Washington, Mar 21 (FN Bureau) The US Indo-Pacific Command said Wednesday that it believes China would like to bring Taiwan under its sovereignty without a war. “My view is that China would absolutely like to assimilate Taiwan without a war,” Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, testified at a House Armed Services committee hearing. Aquilino said this was clear by China’s “increasingly aggressive, coercive campaign against Taiwan,” such as deploying more ships in its vicinity, crossing the Taiwan Straits centerline with its air assets, and adjusting its flight paths to be closer to the self-governing island.
He noted that China had not ruled out the use of force against Taiwan. He added that he did not think the Taiwanese would capitulate to the campaign. Earlier, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China’s policy toward Taiwan was to seek peaceful reunification and that Beijing’s “red lines” were very clear, and that Taiwan will “never be allowed to secede from the motherland.” Taiwan has been governed independently of mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan – a territory with its own elected government – maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contact of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.