On the way to war in the East? The head of the US Navy warned that China could invade Taiwan before 2024, and emphasized that the US military must prepare for this now and be ready for such a possibility of a Chinese invasion of the island in the coming year.
According to publications in the American media, these words were said by Admiral Mike Gilday, the head of naval operations, who warned that the US should consider that China could act against Taiwan much sooner than even the more pessimistic warnings.
The debate in the US about when China might invade Taiwan has intensified since Admiral Philip Davidson, then head of the Indo-Pacific Command, told Congress last year that the Chinese military could take action against Taiwan before 2027.
This warning was not taken lightly at the time it was issued, but officials have increased their warnings over the past year, especially since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in early August, following which China has escalated military moves and exercises near the island, with multiple crossings of the maritime boundary line.
“When we talk about the 2027 window, I think it has to be a 2022 window or potentially a 2023 window,” Gilday told the Atlantic Council on Wednesday. “I don’t mean to worry, but we can’t hope it will go away on its own.”
Gilday’s comments come two days after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said China was “determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline” after deciding the status quo was “no longer acceptable”.
At the same time, China, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan, warned Washington not to encourage pro-independence forces in the country. President Xi Jinping warned the US against supporting Taiwan, blamed “external forces” for escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait and suggested that outside actors would take the blame if China felt compelled to attack.