“The international community will unite against China, centering on Taiwan.”
“Despite the increase in Chinese military power, it does not have the ability to completely surround Taiwan.”

A senior U.S. Department of Defense official warned of consequences regarding China’s strategy to encircle Taiwan.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Eli Ratner said at a debate hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on the 5th (local time), “The moment China encircles Taiwan, the global economy will hit rock bottom.” “No one will be able to escape the economic shock that will be inflicted on us,” he said.

Assistant Secretary Ratner emphasized that the international community will eventually unite against China, centering on Taiwan, and that “(in this case) the price China will have to pay will be very high.”

However, Assistant Secretary Ratner pointed out that despite China’s increased military power, he does not believe that it has the ability to completely surround Taiwan.

“Taiwan will still have the option, both on its own and with the international community, to supply the industrial supplies, raw materials, food and energy needed to sustain society,” he said. “This would put the Chinese military in an awkward position.”

Previously, in August last year, China staged a large-scale military demonstration surrounding Taiwan, taking issue with the visit of the US House of Representatives speaker to Taiwan. Last April, when Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen visited the United States and met with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, high-intensity training was conducted to surround Taiwan on all sides for three days.

In particular, the remarks came as the U.S. Department of Defense was preparing an annual report to Congress on China’s military power.

The U.S. Department of Defense warned in a report last year that China’s current nuclear stockpile has exceeded 400 and that if it continues to expand its stockpile at its current rate, it could have more than 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035.

In relation to this, Deputy Secretary Ratner said today that the United States is watching China’s nuclear build-up.

“We are concerned about (China’s) lack of transparency,” he said, adding, “This is one of the reasons why the Department of Defense is pressuring China for open communication between high-level U.S. and Chinese military officials.”

Source: Donga