Chinese military invasion of Taiwan not taken for granted, says US general

WASHINGTON – There is still time to convince Beijing not to use force to reunify Taiwan and mainland China, according to the top US military official.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping made a unilateral decision despite widely publicized plans for Chinese forces to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. said there were no signs of the other.

Speaking to an audience at the National Press Club in Washington, Mr. Milley said the use of force against the United States and other countries was a bad idea by giving President Xi time to demonstrate the use of force.

“Every day, I want Xi to wake up in the morning and say, ‘Today is not the day,’ and never make that decision,” he said.

Milley’s comments are in line with analysis by US intelligence chiefs who have maintained for much of the past year that Xi wants a peaceful reunification with Taiwan.

But some officials and analysts have expressed concern that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could force Beijing to risk a war over Taiwan, and China may be learning lessons from Russia’s failures. Some warn that the

Milley said on Friday that the United States and its allies could persuade China to keep its forces on the Taiwan Strait side as long as it can maintain its dwindling military superiority over China and upgrade and modernize if necessary. said it can.

“The sooner we withdraw, the sooner we can maintain our military superiority, and the more likely we are to prevent war from breaking out, the theory is that if war does happen, we will win.” I think it’s a way of thinking,” Millie said.

He also said that the United States and its allies have the ability to support Ukraine and Taiwan, even if some of their needs overlap when it comes to weapons systems and ammunition, citing current U.S. approaches to China and Taiwan. responded to criticism of

“It’s… not a zero-sum game. It’s not,” Millie said, adding, “We have other allies and partners.” [to help Taiwan]. It’s not just the United States. ”

Tensions between U.S. and Chinese forces have been steadily rising, dating back to February when the Pentagon accused China of flying high-altitude reconnaissance balloons over the United States.

Chinese officials claimed the device was a weather balloon and denied U.S. government evidence that the device onboard the balloon was intended for surveillance.

Complicating matters is the refusal of Chinese military leaders to engage in dialogue with the United States.

Earlier this week, Chinese embassy officials in Washington urged the United States to lift sanctions on China as a precondition for talks.

Pentagon officials on Thursday denied the request.

U.S. officials said they would continue to open the door to military-to-military talks, saying such communication is important to avoid misunderstandings that could lead to conflict, which Milley alluded to on Friday.

“The geostrategic history of this century will probably be determined by US-China relations,” he said. rice field.