The Pentagon today (Wednesday) released its annual report on Chinese military power and warned that the People’s Liberation Army is preparing for "victory" is a war against Taiwan within the next two years.
The report states: "The PLA continues to make steady progress toward its 2027 goals, whereby the PLA must be able to achieve 'strategic decisive victory' over Taiwan, 'strategic counterbalance' against the United States in the nuclear and other strategic domains, and 'strategic deterrence and control' against other regional countries. In other words, China expects to be able to fight and win a war on Taiwan by the end of 2027."
"In pursuit of these goals, the PLA continues to refine multiple military options to force Taiwan unification by brute force. Those options include, most dangerously, an amphibious invasion, firepower strike, and possibly a maritime blockade," it added.
In addition, the report warned that the US mainland is increasingly vulnerable in the face of China's "historic military buildup," including China's nuclear arsenal, hypersonic missile development, and cyber warfare capabilities.
The Chinese military claimed in response that the report is "merely another hype of the 'China threat' rhetoric, containing untrustworthy speculations and distorting facts."
Concerns about Chinese intentions toward Taiwan have escalated in recent years, especially in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Taiwan produces about 90% of the world's most advanced microchips, so a Chinese invasion of the island nation could have devastating consequences for high-tech industries and the global economy.
In September 2024, the Financial Times reported that SEAL Team Six, the elite US Navy commando unit that finally killed Osama bin Laden in 2011, had been training for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu recently carried out an unpublicized visit to Israel. In recent months, exchanges between Taiwan and Israel have increased. Senior Israeli officials and lawmakers have visited Taipei, and President Lai Ching-te has praised Israel’s defense capabilities as a model for Taiwan.