The Biden administration has concluded that China is “flirting with the idea of seizing control of Taiwan as President Xi Jinping becomes more willing to take risks to boost his legacy,” reports the Financial Times.
Why it matters: An invasion of Taiwan, Beijing’s claimed self-governing island, would force the US to decide whether to go to war with China to defend an implied ally.
- The Biden administration’s recent conclusion is based on Chinese behavior over the past two months, a senior US official told FT.
- After a show of force by Chinese bombers off the coast of Taiwan, just after President Biden took office, the State Department said, “We urge Beijing to end its military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan.”
Adm. John Aquilino, candidate to lead US forces in the Pacific, the Senate Armed Forces Committee warned this week that the threat to Taiwan is “much closer to us than most think,” CNN reported.
Adm. Philip Davidson, the current head of the US Indo-Pacific Command testified earlier this month that the Chinese military is building offensive capabilities, making the threat to Taiwan “manifest throughout this decade – in fact, in the next six years.”