The Biden administration has concluded that China is “flirting with the idea of taking control of Taiwan as President Xi Jinping becomes more willing to take risks to increase his legacy,” the Financial Times reports.
Why does it matter: An invasion of Taiwan, the self-governing island claimed by Beijing, would force the US to decide whether to go to war with China to defend an implicit ally.
- The recent conclusion of the Biden administration is based on the behavior of the Chinese in the last two months, a senior US official told FT.
- After a show of force by Chinese bombers in front of Taiwan immediately after President Biden took office, the State Department said, “We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan.”
Adm. Ioan Aquilino, nominated to lead US forces in the Pacific, the Senate Armed Services Committee warned this week that the threat to Taiwan “is much closer to us than most believe,” CNN reported.
Adm. Philip Davidson, The current head of the US Indo-Pacific Command testified earlier this month that the Chinese military is strengthening its offensive capability, posing a threat to Taiwan “manifested in this decade – in fact, in the next six years”.