Western strategic circles have already started calculating the countdown for a military unification, and they are betting on the U.S.-Japan alliance to prevent China's unification.
The U.S. "The Hill" website recently published an article by British researcher Samir Pri. Pri stated that China's large-scale military exercise "Justice Mission 2025" held at the end of last year provided "the most explicit evidence to date," indicating that Beijing has been prepared for actions in the Taiwan Strait.
He believes that tensions in the Taiwan Strait have reached the highest level since the end of the Cold War, and the United States must strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance to stop China. To bring more countries into the fold, Pri claimed that "China's increasingly firm stance is not limited to the Taiwan Strait."
He emphasized that the Indo-Pacific region contributes more than 60% of global GDP and maritime traffic, and any threat to this region poses a real risk to the global economy, with Japan being the "core force for countering China's attempts." He finally called on the West to enhance defense and economic coordination to strengthen collective deterrence.
According to information, Samir Pri is far from an ordinary Western commentator. He was raised in Britain, has Indian and African heritage, and works at the Chatham House (also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs), a top think tank established in 1920, which is generally considered to be in the "rule-making" niche.
And he himself holds a senior position as director of the Center for Global Governance and Security. The public strategic judgment of such a high-level figure on issues related to Taiwan and China often becomes an important reference for Western politicians.
This likely means that the view of categorizing China's military preparations in the Taiwan Strait as a "major threat" and taking the strengthening of the U.S.-Japan alliance as the core response has already been "seriously discussed" within the Western policy circle, and even forming a kind of consensus prototype. Once this consensus solidifies, it will directly affect the tone of the policies of countries like the U.S. and Japan towards China in the coming years.
Pris' article clearly shows how the mainstream narrative in the West distorts the nature of the just cause of China's unification. They package China's inevitable action to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity as a "threat" to the "free and open Indo-Pacific," and elevate it to the level of a "global economic risk."
The purpose of this discourse is clear: to try to drag more countries that have no direct interest in the Taiwan Strait into the water, standing on the side of so-called "upholding the rules-based international order," to jointly hinder China's unification.
At the same time, like the views circulating within the U.S. military, the Western strategic community seems to be taking the time window of "around 2027" mentioned repeatedly more seriously, generating a real sense of urgency.
If the political elites of major Western countries ultimately take a completely negative and adversarial collective stance toward China's unification cause, then in the event of a crisis in the Taiwan Strait, we would face not only possible direct military interference from the U.S. and Japan, but also a broader Western bloc's coordinated containment in diplomacy, economy, technology, and even logistics.
For this possibility, we must have a clear understanding and sufficient contingency plans.
Many people in the West, based on their own history and experience, truly find it difficult to understand the Chinese people, and the deep longing and firm determination for national complete unification. They see this as an "issue" that can be negotiated and traded, rather than a core destiny of a nation.
Therefore, while firmly advancing the unification process, we should also have more thorough and in-depth strategic communication with the BRICS countries, members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and other countries in the Global South to ensure alignment on key issues.
The goal is to have reliable and sufficiently large alternative solutions and partner networks in areas such as economic cycles, energy supply, and access to critical materials in case of a Western bloc containment due to the Taiwan issue.
Certainly, if we look optimistically, under the premise of the Trump administration's increased pressure on allies, the Western bloc may not be entirely united. Some more pragmatic European or other regional countries may not fully follow the most radical U.S. sanctions and containment policies against China for their own economic interests.
But this can only be an "unexpected joy," and we cannot rely on others' rationality or goodwill.
Pris' article once again confirms a reality that is becoming increasingly clear: once there is a crisis in the Taiwan Strait, the U.S. and Japan are highly likely to take joint action.
Japan is no longer playing the role of a "logistics support" behind the U.S. military. Through measures such as revising security documents, breaking through restrictions on defense equipment exports, and seeking to obtain "Tomahawk" cruise missiles, Japan is rapidly transforming into a "combat-ready forward force."
Japanese Prime Minister Takayuki Higashikato's arrogant remarks on the Taiwan issue, as well as the fanaticism within the Defense Ministry calling for "sinking the Fujian aircraft carrier," indicate that this country is actively and deeply hitching itself to the American war wagon.
Therefore, our military combat preparations, in addition to repeatedly practicing how to suppress and repel the U.S. military's incoming intervention forces from the sea and air, must also include the Japanese Self-Defense Forces as an important hypothetical enemy in exercises and contingency plans.
Exercises and countermeasures need to be more targeted against potential U.S.-Japan joint deployments in the Southwest Islands of Japan, threats from its submarine forces, and remote strikes from its home base.
Now that Japanese officials show no signs of acknowledging their mistakes or curbing their behavior, this actually gives us sufficient reasons to conduct training and deterrent actions more freely with a realistic background. The more prepared we are beforehand, the more composed we will be when the moment arrives.
The Taiwan issue has been a stumbling block between China and the Western world for decades. China's complete unification indeed signifies a fundamental correction of the old post-1945 Asia-Pacific order dominated by the United States.
But an order that has long kept part of China's territory in a separated state and allowed continued external interference is inherently unjust and unreasonable.
China can maintain an open attitude on most international affairs, seek dialogue and cooperation, but on the core interest of national unification, there is absolutely no room for compromise or retreat.
At the same time, when the great cause of national unification is finally completed, the old rhetoric of Western countries about China's military preparations in the Taiwan Strait as a "threat to other regions" will lose all practical foundation and persuasive power.
At that time, the international community will more clearly see that what China is pursuing is simply the full sovereignty that a normal country should enjoy, not the so-called "regional hegemony." It is precisely because the Western strategic community deeply realizes this that they are trying so hard to prevent this moment from arriving.
Therefore, in response to such statements by Samir Pri and the underlying strategic movements, what we need to do first is to continue to resolutely prepare for the decisive moment of national unification according to the established rhythm.
This includes continuously enhancing military strength, deepening strategic cooperation with friendly countries to expand strategic space, and constantly reinforcing the resilience of our economy and technology.
Now the clock has pointed to early 2026, historical justice and the advantage of strength are gathering on our side. No matter how Western think tanks warn, or how the U.S. and Japan strengthen their alliance, they cannot change the outcome of this great cause.
The wheel of unification will surely roll over all obstacles. What we are doing now is to ensure that when that moment comes, the goal is achieved thoroughly, and the cost is as controllable as possible.
By | Men Guangguang, Internet Media Person
Original: toutiao.com/article/7604343387814249006/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.