'Attack on Taiwan would be strategic mistake like Russian invasion': US threatens China

As the tension between China and Taiwan soared unprecedently in recent months, especially after the visit of US Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, on several occasions, warned to invade the island nation. However, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said if China attacks Taiwan, it would be a 'strategic mistake'. The top US official even compared the situation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin's action and called it the biggest failure of Moscow. "Attacking and sieging Taiwan across the strait is a difficult task to do. Most of Taiwan is a mountainous island. It's a very difficult military objective. The Chinese would be at high risk and it will be an unwise geopolitical mistake and a strategic mistake similar to what Putin has made in Ukraine," Gen Milley said during a press briefing on Wednesday. 

According to Milley, the Chinese leader should learn from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and added the Biden administration will assist Taipei in case of any attack on its sovereignty. Terming China as a pacing threat, the top US general said Beijing has advanced its objective to become the number one power by mid-century. Further, he maintained that the US forces still continue to preserve their superiority and would continue to assist countries from China's influence.

"Right now, the United States military is, without question, despite whatever criticisms people have, the most lethal warfighting machine on Earth, bar none. The United States military is number one and we intend to stay number one. China is not going to be a better military than the United States military is," Milley added.

China-Taiwan tensions

It is worth mentioning Taiwan had split from China during the civil war that brought Mao Zedong's Communist Party to power and established the People's Republic of China in 1949. While the Communist Party gained control of the Chinese mainland in 1949, the Kuomintang-ruled government of the erstwhile Republic of China set up its government in Taiwan (officially called the Republic of China). Although the regions have been governed separately for more than seven decades, the Communist Party continues to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. Beijing has, on several occasions, stepped up military exercises around self-ruled Taiwan, which it considers its own territory under the One China policy. In recent times, China repeatedly warned the island nation to use force if it disobeys Bejing's command and relies on the West for its security.

US-China tensions deteriorate after Nancy Pelosi's visit

It is essential to note here that the China government had warned Taiwan of a dramatic situation if it allowed US Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Taipei. It sent 27 aircraft to Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) hours after Pelosi's plane left Taipei after she spent nearly 18 hours on the island, which is claimed by Beijing as its own. Also, China fired “precision missiles” in waters off Taiwan’s coasts as part of military exercises. Meanwhile, the United States called China's action against Taiwan both "irresponsible" and an attempt to change the "status quo".

Image: AP