China is building its defense and atomic arsenal on a scale never seen since World War II and all indications suggest it’s sticking to interests to get ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, a leading U. S. captain testified.
Despite Beijing’s economic problems, its official defence budget has increased by 16 % over recent years to more than$ 223 billion, Admiral John Aquilino, the head of the Indo- Pacific Command, told the U. S. House Armed Services Committee in prepared testimony on Wednesday.
In the three decades since he took control, he said the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, has added more than 400 fighter aircraft, along with more than 20 big ships. It’s also doubled its stock of nuclear and cruise missiles since 2020, he said.
” All signs point to the PLA meet President Xi Jinping’s policy to get ready to invade Taiwan by 2027″, Aquilino said. ” The PLA’s steps indicate their ability to meet Xi’s recommended time- line to consolidate Taiwan with mainland China by army if directed”.
The Chinese government has also been rehearsing several jobs linked to procedures against Taiwan such as simulating an invasion with a sea and atmosphere blockade, Aquilino said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lin Jian on Thursday said Taiwan is China’s domestic affair and accused Washington of causing section in the Asia- Pacific area.
” Some citizens in the U. S. have been trying to hype up the China- risk tale to intensify tensions across the sea and cause fight. We strongly oppose that”, he told reporters during a standard media briefing in Beijing.
China’s defense budget is still much less than that of the U. S. President Joe Biden this month proposed a$ 850 billion Pentagon budget for fiscal 2025. That includes$ 500 million to replenish weapons that would be provided to Taiwan in a” first- time funding request” seeking to “address aggression in the region and ensure continued support to our allies”.
U. S. lawmakers, officials and defense leaders have fiercely debated Xi’s intentions for Taiwan, especially in light of his 2027 goal for his nation’s defense to become a “world- group power”. Nearly a year ago, Aquilino testified that “everybody’s guessing” about the Chinese army’s plans.
Meanwhile, the U. S. intelligence community assesses that China does n’t want a military conflict over Taiwan, even as it’s determined to bring the self- governed island under its control.
China’s “unprecedented level of defense spending is paying off”, said Representative Mike Rogers, the Alabama Republican who chairs the House Armed Services Committee. ” The PLA is fielding modern systems like hypersonic weapons and fifth- generation fighters. They can project power well into the Pacific with a 340 ship navy that includes a new aircraft carrier and nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines”.
China’s partnership with Russia is also troubling as China has provided Russian president Vladimir Putin with economic and security assistance for the invasion of Ukraine, Rogers said. China’s partnership with Russia is a response to U. S. alliances in the Pacific region and elsewhere.
” It should be concerning to the whole globe”, Aquilino said.
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