Henry Kissinger ‘not expecting’ China to try to take Taiwan in next decade

Former US secretary of state tells CNN he does not foresee an all-out attack in that time

But he says China may take measures to ‘weaken the Taiwanese ability to appear substantially autonomous’ if tensions keep rising

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Henry Kissinger has been a guest of several Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping in 2019. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 11:53am, 22 Nov 2021Updated: 10:20pm, 22 Nov 2021

Henry Kissinger has said he does not believe Chinese President Xi Jinping will launch a war within the next decade to take Taiwan under Beijing’s control.

“I don’t expect an all-out attack on Taiwan in, say, a 10-year period, which is as far as I can see,” the former US national security adviser and secretary of state told CNN in an interview on Sunday.

“I think it is perfectly possible that if the confrontation keeps growing, the Chinese will take measures that will weaken the Taiwanese ability to appear substantially autonomous. I think this is foreseeable.”

Kissinger’s comments come with alarm growing across both political parties in Washington that Xi is pushing China ever closer to a potentially catastrophic war to take control of the self-governed island.

Over the past year, China’s military has flown hundreds of fighter jets and other planes near Taiwan, while Chinese state media outlets frequently issue chest-thumping warnings about a potential attack.

As Washington’s relationship with Beijing has steadily worsened over recent years, the US has also been increasingly willing to publicly embrace Taipei as a close partner that shares its democratic values.