The Chinese military has released an unsettling video simulation of a potential full-scale invasion of Taiwan, sending a strong message to opponents of their reunification.
A 70-second video uploaded by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command shows dozens of military aircraft and warships appearing in Taiwan’s northern, southern, and eastern regions.
Similar to previous intelligence reports, the simulated invasion starts with Beijing turning one of its regular drills around the island nation into an actual attack.
Animated barrages of Chinese missiles launched simultaneously from land, sea, and air were also shown in the video, raining down on the Taiwanese cities of Taipei, Hualien, and Kaohsiung.
“Destroy the pillar of Taiwanese independence! Strike the base camp of Taiwanese independence! Cut off the blood flow of Taiwanese independence!” the PLA wrote in the video.
Ready by 2027?
The release of the video simulation coincided with China’s “Joint Sword-2024A” military exercises in response to the inauguration of Taiwan’s new president.
It reinforces a previous US intelligence report that Beijing is on track in its preparations for a potential invasion of the island nation by 2027.
China views the island nation as a renegade province with which it must be reunified, “by force if necessary.”
The scenarios that appeared in the PLA video seemed contrary to a wargame exercise conducted by a US think tank early last year.
Though Beijing is projected to inflict major damage to American and Taiwanese assets, the wargame showed that the Chinese military would be destroyed before it could occupy a significant part of Taiwan.
‘Invasion Won’t Last an Hour’
Geopolitics expert Dmitri Alperovich, who also reportedly predicted Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, told NBC News that a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan could be over before the US even had a chance to respond.
He said the PLA will rely on a lightning-fast assault from air and sea, with warships each able to deliver 800 troops and 28 helicopters to the island nation.
With massive air support, Alperovich predicts that China will be able to reach two Taiwanese airports in approximately 15 minutes.
“You’re gonna have these transport ships, mostly civilian vessels … loaded with hundreds of thousands of troops, armored vehicles, tanks, [and] logistics that you need to occupy an island of 23 million people,” he said.
