Why it would be folly to discount the US’ ‘bipolar’ military
Those speculating that China could act against Taiwan while the US is preoccupied elsewhere should look at the powerful American presence in East Asia.
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The travails of aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln may have led some to underestimate America’s powerful military capabilities, says the writer.
PHOTO: AFP
Tensions around the Taiwan Strait are growing; the past months have seen People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ships and the China Coast Guard expand operations, including in Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone.
Even as the so-called Davidson window closes – former head of US Pacific Command Philip S. Davidson had arrowed 2027 as the year by which China would acquire the capability to seize Taiwan by force – there is little to suggest that reunification has moved from being a long-term strategic goal for Beijing to becoming a specific, approaching deadline.