US general: Xi has not yet decided whether to attack Taiwan by 2027

Chinese President Xi Jinping has yet to decide whether to order a forcible retake of Taiwan by 2027, US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said at a National Press Club event in Washington, explaining an assessment often made by the US government on Beijing's intentions. Xi "publicly stated that he ordered the People's Liberation Army to build military capability to unify Taiwan with China by 2027.

So he didn't say, 'I decided to attack and invade,'" Milley explained, according to what reports the South China Morning Post. “He said, you generals develop the ability to do that; we will make the decision later. There is a very fine distinction there,” the senior officer added. For this, the US must ensure "that every single day President Xi wakes up and says that today is not that day, and that decision never comes", the general said again.

US military and government officials recently offered several timescales for Beijing's Taiwan reunification plans, forecasts that include military capabilities and actual attack intentions. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, said in March that he agreed with an assessment by CIA Director William Burns that China wants to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027.