Xi Jinping reviews a military display in the South China Sea on April 12, 2018. Photo: Reuters/Li Gang/Xinhua
Bertil Lintner, Asia Times: Why a China invasion of Taiwan would fail
President Xi Jinping's call for 'reunification' of the independent island and communist mainland aims to cement his strongman legacy but would likewise risk a humbling defeat.
When President Xi Jinping called on January 2 for Taiwan’s ”reunification” with China, it was not the first time a Chinese leader threatened to use military might to force the island nation’s incorporation with the mainland.
But when Xi told his military forces a few days later to make preparations for an all-out war, the call to arms was clearly different from previous threats made against the island Beijing views as a renegade province.
Xi is emerging as modern China’s third communist strongman, and as with the previous two autocrats, national unity is a main prerogative.
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WNU Editor: The above commentary does not go into depth on why a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would fail, but it accurately explains the ideal time frame if such an invasion should occur (by 2020).