{"id":68189,"date":"2021-04-07T10:15:23","date_gmt":"2021-04-07T10:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/04\/07\/us-military-cites-rising-risk-of-chinese-move-against-taiwan\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T13:40:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T13:40:41","slug":"us-military-cites-rising-risk-of-chinese-move-against-taiwan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/07\/us-military-cites-rising-risk-of-chinese-move-against-taiwan\/","title":{"rendered":"US military cites rising risk of Chinese move against Taiwan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The American military is warning that China is probably accelerating its timetable for capturing control of Taiwan, the island democracy that has been the chief source of tension between Washington and Beijing<\/a> for decades and is widely seen as the most likely trigger for a potentially catastrophic U.S.-China war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The worry about Taiwan comes as China wields new strength from years of military buildup. It has become more aggressive with Taiwan and more assertive in sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea<\/a>. Beijing also has become more confrontational with Washington; senior Chinese officials traded sharp and unusually public barbs<\/a> with Secretary of State Antony Blinken<\/a> in talks in Alaska last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A military move against Taiwan, however, would be a test of U.S. support for the island that Beijing views as a breakaway province. For the Biden administration, it could present the choice of abandoning a friendly, democratic entity or risking what could become an all-out war over a cause that is not on the radar of most Americans. The United States has long pledged to help Taiwan defend itself, but it has deliberately left unclear how far it would go in response to a Chinese attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This accumulation of concerns meshes with the administration\u2019s view that China is a frontline challenge for the United States and that more must be done soon \u2014 militarily, diplomatically and by other means \u2014 to deter Beijing as it seeks to supplant the United States as the predominant power in Asia. Some American military leaders see Taiwan as potentially the most immediate flashpoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have indications that the risks are actually going up,\u201d Adm. Philip Davidson, the most senior U.S. military commander in the Asia-Pacific region, told a Senate panel last month, referring to a Chinese military move on Taiwan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe threat is manifest during this decade \u2014 in fact, in the next six years,\u201d Davidson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Days later, Davidson\u2019s expected successor, Adm. John Aquilino, declined to back up the six-year timeframe but told senators at his confirmation hearing: \u201cMy opinion is, this problem is much closer to us than most think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t