China may be ready to attack Taiwan by 2027, US top admiral says
China may be ready to attack Taiwan by 2027 (Illustative photo: Getty Images)
China is expanding its military and nuclear arsenal, and these signs indicate that it is ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, according to the commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino, Bloomberg reports.
According to him, despite China's economic problems, its official defense budget has increased by 16% in recent years, exceeding 223 billion dollars.
The admiral added that in the three years since he took command, China's army has introduced an additional 400 fighter jets and over 20 large military ships into its arsenal. Beijing has also doubled its arsenal of ballistic and cruise missiles since 2020.
“All indications point to the PLA meeting President Xi Jinping’s directive to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027,” Aquilino said.
China's reaction
According to Aquilino, Chinese military forces are also practicing various tasks related to operations against Taiwan, including simulating encirclement through maritime and air blockades.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian states that Taiwan is "China’s internal affair", accusing Washington of "causing division in the Asia-Pacific region."
“Some people in the US have been trying to hype up the China-threat narrative to escalate tensions across the strait and instigate confrontation. We firmly oppose that,” he said.
US assistance to Taiwan
China's defense budget remains much smaller than that of the United States. President Joe Biden proposed a Pentagon budget of 850 billion dollars for the fiscal year 2025 earlier this month.
This includes 500 million dollars for replenishing armaments, which will be provided to Taiwan under the first funding request aimed at addressing aggression in the region and ensuring continuous support for Taiwan.
China-Russia partnership
Meanwhile, US intelligence believes that China does not want a military conflict over Taiwan, even though it is determined to bring the island under its control.
China's partnership with Russia also raises concerns, as China has provided economic and security assistance to dictator Vladimir Putin for aggression against Ukraine. China's partnership with Russia is a response to US alliances in the Pacific region and elsewhere.
“It should be concerning to the whole globe,” Aquilino said.
China's plans for attacking Taiwan and US response
In the spring of 2022, President Joe Biden stated that the United States was ready to use force to defend Taiwan.
Last fall, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Brown publicly questioned Beijing's plans to attempt a military takeover of Taiwan.
Recently, Bloomberg reported that China's military invasion of Taiwan would cost the global economy $10 trillion.
CIA Director William Burns stated that China's military could achieve full readiness for an attack on Taiwan by 2027. Expert Yurii Poyta commented to RBC-Ukraine that as of today, this timeframe has shifted to 2030.
