China does not currently intend to invade Taiwan in 2027 and is trying to control the island without using force, the US intelligence community announced on Wednesday, reports Reuters, taken over by Agerpres.
The assessment in the intelligence agencies' annual report on global threats comes as Beijing has stepped up pressure on Taiwan with frequent military maneuvers, although US President Donald Trump has played down the risk of Chinese military action during his tenure.
The Pentagon announced last year that the US military believes China is preparing to win a battle for Taiwan by 2027, the centenary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, and is refining its options to conquer Taiwan by “brute force” if necessary.
“China, despite its threat to use force to impose unification if necessary and to counter what it perceives as an American attempt to use Taiwan to undermine China's growth, prefers to achieve unification without using force if possible,” US intelligence agencies say in the report.
Chinese military's 'steady but uneven' advances
The US “assesses that Chinese leaders do not currently intend to implement an invasion of Taiwan in 2027, nor do they have a fixed timetable for achieving unification,” the report states.
The report reiterates earlier reports that the People's Liberation Army is making “steady but uneven” progress in the capabilities it could use to conquer the democratically-ruled island.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Taiwan's de facto embassy in Washington also did not immediately respond. Trump, who has often spoken of the “wonderful relationship” he has with President Xi Jinping, played down the threat of Chinese maneuvers around Taiwan and claimed Xi had told him he would not attack Taiwan during his tenure, a fact Beijing has never confirmed.
China perceives Taiwan as its own territory and has never ruled out using force to bring the island back under its control. Taiwan rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying that only the island's population can decide its future.
Despite concerns in the US and abroad about Trump's willingness to support Taiwan, his administration in December unveiled a record $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan, angering Beijing, which says such arms deals must end.
