BY ANDREW STANTON ON 1/1/23 AT 5:41 PM
EST
China is preparing its
military for war over Taiwan, warned retired U.S. Army lieutenant general and
former national security adviser, H.R. McMaster.
Relations between China
and Taiwan have long been strained over the island's push for independence, but
have grown even more tense amid increasingly aggressive Chinese leadership.
Although Taiwan considers itself independent of China—and is recognized as a
semi-autonomous state—China has claimed it as its own and views control of the
island as essential to its policy of reunification.
Amid growing tensions, McMaster said he
believes China could be gearing up for military action to take control of the
island nation during an appearance on CBS News' Face the Nation on
Sunday—adding that Chinese President Xi
Jinping, who secured a historic
third term last year, has made it clear he plans to retake Taiwan.
"Xi Jinping has made
it quite clear, in his statements, that he is going to make, from his perspective,
China whole again by subsuming Taiwan," McMaster said. "And
preparations are underway."
Former Trump administration National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster says China's president is serious about his threats involving Taiwan: "Xi Jinping is preparing the Chinese people for war." pic.twitter.com/6wfOuhtG9x
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 1, 2023
McMaster said the best way to prevent a widescale military war over Taiwan is "deterrence," adding that the United States, which already spends more than $1.6 trillion on defense, should invest even more in national security because it would be "much more costly" to respond to a war with China, which boasts one of the strongest militaries across the globe and continues to seek to grow its influence in the Pacific region.
"China
has become increasingly aggressive, not only from an economic and financial
perspective and a wolf warrior diplomacy perspective, but physically, with its
military," McMaster said. "And what's really disturbing is, I think,
Xi Jinping is preparing the Chinese people for war."
He
pointed to some of Xi's speeches, which have taken on a hardline tone in recent
months, as evidence that the U.S. should take the threat of war more seriously
and "extend our power." Doing so would also compel allies to invest
more in their national defense, which would further serve as a deterrent, he
added.
He said
the U.S. and its allies need to "be careful not to mirror image" or
"fall into the same traps" they did with Russia, which launched an
invasion of Ukraine last February.
McMaster's warning follows other indications that China may be
considering a war over Taiwan. In November, The Guardian reported
that Xi told his military to "focus all its energy on fighting" to
prepare for a potential war.
"Focus
all [your] energy on fighting, work hard on fighting and improve [your]
capability to win," he reportedly said.
China-Taiwan relations flared last August after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a historic visit to Taiwan. At the time, Beijing made several threats against her visit and launched military drills around the island, leading to concerns that the conflict could escalate.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of State for
comment.
https://www.newsweek.com/china-preparing-war-retired-general-warns-1770645
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