The top military official in the U.S. expressed skepticism about China‘s intent to invade Taiwan, thus toning down war risks that have ruffled investors and regional countries.
What Happened: General Charles Brown, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, while addressing reporters in Tokyo, suggested that Chinese President Xi Jinping might not resort to force to take control of Taiwan, but rather employ other strategies, the Financial Times reported.
“I do think that [Chinese president] Xi Jinping doesn’t actually want to take Taiwan by force. He will try to use other ways to do this,” Brown said.
General Brown highlighted the complexity of a potential beach landing required for an invasion and emphasized the need for the U.S. and its allies to focus on other attempts by China to increase pressure on Taiwan, whether military, diplomatic, or economic.
This comes as the U.S. and China are attempting to manage escalating tensions in their relationship by renewing dialogue. President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco next week.
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Why It Matters: Brown’s statements are at odds with earlier warnings by military and security officials about a possible conflict over Taiwan. Notably, Admiral Philip Davidson, the then head of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific, predicted in 2021 that China could take military action against Taiwan by 2027.
However, senior Biden administration officials and the Pentagon have started emphasizing this year that they do not foresee an imminent Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, has been conducting increased military operations around Taiwan. Beijing also employs other tactics, such as trade barriers and disinformation campaigns, to undermine Taiwan’s de facto independence.
Meanwhile, Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, expressed optimism about the possibility of de-escalating U.S.-China tensions, particularly over Taiwan, ahead of a much-anticipated meeting between Biden and Xi.
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