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Michael McCaul, a top US congressman, said the chances of the US going to war with China in 2025 are very high. Photo/REUTERS
WASHINGTON – A leading Republican in Congress United States of America (USA) said the possibility of war with China over Taiwan is very high.
The comments came after an American general raised concerns with a memo declaring war would break out within the next two years.
In a memo dated February 1 but released on Friday last week, General Mike Minihan, who heads the Air Mobility Command, wrote to his leadership of some 110,000 members saying: “My gut tells me we will have war in 2025.”
Also read: US Senior General Warns of Possibility of War with China
Michael McCaul, chairman of the US Congressional Foreign Affairs Committee, on Sunday told Fox News, “I hope he’s wrong…I think he’s right.”
General Minihan’s views do not represent the Pentagon, but do indicate concern at the highest levels of the US military over possible Chinese attempts to control Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.
According to Minihan’s memo, both the US and Taiwan will hold presidential elections in 2024, potentially creating an opportunity for China to take military action.
“If China fails to take Taiwan without bloodshed then they will see a military invasion in my judgment. We have to be prepared for this,” McCaul said.
The top congressman accused Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration of projecting weakness after a reckless withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, which could have made war with China more likely.
“The likelihood is very high that we could see conflict with China and Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific,” McCaul said, as quoted by Reuters, Monday (30/1/2023).