WASHINGTON – A senior US official voiced optimism Thursday that China could possibly be deterred from invading Taiwan over this decade, a distinction to extra dire predictions from Washington.
“I think they have intention. But absolutely, I think we can get to the end of this decade without them committing major aggression against Taiwan,” Ely Ratner, the highest Pentagon official for Asia, stated of China.
Responding to a query at a Senate listening to, Ratner stated that the United States was “laser-focused on maintaining deterrence today, tomorrow and into the future.”
A senior US officer, Air Mobility Command chief General Mike Minihan, not too long ago made waves by predicting conflict with China.
“I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,” Minihan wrote in a memo to forces on readiness.
Minihan pointed to the 2024 elections in Taiwan and stated that China may view the United States as distracted resulting from its personal presidential elections.
But Ratner, requested concerning the memo, stated that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the remainder of the Defense Department “do not believe that an invasion of Taiwan is imminent or inevitable.”
China claims Taiwan, a self-governing democracy and main technological hub, and has not dominated out power to “reunify” with the island. — Agence France-Presse
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
