Washington, United States.
China could invade Taiwan ichild a term of six years to achieve its stated ambition to replace United States as the first military power in the Pacific Ocean, the commander of US forces in the region, the Admiral Philip Davidson.
“I’m afraid they are accelerating your plans for supplant in the United States (…) by 2050 “, declared the head of the Military command of the Indo-Pacific (Indopacom) before a Senate committee. “I’m afraid they want to achieve their goal earlier than expected “.
“Of course Taiwan is part of his ambitions and I think the threat it is evident in the next decade, in fact in the next six years“, Added.
United States sever their diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979 to recognize a Beijing as the sole official representative of China, but it is still the Taiwan’s most powerful ally and its principal weapons supplier.
China considers, however, the isla like ato his province and threateninga with recover it by force in case of a formal declaration of independence or a foreign intervention.
After regaining control of Hong Kong, Beijing has issued repeated warnings to Taipei with demonstrations of strength and attempts to impede navigation in the Straits of Taiwan, qwhich separates the two territories.
China, which also has territorial ambitions in the South China (Vs. Vietnam and the Philippines, in particular), the East China Sea (Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands) and the Himalayas versus the India, Threatens even the US island of Guam in the Pacific, he noted Admiral Davidson.
“Guam is one today goal “, He warned, recalling that the Chinese military released a promotional video last year showing pilots attacking a military base on the island, 2,500 km east of Philippines.
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Davidson asked members of the Senate to approve the installation in Guam of a state-of-the-art Aegis Ashore anti-missile battery capable of intercepting the most powerful Chinese projectiles.
Guam “must be defended and must be prepared for future threats, because I’m clear that Guam is no longer just a place from which we think we can fight, “he added.” We will have to fight for it. “
In addition to three other Aegis missile defense systems for Australia and Japan, Admiral Davidson asked congressmen to include offensive weapons in the 2022 military budget “to let know China that the cost of what they are trying to do is too high and to make them doubt their chances of success. “