China’s invasion of Taiwan is “imminent” and is a part of a grander strategy to reassert its imperial might around the world, a top US national security advisor told the Express.
President Xi Jinping has made no secret of his ambition to reassert China’s sovereignty over the island state.
In his annual New Year’s Eve address, the Chinese strongman claimed Taiwan would “surely be reunified” with China.
That message was repeated and amplified in a fiery speech by Beijing’s Defence Minister Dong Jun in early June.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue conference in Singapore, he said the country’s military was ready to “forcefully” stop Taiwan’s independence.
Beijing continues to turn the screws on Taipei, recently carrying out military drills in the Taiwan Strait, which involved the navy and airforce.
China’s ever growing aggression and belligerent statements towards Taipei’s government are increasing Western fears that Xi Jinping has already made up his mind on Taiwan’s fate.
David Stuckenberg, a US national security expert, told the Express that it was just a matter of time before China invades Taiwan and suggested Beijing had even greater ambitions of conquest.
“It’s nearly imminent,” he said. “They’ve already expressed that they want unification.”
He added: “And if we look at it through the historic lens, we know that Taiwan’s very existence as a democratically ruled government is an affront to the Communist Party. Every day that it exists is an insult.
“And so the question is one of timing and what it means, and it means a lot. It means a lot to the world, because if you for one minute think that China was going to stop at Hong Kong, or would stop at Taiwan, you can think again. It’s part of a grander strategy, an imperial plan to reassert globally.”
The former US combat pilot, who has flown over 150 missions since 9/11, said the wide held belief among Western security experts that China would never expand beyond its territories was always wishful thinking.
He argued that historically China has always sought to extend its power and authority far and wide around the globe, saying its imperial ambitions were a part of “its historic DNA”.
Beijing’s grandiose plans were being fuelled in part by a desire to avenge a century of what it perceives as Western humiliation.
“So they have put definitive timelines on some of the objectives that they have,” he explained.
“For example, by 2049 and the 100th anniversary in the Communist Party, their desire is to be the dominant global superpower.
“And the question for the West is, is that something that we can allow to happen against the backdrop of what they do with their power and how they throw their weight around. And I think that’s a question that’s going to have to be answered.”
The US has evolved a policy of strategic ambiguity with regard to Taiwan. The idea behind it, is to try and keep Beijing guessing about whether the US would intervene militarily to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion.
Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, recently told the Washington Post that he would turn the Taiwan Strait into “hellscape” for China’s military in the event of war.
His plan consists of unleashing thousands of unmanned systems, from surface vessels and submarines to aerial drones, to fight China’s invading forces.
However, Mr Stuckenberg is not so sure the current administration has the stomach for a fight.
“I would tell you that the appetite for any kind of conflict with China is very low because it’s likely to be a very destructive affair regardless of whether it’s a burning fuse or a fast burning fuse. And no one really will come out a winner,” he said.
But he added: “If China continues to assert itself in a way that is contrary to order and discipline throughout the world, then the United States, especially in the wake of an invasion, must consider action.”