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Last Friday, Chinese leader Xi JinPing won his third five-year term as president in a unanimous vote by the National People’s Congress. Having secured his grip on power quite possibly for life, Xi is executing China’s grand plan to re-establish control over Taiwan.
Indeed, so crucial is Taiwan – which broke away from communist China in 1949 – that Beijing appears willing to tussle with Washington over its long-term fate.
As the only nation standing between China and Taiwan, US battle readiness has never been more vital. But the US remains woefully unprepared even as every sign from Xi suggests he’s readying himself to rumble.
First, the war drums – loud ones. In October, Xi installed a “War Cabinet” comprised of seven men, all Xi loyalists, after removing advisors favoring reforms from the all-powerful Politburo.
The next month, during a visit to China’s operational command center, Xi directed his military to be ready for war. “The entire military must . . . concentrate all energy on fighting a war, direct all work toward warfare and speed up to build the ability to win,” Xi said. CIA Director William Burns estimates Beijing wants to be conflict-ready by 2027.
Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, however, forecasts that the US and China “will fight in 2025.” He suggests China will mount an attack on Taiwan while Americans are distracted by the upcoming presidential election.
Xi is also banking on America’s inability to simultaneously prosecute a war with both Russia and China, which is why he may act on Taiwan sooner rather than later – while the Russia-Ukraine war is ongoing. Indeed, with Xi set to meet Vladimir Putin in Russia next week, China is paying close attention to activities out of Moscow.
Meanwhile, as China augments its fighting prowess on the ground, it’s also beefing up defense capabilities in space as part of its Taiwan-invasion toolbox. Between 2019 and 2021, China doubled its number of orbiting satellites from 250 to 499, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency. During wartime, satellites deliver everything from missile warning and navigation to reconnaissance and command-and-control efforts.
On Tuesday, US Space Force Chief Gen. Chance Saltzman revealed that over the past six months, China launched dozens of spacecraft to target US forces.
