‘Sooner rather than later’ for Xi Jinping’s Taiwan takeover

Beijing wants to seize Taiwan ‘on a much faster timeline’ than previously considered, US Secretary of State ­Antony Blinken has said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Beijing on Saturday. Picture: Getty Images

Beijing wants to seize Taiwan “on a much faster timeline” than previously considered, US Secretary of State ­Antony Blinken has said, warning that President Xi Jinping is leading China in a more aggressive ­direction.

His comments came as it emerged British fighter pilots are being paid almost $300,000 a year to train Chinese military personnel, triggering an outcry in ­London.

Mr Blinken said, who is on the cusp of securing a third five-year term at the helm of the world’s most populous ­nation, was leading China in a more aggressive ­direction.

The Chinese leader delivered a landmark Communist Party Congress speech on Sunday that hailed his decade in power and restated his vow to one day “reunify”, or forcefully take, Taiwan.

“We’ve seen a very different China emerge in recent years under Xi Jinping’s leadership,” Mr Blinken told a forum at Stanford University with former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.

“It is more repressive at home; it’s more aggressive abroad. And in many instances that poses a challenge to our own interests as well as to our own values.”

Mr Blinken accused Mr Xi of “creating tremendous tension” by changing the approach toward self-ruled Taiwan, which China’s Communist Party has never controlled but claims as its own.

He said China had made a “fundamental decision that the status quo was no longer acceptable, and that Beijing was determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline”, though he gave no hard estimate or date.

His comments came as the UK government said it was taking “decisive steps” against a Chinese recruitment effort to bring in former British airforce pilots to train its military personnel. UK media said that more than 30 ex-pilots had accepted offers upwards of £240,000 ($273,750), with many of those recruited in their 50s and having recently left the British airforce.

While British military personnel frequently take part in training exercises with foreign armies, any collusion by ex-pilots with China – which London has dubbed the “No. 1 threat” to domestic and global security – poses a serious concern.

“We are taking decisive steps to stop Chinese recruitment schemes attempting to headhunt serving and former UK Armed Forces pilots to train People’s Liberation Army personnel,” a spokesman for the British defence ministry said.

The practice has been going on since 2019 but has been stepped up recently, media reports said.

Britain’s defence ministry said it was “reviewing the use of confidentiality contracts and non-disclosure agreements”, adding that all serving and former personnel are subject to the Official Secrets Act, which prohibits UK public servants from sharing state ­secrets with foreign powers.

Relations between London and Beijing have soured following China’s crackdown in former UK colony Hong Kong and disputes over technology giant Huawei’s involvement in the rollout of Britain’s 5G network, as well as concerns about human rights and influence peddling.

In a speech in London this month, the director of Britain’s GCHQ spy agency Jeremy Fleming warned China’s growing technological dominance “is an increasingly urgent problem” for Western countries, urging them to act to defend their values and influence. Senior US military figures have previously sounded the alarm that China has expanded its military forces to the point where it could soon have the capability to pull off an invasion of Taiwan.

China’s stance has long been than it seeks “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan but reserves the right to use force if necessary, especially if the island ever formally declares independence.

But the rhetoric and actions towards Taiwan have become more pronounced under Mr Xi, China’s most assertive leader in a generation.

He has tied taking Taiwan to his landmark “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” and has previously said the goal of reunification cannot continue to be passed indefinitely from generation to generation.

In Sunday’s speech he repeated similar themes, saying the “wheels of history are rolling on towards China’s reunification”.

AFP