Beijing in no rush to send PLA across Taiwan Strait, say Chinese analysts
- Mainland China has never said it has a timeline, but US officials have stepped up warnings
- Peaceful reunification preferred because use of force would involve huge costs
Recent assessments by senior US officials have included calls for the US Navy to step up preparations for an invasion by the People’s Liberation Army as soon as this year.
Chinese analysts said there was a possibility of war breaking out in the Taiwan Strait in the coming years, and it could be rising, with potential triggers including the upgrading of US ties with the island or a declaration of independence by the Taiwanese authorities.
They said the mainland side and its military had plans to deal with different scenarios regarding Taiwan, but resolving the issue peacefully was still the priority and the cost of using force would be huge.
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Zhang Wensheng, deputy dean of the Graduate Institute for Taiwan Studies at Xiamen University, said preparations should be made to acquire the military capability needed to seize Taiwan, but that was not equal to using it immediately.
Zheng Jian, a member of the National Society of Taiwan Studies, a think tank based in Beijing, said: “The resolution of the Taiwan issue should be made based on the state and military situation at the time.