CHINA will look to exploit a fragmented West while it waits for the “perfect moment” to launch an attack on Taiwan, an expert has warned.
Fears are that the weakening of Western alliances and the unpredictability of US foreign policy under Donald Trump could create the perfect atmosphere for Beijing to trigger an invasion.
China’s President Xi Jinping could be preparing a potential invasion of Taiwan[/caption]
Tensions between China and neighbouring Taiwan have soared in recent years as the threat of war looms[/caption]
The giant troop-carrying barges are capable of delivering fleets of tanks and thousands of troops directly onto Taiwanese roads[/caption]
Trump has repeatedly said it won’t act as a security backstop for its longtime ally Europe.
The dramatic change in the US policy left European countries scrambling to bolster their own defence.
China’s president Xi Jinping is said to be happy with a fragmenting West and the US saying it’s not interested in being the kind of security ally it was.
Experts say this could lead to a “perfect opportunity” where “everything favours China” to launch an attack against Taiwan – Xi’s biggest political ambition.
Professor Kerry Brown from King’s College London told The Sun that if the global balance shifts in its favour, China might see an opportunity to act decisively regarding Taiwan.
And Beijing has already shown signs of preparations for a potential war.
China is building at least five of the giant troop-carrying barges, according to satellite imagery and military sources.
The massive barges are capable of delivering fleets of tanks and the 1.2million troops Beijing would need to invade Taiwan.
Mr Brown said: “I think it’s unlikely that China will do anything unless it’s absolutely pushed into a corner. It may just wait for the time when everything favours it.”
“However, certain triggers such as Taiwan declaring independence or the US recognising it as an independent state could force Beijing to act.”
Beijing is also building its largest ever aircraft carrier – capable of launching war jets from four runways at the same time.
The intensive work going on in Chinese shipyards suggests China is planning a massive amphibious assault.
The huge purpose-built barges resemble the floating Mulberry Harbours used by allied forces during the D-Day landings in June, 1944.
Mr Brown said: “What an invasion or an attack on Taiwan would mean is huge. An amphibious landing on an island hasn’t been tried since the Second World War and the D-Day landings.
“If Taiwan suddenly calls itself independent, then we cross a red line, and China will do something.
“It might be blockades, it might be something more. It has a lot of options.”
Trump says he is no longer interested in being the kind of security ally it was[/caption]
Chinese President Xi Jinping has long threatened to take Taiwan ‘by force if necessary’[/caption]
Taiwan fears a ‘surprise attack’ from China is inevitable[/caption]
Taiwan has been gearing up for a destructive war against their Chinese aggressors[/caption]
China is already engaged in what experts call a “war of words” against Taiwan.
Xi’s military has increased its military activity in the area over the past few years as a show of force.
This included encircling Taiwan’s skies and waters in October – holding joint drills with its warships and fighter jets on a near-daily basis near the island.
In his New Year’s address, President Xi Jinping said that the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family.
He has previously called the independence of Taiwan a futile effort and that annexation by Beijing is a “historical inevitability”.
A self-governing Taiwan has been protected by the firepower of ally America for decades.
But alarm rang across Taiwan after Donald Trump sent mixed messages about continuing US support.
War footing
China’s military production has now stepped up and analysts claim that the Chinese president has been emboldened by Trump’s apparent abandonment of Ukraine.
While the previous Biden administration clearly stated it would defend Taiwan, Trump has been more ambiguous over his intentions.
Mr Brown said: “Xi is happy with a fragmenting West and the US saying it’s not interested in being the kind of security ally it was.
“A lot of what Trump’s doing is obviously very useful to China. You’ve got all these countries who are suddenly saying, ‘Well, we don’t particularly like China, but at least it’s predictable, whereas America is very unpredictable.’
“China’s leadership is closely watching the West’s response to other conflicts, such as Ukraine, to assess how it might react to an invasion of Taiwan.”
Meanwhile, Beijing has been stockpiling gold in record numbers.
Mr brown suggested this could be part of Beijing’s strategy to defend itself from Western sanctions in the event of an attack on Taiwan.
The expert said: “”It’s not strange for China to accrue silver and gold. We have seen it in the past.
Taiwan has already installed anti-landing spikes on the frontline island of Little Kinmen[/caption]
Chinese President Xi Jinping has delivered a New Year message to ring in 2025 and has issued a warning to Taiwan[/caption]
China has been threatening Taiwan with invasion and military drills for the past few years with them rapidly ramping up in the last month[/caption]
“I think China is preparing itself for this big, big, uncertain period where opportunities are opening up.
“I think that it’s just basically going into a huddle right now, working out what’s going to happen in the future. This is going to be fairly critical.”
China is also building a solid legal ground for a potential invasion of Taiwan, aiming to frame the attack as a legitimate internal matter.
This will help the country to delay a collective security and economic response from the West.
Mock invasion and sabotage
Taiwan is feared to be a major flashpoint between Washington and Beijing – with a potential invasion forcing the US to abandon the island or face a full-scale war with China that could spiral into WW3.
Military experts have long believed China are planning to use sea blockades to cut off the island – forcing them to surrender when military supplies dwindle.
Others believe Beijing will pour its forces onto Taiwan’s “red beaches” and attack on land.
US intelligence agencies believed Xi has ordered China’s military to be ready to annex Taiwan as early as 2027.
Some experts fear one “misunderstanding” could spark “uncontrolled escalation” – leading to all-out war in the region.
In May, Beijing led huge military drills – as dozens of warplanes filled the skies above the island and an armada stormed towards its shores in a WW3-style mock invasion.
The unprecedented move was viewed as “a strong punishment for separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces”.
The mock invasion lasted for more than 24 hours, with another 27 warships and 62 warplanes blockading the island.
Taiwan condemned the military drills as “irrational provocations”.
It quickly mobilised its naval, air and ground forces to “defend the island’s sovereignty”.
The defiant island scrambled jets and even placed missile units on high alert.
In January, a damaged deep-sea cable, off the coast of Taiwan launched fears of potential Chinese sabotage.
A telecommunications cable was reportedly damaged near Yehliu, New Taipei City.
Officials believed the cable was cut near the busy port of Keelung on Taiwan’s north coast.
Why does China want to invade Taiwan?
TAIWAN insists it is an independent nation after splitting from mainland China amid civil war in 1949.
But China claims Taiwan remains a part of its territory with which it must eventually be reunified – and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island and place it under Beijing’s control.
The island, which is roughly 100 miles from the coast of south-east China, sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders.
Taiwan sits in the so-called “first island chain”, which includes a list of US-friendly territories that are crucial to Washington’s foreign policy in the region.
This also puts it in an ideal situation to slow a Chinese attack on the West.
And with tensions between the two nations high, Taiwan is likely to aid China’s enemy if it means keeping its independence.
Taiwan’s economy is another factor in China’s desperation to reclaim the land.
If China takes the island, it could be freer to project power in the western Pacific and rival the US, thanks to much of the world’s electronics being made in Taiwan.
This would allow Beijing to have control over an industry that drives the global economy.
China insists that its intentions are peaceful, but President Xi Jinping has also used threats towards the small island nation
