Xi undecided on whether to order military unification with Taiwan by 2027, top US official claims

US top military adviser calls on Pentagon to accelerate development to deter Taiwan invasion

File. Xi Jinping looks on as he meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (not pictured) in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing (REUTERS)

Xi Jinping has not yet made a decision on whether to order a military unification with Taiwan by 2027, top US military officer, army general Mark Milley said, as Beijing celebrates the 102^nd anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.

Addressing an audience at the National Press Club in Washington, General Milley called on the US military to ramp up military modernisation to retain superiority and deter China from invading Taiwan.

The Chinese president “has stated publicly that he has challenged the People’s Liberation Army to develop the military capability to unify Taiwan with China by 2027,” he said. “So he didn’t say, ‘I’ve decided to attack and invade’.”

General Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted that there is a “very subtle distinction” in ordering the general to develop the capabilities and making a firm decision.

“You want to make sure that every single day President Xi wakes up and says today’s not that day, and that decision never comes,” General Milley said.

“The faster we move [on military modernisation], the faster we can retain military superiority, then I believe … we are more likely than not to deter war … and if war does happen, we will prevail.”

It comes as China marks the 102^nd anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Friday.

Marking the 100^th anniversary in 2021, the leader of China which considered the democratically ruled Taiwan as its territory called for “China’s complete reunification”.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley speaks during the Headliners Luncheon at the National Press Club (Getty Images)

“Resolving the Taiwan question and realising China’s complete reunification is a historic mission and an unshakable commitment of the Communist Party of China,” Mr Xi said in his speech at a ceremony marking the centenary of the CPC.

Taiwan has rejected Beijing’s claim on its territory recognising itself as a defacto nation, shoring recognition and formal diplomatic partners on the world stage.

In March, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said that an assessment by CIA director William Burns found that China is aiming to prepare itself to invade Taiwan by 2027, a claim rejected by Beijing.

Jing Quan, the No. 3 official at the Chinese embassy in Washington, said “we don’t want to use force” against the island.

“Some people are talking about five years, ten years, 2035, 2049 -- I don’t think so,” he said. “We want to get united as soon as possible, but we don’t have a timeline.”