TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwan Strait conflict is avoidable, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Deputy Commander Lieutenant General Stephen Sklenka said on Thursday (May 23).
“I don’t think that conflict is inevitable. I really don’t,” Sklenka said at Australia’s National Press Club. He mentioned that Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) previously told the People’s Liberation Army to prepare for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027. Thus, proper preparatory measures must be taken, he said.
“When your adversary says that they want to be ready by a certain time frame, my personal philosophy is I probably should be ready when he’s going to be ready,” he added.
When asked if he thought Australia’s AUKUS submarines were part of Indo-Pacific command planning, the deputy commander said it was “too far down the path” to say. He said the U.S. did share plans with Australia but “there’s no expectation of anybody participating in any conflict with us because those decisions are national sovereign decisions.”
In March, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Admiral John Aquilino warned that China wanted to have the ability to annex Taiwan by 2027. "Despite a failing economy, there is a conscious decision to fund military capability," Aquilino said.
China has ramped up military activity around Taiwan after President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) inauguration on May 20. Beijing announced military exercises near Taiwan and its outlying Kinmen and Matsu islands on Thursday.
The drills are punishment for "‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces seeking ‘independence,’” China said.
Taiwan Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) called China’s military provocations “regrettable.” “Maintaining regional peace and stability is a shared responsibility and goal for both sides of the strait,” Kuo said.
Taiwan has a handle on the situation and will continue to defend democracy, she said.