ 4.6 billion list of new weapons and defensive measures.

“I really believe this is sending a strong message that the entire government in the United States is focused on the challenge we have identified as it applies to the Western Pacific,” Aquilino said.

Biden’s administration takes a firm stand

The Indo-Pacific Command nominee ‘comments follow weeks of strong anti-Chinese rhetoric and military displays since the Biden administration took office in January.

During a visit to Japan earlier this month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken listed some of Washington’s grievances at Beijing.

China is using coercion and aggression to systematically erode autonomy in Hong Kong, undermine democracy in Taiwan, violate human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet, and assert maritime claims in the South China Sea that contradict it. international law, ”he added. “We will push back if necessary when China uses coercion or aggression to get its way.”

Last week, talks in Alaska between Blinken and senior Chinese diplomats heated up, with China accusing the US of “provoking disputes” by launching “unreasonable attacks” on China’s domestic and foreign policies, state broadcaster CCTV said.

The U.S. military, meanwhile, has sent its guided missile destroyers through the Taiwan Strait, the waterway that separates the island from mainland China, and challenged Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea with so-called Freedom on Navigation operations (FONOPS) – – Actions staged under Aquilino’s command in recent years.

China says operations like this show that it is the US that is undermining stability and fueling tensions in the Indo-Pacific.

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