Admiral John Aquilino, who is chosen to be the next commander of US forces in the Pacific, on Tuesday said that China is amassing weapons and systems to militarily overwhelm Taiwan, an action it could be “poised to take” within the next six years.
“My opinion is this problem is much closer to us than most think,” he said before the Senate Armed Services Committee, which was reviewing his nomination to lead the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command.
He further stated that China considers establishing full control over Taiwan to be its “number one priority”.
The current head of the command, Admiral Philip Davidson, told a hearing earlier this month that China could be prepared to take Taiwan, the self-governed democratic island that Beijing claims as its sovereign territory, by force within the next six years.
But Aquilino said Beijing is establishing a track record of using force to achieve Communist Party goals sooner than US planners forecast.
“We’ve seen aggressive actions earlier than we anticipated, whether it be on the Indian border or whether it be in Hong Kong or whether it be against the Uyghurs. We’ve seen things that I don’t think we expected, and that’s why I continue to talk about a sense of urgency. We ought to be prepared today,” Aquilino said.
Aquilino warned on Tuesday the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is sharply focused on having all it needs to bring Taiwan under Beijing’s control.
“The military threat to Taiwan is increasing. The PLA continues to field a broad array of advanced weapons and systems as part of ongoing force modernization specifically intended to achieve decisive overmatch against Taiwan,” he said in written testimony.
He also said that Washington’s credibility as an ally to places like Japan and the Philippines is at stake if the island were to fall to Beijing.
“It would negatively impact our standing in the region if that were to happen and it would challenge the rest of our allies and partners and the US, negatively impacting our ability to operate freely in the area,” he said.
Aquilino also told the senators that a Chinese military presence on Taiwan would give Beijing sway over two thirds of global trade, which passes through the sea lanes near the island. “I do believe that sends a strong message that the entirety of government in the United States is focused on the challenge that we’ve identified as it applies to the western Pacific,” Aquilino said.
In recent months, China has increased its military activities around Taiwan. According to China, it is responding to what it calls “collusion” between Taipei and Washington, Taiwan’s main international backer and weapons supplier.
In November, the US and Taiwan signed a blueprint for closer economic ties in Washington. In February, Senator Rick Scott reintroduced the Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act, sponsored by Congressman Guy Reschenthaler in the US House of Representatives, to protect Taiwan from China’s growing aggression.