A former US national security adviser has said China could be preparing for a war to annex Taiwan. According to retired US Army lieutenant general H.R. McMaster, Chinese President Xi Jinping has set the reunification of Taiwan as one of the main goals.
"Xi Jinping has made it quite clear, in his statements, that he is going to make, from his perspective, China whole again by subsuming Taiwan ... And preparations are underway," ," McMaster said, according to Newsweek.
McMaster's main reasoning is that China has amplified its military might aggressively in recent years and the chief goal of such a wide-scale mobilization is the eventual invasion of Taiwan. "China has become increasingly aggressive, not only from an economic and financial perspective and a wolf warrior diplomacy perspective, but physically, with its military," McMaster said. "And what's really disturbing is, I think, Xi Jinping is preparing the Chinese people for war," he said.
More Evidence
McMaster says that some of Xi's key speeches have ample clues about an impending war to annex Taiwan. McMaster says that the US should take into account the extremely hardline rhetoric from China, prepare its allies and extend its power to Taiwan.
Last week, Taiwan reported the biggest ever Chinese incursion into its airspace, saying more than 70 Chinese aircraft including fighter jets entered its air defence identification zone. The Taiwanese defense ministry said the incursions were made by 42 J-10, J-11, J-16 and Su-30 fighter jets as well as two Y-8 maritime patrol aircraft, a KJ-500 early warning aircraft. The ministry added that as many as 43 aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line. The breaching of the median line is a significant step as it is seen as the unofficial buffer between China and self ruled Taiwan.
Fears over a military move to 'reunify' Taiwan with the mainland have grown in recent years. In fact, such fears had never gone away. Geopolitical analysts have been watching out for signs of a final Chinese resolve to strike for years.
Taiwan's reunification with the mainland is a primary agenda for Beijing. China insists that it is the only large nation in the world that is yet to be completely reunified. "Resolving the Taiwan question so as to realise China's full reunification is the irresistible trend of the times, China's greatest national interest, the righteous path to follow and the longing of all Chinese people," Wei had said earlier.
