TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwan Strait conflict can be avoided, former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Matt Pottinger said on Sunday (June 2). 

In an interview on “Face the Nation,” Pottinger said he was “quite optimistic” that a conflict with China could be deterred, but it meant the U.S. would have to “take some steps urgently.” He called on the U.S. to work with Taiwan and Japan to increase munitions production and boost investment in the industry.

China is trying to figure out if the U.S. would "stay in a fight more than just the initial battle that would be involved in taking Taiwan,” Pottinger said. Addressing these issues would not require immense new investment, he said. “We’ve got the technologies we need,” he added. 

He pointed out that America’s current defense spending is less than half of what it was in the 1980s and its manpower is smaller than what it was on the eve of WWII.

When asked about China’s intentions, the former official said, “What is clear is that the dictator in Beijing, Xi Jinping, intends to try to take Taiwan, annex it, by force if necessary.” Such a conflict would be “catastrophic for American prosperity and security,” he added.

Pottinger’s comments come after China carried out its “Joint Sword-2024A” military exercise around Taiwan on May 23 and 24. The exercise included joint sea and aerial combat readiness patrols, battlefield control, and simulated precision attacks on critical targets and was “punishment” for what Beijing called “independence forces” in Taiwan.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Deputy Commander Lieutenant General Stephen Sklenka previously said a Taiwan Strait conflict was not imminent. “I don’t think that conflict is inevitable. I really don’t,” Sklenka said at Australia’s National Press Club on May 23.

However, he still urged the U.S. to take the proper preparatory measures against a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. He mentioned that Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) previously told the People’s Liberation Army to prepare for a Taiwan invasion by 2027.