The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is currently preparing to go to war with the East Asian country of Taiwan, which the former claims as its own.
On November 9, Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered the Chinese defence forces to prepare themselves, announcing that the capital will readily strengthen military training as a possible war looms. He said that China is preparing for war as the nation’s “security is increasingly unstable and uncertain”.
A report by Sky News Australia stated that Jinping recently visited the joint operations command centre of the Central Military Commission in Beijing, where he announced the state’s intention for war.
State-owned Xinhua News Agency reported on China’s standing on the matter by quoting the President Jinping, who said, “The entire military should devote all its energy to and carry out all its work for combat readiness, enhancing its capability to fight and win.”
Jinping has instructed the armed forces to ‘thoroughly study, publicise and implement’ the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress. The armed forces have been ordered to fervently protect and serve the ‘national sovereignty’, ‘security’ and development interests’.
China has long been dedicated to ‘reunite’ Taiwan with the mainland under Jinping’s leadership, and the country has recently been working up a more aggressive approach. This is Xi Jinping’s third term serving as China’s president, and over the years he has built himself a loyal support system that clutches extreme power in the PRC.
The geo-political tension between the two nations increased when US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August. Her meeting was perceived as a threat to its sovereignty by China, as it supposedly implied official recognition of Taiwan by the US.
The US is at odds over various global policies and ideologies with China, but continues to maintain a friendly diplomatic relationship with the Taiwanese state.
Soon after China threatened the ‘self-governing’ island nation with war, several images of China’s heavy arsenal and massive military convoy of trucks surfaced on the internet.
These showcased the main battle tanks (MBTs), armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) and military combat exercises, including the firing of surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). Although the details of these images have not been tracked, China is infamous for conducting such events often.
Taiwan has been both a British and a Japanese colony, however, it has not been under express control of Beijing for almost 100 years now, and vehemently opposes China’s claim on the territory.
The Atlantic reported that the Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has a crucial balance to maintain, as the nation needs to prepare for war while doing its best to avoid one.
Talking to journalist Ben Rhodes, President Ing-wen said, “It’s real that this thing could happen to us… So we need to get ourselves ready.” She emphasised that China poses a genuine threat to Taiwan, but also warned, “If the PLA wants to do something drastic, Xi has to weigh the costs…He has to think twice.”
China’s threat of war and possible invasion of Taiwan is expected to cause a global stir. Taiwan has strong allies in the West, including the US, who has previously announced that they will firmly defend the nation against China’s aggressions.
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