Pentagon Does Not Believe 'Chinese Invasion of Taiwan' Is Imminent

The Pentagon does not consider that an incursion into Taiwan by the People's Republic of China (PRC) is imminent or inevitable. This was stated by Eli Ratner, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs.

“The Department of Defense does not believe that an invasion of Taiwan will occur anytime soon,” he said in response to a question during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. “I fully believe that we can reach the end of this decade without a major aggression against Taiwan,” Ratner added.

Taiwan, the largest Chinese island, has been governed by its own administration since 1949. Official Beijing considers the island to be one of its provinces.

Tensions surrounding Taiwan escalated following the visit of then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to Taipei in August 2022. The day after her visit ended, the People's Liberation Army of China conducted extensive missile drills in six maritime zones surrounding the island.