The top U.S. military commander in the Indo-Pacific has said that Beijing is maintaining its goal of being able to invade Taiwan by 2027, testimony that came as China sent the second-largest contingent of warplanes around the democratic island in a single day this year.
China is working to build up its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “on a scale not seen” since World War II, even as the country focuses on reinvigorating a slowing economy, Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. John Aquilino told the U.S. House Armed Services Committee in prepared testimony Wednesday.
“All indications point to the PLA meeting President Xi Jinping’s directive to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027,” Aquilino said. “The PLA’s actions indicate their ability to meet Xi’s preferred timeline to unify Taiwan with mainland China by force if directed.”