China is not planning on invading Taiwan in 2027, U.S. intelligence officials now say.
China is not planning on invading Taiwan in 2027, U.S. intelligence officials now say.
The Pentagon’s position is a change from last year, when it said experts believed China was getting ready for a possible Taiwan takeover by 2027.
The government revealed its current thinking in a new report on global threats, which is issued annually. However, China is unlikely to drop its long-term plans to take over the island.
“Beijing probably will continue seeking to set the conditions for eventual unification with Taiwan short of conflict,” the report said. China “prefers to achieve unification without the use of force, if possible.”
While China does not have imminent invasion plans, its People’s Liberation Army continues to stage military exercises as a show of force and pressure on Taiwan’s government.
China has long considered the democratic, self-governed Taiwan its territory. U.S. policy on Taiwan since 1979 acknowledges China’s claim over the island while taking no official position on Taiwan independence. The U.S. has sold Taiwan billions of dollars in weapons in the last 47 years.
