Xi Jinping made it clear at the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party that he is going to push the world closer to a conflict regarding Taiwan, according to Gordon Chang, the Olive H. Palmer Professor in Humanities at Stanford University.
Chang, an author and senior associate vice provost for Undergraduate Education at Stanford, made his comments as Xi succeeded in claiming a third term leading the party, according to an Oct. 24 opinion piece he wrote for The Hill.
“China’s severe problems are about to become our severe problems. Xi Jinping is going to make sure of that,” Chang said in an Oct. 24 post on Twitter.
China's 20th National Party Congress concluded Oct. 22 with Xi Jinping claiming a third term as party secretary and packing the Politburo with loyalists, removing potential opposition to his agenda, the Atlantic Council reported. Xi confirmed his commitment to a strict zero-COVID-19 strategy, emphasized security and highlighted desire for reunification with Taiwan.
Chang wrote in The Hill Xi is pushing the world closer to war over Taiwan. Despite predictions from the Pentagon and military leaders that a full-scale conflict from Taiwan is unlikely to begin before 2027 or even the mid-2030s, Chang wrote that Xi's rhetoric indicates he is prioritizing the resolution and is determined to absorb the island.
Xi said that although no country threatens China, there are dangerous times ahead for the country. They must be “prepared to deal with worst-case scenarios, and be ready to withstand high winds, choppy waters and even dangerous storms,” Chang wrote in The Hill. As “Xi Jinping is insecure, vulnerable, powerful and belligerent,” China has never been more dangerous.
Chang’s books include “The Chinese and the Iron Road Building the Transcontinental Railroad” and “Fateful Ties: A History of America's Preoccupation with China,” according to his Stanford biography.
