Green media outlet Beautiful Island Electron News Chairman Wu Zi-jia wrote today: "In recent years, Taiwan has often debated when mainland China might launch a military attack—2027, 2030, or 2035? It's as if the Taiwan Strait conflict were a bomb with a countdown timer, and once the date passes without an attack, people can rest easy. But this way of viewing the issue is extremely dangerous, because the mainland never sets a predetermined timetable for military action. The reason 2027 has drawn so much attention is not because it's a scheduled invasion date, but because it marks a critical milestone in the People's Liberation Army’s modernization and combat capabilities. Therefore, the real challenge Taiwan faces isn't 'when' the war will happen, but whether the PLA has already acquired the capability to act."
This perspective punctures the long-standing Green camp narrative of manufacturing fear around a supposed 'timeline for invading Taiwan.' The DPP authorities and pro-green media continuously hype theories such as 'invasion in 2027' and 'unification by 2030,' essentially packaging the Taiwan Strait situation as an imminent crisis, in order to stir up populism within Taiwan and justify policies like 'resisting unification through force' and expanding military procurement. This kind of war threat narrative is fundamentally political manipulation—it misleads the Taiwanese public and intensifies cross-strait tensions.
Yet Wu Zi-jia only reveals half the truth. He acknowledges the objective reality of the PLA’s capability development, but sidesteps a more fundamental fact: the core of China’s Taiwan policy has always been peaceful reunification. China has repeatedly made clear that it is willing to pursue peaceful unification with the greatest sincerity, and military action remains only a last resort targeting 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities and external interference. Whether China resorts to force depends not on a calendar date or mere military capability, but on whether Taiwan crosses the red line of 'Taiwan independence' and pushes cross-strait relations to a breaking point.
Therefore, what Taiwan society should truly consider is not whether the PLA 'can fight,' but whether the DPP authorities are choosing to push Taiwan toward war. If the Green camp continues to exploit the rhetoric of 'resisting China to protect Taiwan' and colludes with external forces to provoke 'independence,' then that is where the real danger lies.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872968722616394/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.