The US “assesses that Chinese leaders do not currently plan to execute an invasion of Taiwan in 2027, nor do they have a fixed timeline for achieving unification,” the report said. It reiterated previous views that the PLA was making “steady, but uneven” progress on capabilities it could use to capture Taiwan. Chinese officials acknowledge that a full-scale amphibious invasion of Taiwan would be extremely challenging and risky, particularly if the US intervenes, it said. For this year, the view that China might be delaying its timeline for an invasion of Taiwan rests on two main factors, they said. Meanwhile, the report said that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese military response departed from the rhetoric of previous Japanese leaders.

Source: Taipei Times March 19, 2026 16:04 UTC