A senior US general has said that while a Chinese attack on Taiwan is not imminent, Beijing was clearly ‘developing (the) capability’ to launch an assault.
General Mark Milley, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, said the US was monitoring the situation ‘very closely’, according to the BBC.
The report notes that there has been a marked escalation recently between China and the US –Taiwan’s most powerful ally.
In May, US President Joe Biden said China was ‘flirting with danger’ by flying its warplanes close to Taiwan. He vowed to protect the island militarily if it was attacked.
Beijing retorted by accusing the US of ‘violating its promise on Taiwan’ and ‘interfering’ in China’s affairs, adding the country ‘would not hesitate to fight’ to prevent Taiwan from formally declaring independence.
General Milley told the BBC: ‘In terms of capability I think China clearly is developing a capability. President Xi [Jinping] has mentioned that in public forums, he’s mentioned it in speeches, that he has challenged the PLA [China’s People’s Liberation Army] to develop the capability to attack Taiwan at some point in time.
‘And whether they would or not, it’s a political choice, it’s a policy choice, that will be based off of how the Chinese view the cost risk benefit at the time.’
He added: ‘There’s no indications or warnings of anything imminent at this time. But again, we watch it very, very closely.’