China is building up its military and nuclear arsenal on a scale unseen since World War II, and all indications are that it is committed to its ambition to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. This was stated by the head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino, Bloomberg reports, UNN writes.
Details
It is noted that despite Beijing's economic problems, its official defense budget has increased by 16% in recent years and exceeded $223 billion.
According to Admiral John Aquilino, in the three years since he took over the command, the Chinese army (PLA) has added more than 400 fighters, two dozen large warships, and doubled its stockpile of ballistic and cruise missiles since 2020.
All indications are that the PLA is fulfilling President Xi Jinping's directive to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, if ordered to do so,
He added that the Chinese military is also practicing various tasks related to operations against Taiwan, such as simulating an encirclement with a sea and air blockade.
At the same time, according to US intelligence, China does not want a military conflict over Taiwan, even if it intends to take control of the self-governing island.
Recall
China will increase its defense budget for 2024 by 7.2% to 1.67 trillion yuan ($230.6 billion) and will emphasize reunification with Taiwan.