The Pentagon’s top general has said that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be comparable to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a significant “strategic mistake.”
The meeting came shortly after Chinese leader Xi Jinping secured a third term as head of the ruling Communist Party.
During the press briefing, Milley was asked if he was at all concerned that Xi might make an “ill-advised or ill-informed decision” to take Taiwan by force, given that the liberal democratic island views itself as its own independent entity, whereas the CCP views it as part of its territory.
Milley responded that while he does not personally know the Chinese leader, he believes Xi is a “rational actor” who will “make decisions based on what he thinks is in his national interest” and who “evaluates things on cost, benefit, and risk.”
‘A Political Mistake’
“I think it would be unwise, it would be a political mistake, a geopolitical mistake, a strategic mistake, similar to what the strategic mistake is that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has made in Ukraine,” he added.
Milley also noted that the Chinese military had not fought in combat since fighting with the communist north Vietnamese in 1979 against the south, and that crossing the straits and invading Taiwan would be a “very dangerous game” and a “very difficult military task.”
However, Milley stressed that ultimately the United States does not know if China will attempt to take Taiwan but that officials continue to monitor the situation closely and are “ militarily prepared.”
“One of the keys now is to make sure that Taiwan can defend itself, and there are a lot of lessons learned coming out of the Ukrainian war,” he added.
Tensions in the region have steadily grown this year due to increasing military pressure from Beijing on U.S. ally Taiwan, which further escalated following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) visit to the self-ruled island in August.
The Chinese regime said it strongly opposed Pelosi’s visit and other governments or international organizations forming ties with Taiwanese officials.
Biden, Xi Hold Talks
Despite this, Biden and Xi Jinping this month met for the first time since the former took office in 2021.
On Taiwan, Biden “laid out in detail that our ‘One China’ policy has not changed, the United States opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side, and the world has an interest in the maintenance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” according to the statement.
The U.S. president also “raised objections to the PRC’s coercive and increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan, which undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the broader region, and jeopardize global prosperity.”
