U.S. Commander Predicts China May Attack Taiwan In the Future

The Chinese military has been threatening military action against Taiwan for years. (Flickr)

The Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said that China may take military action against Taiwan as it looks to override the U.S. position of authority in the global order. 

Philip Davidson, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, made the remarks in response to inquiries from Representative Scott DesJarlais (R-TN) during a House Armed Services Committee on March 10. During the hearing on national security challenges, Davidson offered his assessment on what he considered to be the most probable objective of Chinese military activity in the following five to 10 years.

"Given what they've said both publicly and over time, and certainly during the tenure of Chairman Xi Jinping, I would say Taiwan is the first," Davidson said.

Taiwan split from China in 1949 after a civil war, which saw China’s communist army, led by Mao Zedong, defeat Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai Shek and his army. Shek fled to Taiwan with his supporters, where he established a country free from Chinese Communist rule. Today, Taiwan exists under the steady danger of attack by the Chinese government, which sees the island of 24 million people as a part of its territory, and has promised to reclaim it one day. Washington changed conciliatory acknowledgement from Taiwan to China in 1979, yet stays the island's most significant informal partner and military sponsor, alongside being a notable trade partner.

U.S.-Taiwan relations saw a significant lift under Trump’s reign in 2020 when then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar visited the country and held a conference with Taiwanese partners. However, the U.S. doesn't have official relations with Taiwan, despite a history of arms sales and military support.

In retaliation to Davidson’s comments, China accused him of an attempt to "hype up” the danger of an attack on Taiwan to expand Washington's budget and legitimize its own strategic position in East and Southeast Asia.