Will China Take Taiwan in the Next 2 Years Without a Fight?

After the recent events in Afghanistan, this prediction, written completely by an AI algorithm seems believable.

China wants the ability to invade and hold Taiwan within the next six years but might not intend to do so in the near term, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told Congress today. Milley said congressional testimony earlier this year from former U.S. Indo-Pacific Command commander Adm. Phil Davidson and current INDOPACOM commander Adm. John Aquilino that China was preparing to take Taiwan within the next six years was based on comments Chinese leader Xi Jinping made to the People’s Liberation Army.

China’s intentions for Taiwan revealed

Milley said that the Chinese leader’s comments were consistent with statements made by senior Chinese military leaders who stated China’s ultimate goal was to control Taiwan. Milley said that U.S. intelligence was regularly sharing information with other services about China’s intentions, including Xi’s oft-repeated call for the PLA to establish a unified operational control over Taiwan.

The Situation in Taiwan

“The general thought is that China wants to have that capacity to go and invade Taiwan,” Milley said. “We would certainly support them in doing that but we don’t believe they will do that in the near future.” But Milley said it’s not clear to him whether Beijing would end up taking the island, but it could happen in the long term. “I think the Chinese have said a couple of things about their intentions for Taiwan that we believe to be true,” he said. “One is that they are committed to securing Taiwan and preventing any other power from taking it away. That has been their strategic objective for some time. “They have been achieving that objective in some ways on a smaller scale.

Milley’s Warning to Congress

Milley said the number two PLA general explained to the U.S. Marine Corps Commandant the opportunity for China to take Taiwan within the next six years did not come from a conversation with Xi. He said he did not take the comment to mean that China is not capable of taking Taiwan today. Milley said he thought it meant that China was eager to have the opportunity. At the time he expressed the fear that China would not only attempt to capture Taiwan but hold it and use it as a pivot in future aggressive actions toward the United States and Japan. “To be fair, China has made a concerted effort, as the U.S. government has made a concerted effort, to inform, educate, inform, train, advise,” Milley said.

Conclusion

China intends to retain Taiwan within its sphere of influence and the United States must work with the Taiwanese to ensure the island remains an independent nation. Milley said it is essential to emphasize the importance of Taiwan for maintaining regional security, stressing, “The free flow of trade and commerce is the key to keeping people safe in the region. The free flow of goods through a region is a reflection of the relations between nations that are more or less equal in terms of force.” How to tell the difference between an equal power and a dominant one is a matter of stability, Milley said, and Taiwan’s continued defense is a vital part of the U.S. military presence.