Chinese state media lashed out at a top US General who ‘predicted’ there will be a war with China in 2025 even as the Pentagon dismissed the comments as well. The Global Times said ‘reckless’ and ‘provocative’ comments that hype China threats will inflame tensions and ‘deepen strategic mistrust between the US and China.’
The top US Air Force General said in a memo that he had the gut feeling that the US and China will have a military conflict over Taiwan in two years. “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me will fight in 2025,” Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, said in a memo to service members under him.
Pentagon Disowns the Alert
The General pointed out that Taiwan and the US will be engrossed with presidential elections in 2024, giving Chinese President Xi Jinping the headroom to move swiftly in Taiwan.
The top level memo was addressed to all air wing commanders in Air Mobility Command, which has a strength of 50,000 servicemen, NBC News reported. General Minihan ordered all Air Force operational commanders to ‘prepare for the China fight’ and submit a report by February 28.
The Pentagon disowned the alert raised by the Air Force General. “These comments are not representative of the department’s view on China,” the defense department said.
Is an Invasion Imminent?
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had assessed the potential for a China conflict earlier this month, saying the Chinese behavior had become provocative recently adding that he doubted if there was a serious threat of Taiwan invasion imminently. “What we’re seeing recently, is some very provocative behavior on the part of China’s forces and their attempt to re-establish a new normal .. . But whether or not that means that an invasion is imminent … I seriously doubt that,” he had said.
Earlier this month, former US national security adviser H.R. McMaster said China could be preparing for a war to annex Taiwan. “Xi Jinping has made it quite clear, in his statements, that he is going to make, from his perspective, China whole again by subsuming Taiwan … And preparations are underway,” ,” McMaster said.
Aggressive Military Moves
The official said China has amplified its military might aggressively in recent years and the chief goal of such a wide-scale mobilization is the eventual invasion of Taiwan. “China has become increasingly aggressive, not only from an economic and financial perspective and a wolf warrior diplomacy perspective, but physically, with its military … And what’s really disturbing is, I think, Xi Jinping is preparing the Chinese people for war,” he added.
At the end of December, China conducted the biggest ever incursion into Taiwanese defence identification zone. The Taiwanese defense ministry said the incursions were made by 42 J-10, J-11, J-16 and Su-30 fighter jets as well as two Y-8 maritime patrol aircraft, a KJ-500 early warning aircraft. The ministry added that as many as 43 aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line. The breaching of the median line is a significant step as it is seen as the unofficial buffer between China and self ruled Taiwan.
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What Will Happen if a War Breaks Out?
In January, a US think tank said a Chinese bid to invade and annex democratically ruled Taiwan will fail but the military forces of China, the US, Japan and Taiwan will suffer enormously. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) conducted a complex simulation to arrive at the finding. A report titled ‘The First Battle of the Next War’ was published aftre geopolitical and military strategists conducted as many as two dozen war scenarios.
However, the military losses for the US, Japan and Taiwan will be quick and devastating. The United States and Japan lose dozens of ships, hundreds of aircraft, and thousands of service members. Such losses would damage the US global position for many years,” the report said.
The report also said this war will mark the beginning of the end of the global hegemony of the US. As many as 3,500 US soldiers will die in the first three weeks of the war and at least two aircraft carriers will sink, the report said. The US will also lose between 10 to 20 large warships and hundreds of aircraft.
