TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) on Monday (Jan. 30) reiterated the importance of combat readiness in response to the head of U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command Mike Minihan’s prediction of a Taiwan Strait conflict in 2025.
Chiu said he respected the opinions of international experts and that there is a basis for their arguments. He emphasized that Taiwan’s military is always ready for combat, Liberty Times reported.
"It is possible to have no war for a hundred years, but it is impossible to be militarily unprepared for a day," he said.
Chiu pointed out that conscription reform will be implemented next year, which is an unceasing effort and will not be done hastily. He encouraged his colleagues to work together in making the reform a success and pledged to continue following up on the reform process.
In a memo obtained on Jan. 27 by NBC News, Minihan predicted that because both Taiwan and the U.S. are set to hold presidential elections in 2024, Washington will be “distracted,” giving Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) a chance to attack Taiwan.
“I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,” he said.
During a Jan. 29 interview on Fox News Sunday, Representative Michael McCaul, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, agreed with Minihan, saying, “I hope he’s wrong as well. I think he’s right, though, unfortunately,” according to Politico.
Later on Fox News Sunday, Democratic Representative Adam Smith, a ranking member of the House Armed Service Committee, disagreed with the prediction, saying, “Anything is possible. I’m really worried when anyone starts talking about war with China being inevitable,” per Politico.
“I want to be completely clear. It’s not only not inevitable, it’s highly unlikely,” NBC News cited Smith as saying. “Generals need to be very cautious about saying we’re going to war.”