With cross-strait tensions running high, China’s People’s Liberation Army conducting unprecedented drills around Taiwan and leader Xi Jinping using a rare Communist Party congress this week to reiterate Beijing's commitment to “reunification” with the self-ruled island, you may think China is getting ready to invade Taiwan soon.
Xi has reportedly ordered the PLA to be capable of taking the island by force by 2027 and warned in a speech at Sunday's congress that China will never renounce the use of force in resolving “the Taiwan question” — a pledge that was met with thunderous applause.
However, having that capability does not necessarily mean that the Communist Party intends to attack Taiwan in the near future. Indeed, a majority of China experts interviewed in a recent survey believe Xi would prefer to gain control of Taiwan through nonmilitary means, given that a conflict would be detrimental to a host of other government initiatives, including economic growth and bolstering regional and global influence.