Blinken Says Beijing’s Taiwan-Annexation Timeline Has Grown ‘Much Faster’ in Recent Years

Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned yesterday that the timeline on which Beijing wants to absorb Taiwan has grown “much faster” in recent years, as the Chinese Communist Party has opted to ignore the long-standing status quo that’s maintained peace across the Taiwan strait.

His comments reflected what he said he views to be a fundamental shift in the Party’s thinking over the years. “Instead of sticking with the status quo that was established in a positive way, a fundamental decision that the status quo was no longer acceptable and that Beijing was determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline” was made, he said, responding to a question during an appearance with former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice at the Hoover Institution.

Blinken went on to warn that the Chinese leadership has also become more comfortable with considering “forceful means to achieve its objectives” and that that is to blame for the “tremendous tensions” there today.

Earlier this week, general secretary Xi Jinping reiterated his previous vows that China would annex Taiwan and that it would not rule out using force to do so.

Although Blinken’s remarks did not seem to be based on any specific, new intelligence, they did provide a window of insight into how America’s top diplomat assesses the Chinese military threat to Taiwan. Blinken’s Taiwanese counterpart, Joseph Wu, has issued his own stark warnings, telling reporters recently that the Chinese military drills that followed House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the democratic country in August were a pretext to practice Beijing’s “invasion playbook” and that Taipei must be prepared to defend itself from any future attack.