Army recruits on their way to a barracks wait at a high-speed train station in Huai’an city, China’s Jiangsu province, March 19, 2024. CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
US Admiral John Aquilino said China is building up its military at the fastest rate since World War II.
This puts China on track to achieve its goal of invading Taiwan by 2027, he said.
Aquilino, the outgoing head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, called on Washington to accelerate military development.
This is a machine translation of an article from our US colleagues at Business Insider. It was automatically translated and checked by a real editor.
China’s rapid military buildup is more extensive than it has been since the Second World War. The country is well on its way to achieving its goal of invading Taiwan by 2027, said US Navy Admiral John Aquilino.
“Everything indicates that the PLA [Anm. d. R.: People’s Liberation Army, die chinesischen Streitkräfte] fulfilled President Xi Jinping’s directive to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027,” Aquilino wrote in one opinion for the US Armed Services House Committee, a committee of the US House of Representatives.
“Furthermore, the PLA’s actions demonstrate that it is capable of meeting Xi’s preferred timeline to unify Taiwan with mainland China if ordered,” added the admiral, the outgoing head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, added.
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Navy Admiral John C. Aquilino, commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, holds a press conference at the Pentagon in Washington DC, United States, on October 17, 2023. Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images
Conflict between China and USA is not “inevitable”
explained in a hearing on Wednesday Aquilino said he also believes that China still hopes to assimilate Taiwan without war, even though Beijing is quickly approaching the ability to attack.
Aquilino and Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Command, both believe that the threat of direct conflict between the US and China is “neither immediate nor inevitable” but that the Pentagon must act quickly to reduce the risk of war to reduce.
His schedule coincides with that of his predecessor, Ret. Adm. Philip Davidson, and other US military officials, said China wants to achieve the ability to invade Taiwan by 2027, but does not necessarily seek war. Aquilino wrote in his statement that of the three main U.S. interests in the region – Russia, China and North Korea – “China is the only country that has the ability, capacity and intent to overthrow the international order.”
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“The PLA’s rearmament is occurring on a scale not seen since World War II – on land, at sea, in the air, in space, in cyberspace and in the information domain,” he added.
The Chinese military is rearming
China’s military has added more than 400 fighter jets and 20 warships to its arsenal and doubled its missile inventory in the past three years, Aquilino said. At the same time, Beijing has increased the number of its satellites by 50 percent and more than doubled its arsenal of nuclear warheads, he added. Aquilino called on the US to step up its military development as threats in the Indo-Pacific region continue to “grow and accelerate.”
“We have to go faster,” Aquilino repeatedly told lawmakers during Wednesday’s two-hour hearing. He recommended deploying hypersonic and cruise missile defense systems to Guam by 2027, two years earlier than the 2029 deadline set by Congress in December.
A U.S. Air Force Rockwell B-1B Lancer (left) and a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (right) stand on the tarmac at Andersen Air Force Base in Yigo, Guam, Aug. 17, 2017. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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This year, the Indo-Pacific Command indicated in a priority list that it wanted $11 billion more than the White House’s allocation, requesting $430 million for the missile defense system on Guam, according to documents released “Politico“ present.
China has not officially hinted at impending war with Taiwan. However, Xi said that he considers reunification to be inevitable. He also doesn’t rule out using force to assimilate the self-governing island.
Analysts debated whether the country would be able to successfully carry out an amphibious invasion of the island. The likelihood and timing of US intervention play a central role.
In the event of an invasion of Taiwan, Beijing would face the challenge of getting a large ground force safely across the strait. China appears to be exploring transportation options such as seizing civilian ships to assist with transportation. On the other hand, analysts say Taiwan’s best defense strategy is to wait for the US to arrive.
Meanwhile, the US is concerned about Xi’s mandate to make China’s military a “world-class” power by 2027, as the White House fears Beijing is seeking to replace the US as the dominant power in the Indo-Pacific region and eventually around the world .
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More recently, Beijing’s armed forces have been embroiled in a corruption scandal in which Xi fired several senior leaders – including some from the highly publicized missile force.
The elimination and reports of bribery significantly denting China’s weapons arsenal raise questions internationally about the true strength of the People’s Liberation Army and whether Xi’s military goals have been delayed.
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