The top U.S. military commander in the Indo-Pacific has said that Beijing is maintaining its goal of being able to invade Taiwan by 2027, testimony that came as China sent the second-largest contingent of warplanes around the democratic island in a single day this year.
China is working to build up its People¡¯s Liberation Army (PLA) ¡°on a scale not seen¡± since World War II, even as the country focuses on reinvigorating a slowing economy, Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. John Aquilino told the U.S. House Armed Services Committee in prepared testimony Wednesday.
¡°All indications point to the PLA meeting President Xi Jinping¡¯s directive to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027,¡± Aquilino said. ¡°The PLA¡¯s actions indicate their ability to meet Xi¡¯s preferred timeline to unify Taiwan with mainland China by force if directed.¡±
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