Video Above: Does the U.S. Have an Appetite for a Military Conflict with China?
By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven
Chinese military leaders are announcing new multi-domain war preparations around the island of Taiwan and massively escalating anti-US rhetoric and making threatening statements.
Quoting a spokesperson from the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command warning that the US support for Taiwan could become “dangerous…with the US facing serious consequences.”
“Taiwan is a part of China”
The Chinese government-backed Global Times suggests that the Chinese response is related to recent comments from President Biden that the US would intervene militarily to defend Taiwan in the event of military conflict with China.
“Taiwan is a part of China, and the theater command troops are determined and capable of defeating any secessionist attempts by external or “Taiwan independence” forces, and firmly safeguarding national sovereignty and security as well as peace and stability in the region,” the Chinese spokesperson said, according to the paper.
The paper also quotes an official from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warning the US as well with “unbearable costs” in response to Biden’s comments.
“…..by either openly or secretly encouraging and supporting ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionist activities, the US will not only bring consequences to China-US ties that would be beyond repair, but also lead to unbearable costs for the US,” the official told the paper.
The Chinese warning, which escalates threatening language and included multi-service war drills around the island of Taiwan, included specific pledges to use military power to thwart what it referred to as foreign “interventionists.”
The exercises which the paper said included units from the PLA Navy, Army, Air Force and Rocket Force, likely included amphibious assault preparations. The war training “targeted the collusion between the US and Taiwan secessionists,” the paper said. Chinese military officials were also quoted making ambitious comments about China’s military capabilities, saying “neither the armed forces on the island of Taiwan nor other countries’ military forces – including the US – can stop the PLA from reunifying the island, as the PLA now has overwhelming military advantages on the doorsteps of China, as shown in the drills.”
Referring to the drills as “realistic combat exercises,” the Chinese paper cited Taiwan’s relative geographical isolation and specifically made the point that the island nation would not be able to embark upon what it called a “proxy” war such as that going on in Ukraine.
Video Above Comparing U.S. 5th Generation Fighter Jets, F-35 & F-22 to China’s Fighter Jets, Including the J-20
“With geographical weaknesses, the isolated island of Taiwan can never become a US proxy in a protracted war like that in Ukraine, experts said, noting that with more drills, the PLA’s combat plans are becoming more mature,” the paper said.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization and the Defense Editor for the National Interest. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
