China Ready to ‘Smash’ Taiwan

The Chinese Defense Ministry released a statement on May 16 saying the nation’s military is ready to “smash” Taiwan in order to destroy the island nation’s self-rule.

[The People’s Liberation Army] continues to strengthen military training and preparations and will resolutely smash any form of Taiwanese independence secession along with attempts at outside interference, and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
—Col. Tan Kefei, Defense Ministry spokesperson

The statement comes mainly in response to Taiwan’s chief ally, the United States, stepping up efforts to support Taiwan. These efforts include a $19 billion weapons sale to Taiwan and an additional $500 million arms package, which U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke about on Tuesday.

This package includes Javelin and Stinger missiles, harpoon antiship missiles, 29 units of the himars multiple rocket launcher, and F-16 fighter jets. Approximately 100 elite U.S. troops are also heading to Taiwan to conduct evaluations and training.

With these massive sales of game-changing weaponry, the U.S. aims for deterrence—making the cost of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan so high that China will not attempt it.

Building a coalition: Austin also said the United States is working to deepen ties with asean, a political bloc of 10 Southeast Asian Nations that often stand together against the giant Chinese dragon dominating their neighborhood. He added that the U.S. is strengthening the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (quad), which brings the U.S., Australia, India and Japan together to check China’s ambitions to dominate Taiwan and Asia.

Bible prophecy: Such arms sales and attempts to build coalitions to protect Taiwan are an encouragement to those who value freedom and democracy. But Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry warns that despite such efforts, we should expect China to eventually seize Taiwan.

In 1998, after Bill Clinton became the first American president to succumb to Chinese pressure and issue a statement opposing Taiwanese independence, Mr. Flurry said it meant Taiwan’s days of freedom were numbered. He wrote:

The Chinese leaders pressured the president and America to speak against our freedom-loving friends before the whole world. … The people of Taiwan fear for their future. They feel betrayed. … Once again, America has showcased its broken will to the whole world. … How could anyone fail to see that Taiwan is destined to become a part of mainland China? These [24 million] people are going to be forced into the Chinese mold; and it is going to happen for one reason: because of a pitifully weak-willed America. Does freedom really mean so little to us?

Mr. Flurry’s understanding of America’s weak will, and how it will factor into the China-Taiwan dynamic, is based on Bible prophecy. Leviticus 26 records God warning the descendants of Israel—here meaning mainly modern Americans and British—that if they refused to turn to Him, then He would punish them in specific ways. One way, described in verse 19, states: “I will break the pride of your power.”

With China growing more domineering and with America increasingly divided and tired of policing the world, it is clear that Mr. Flurry’s forecast could soon come to pass. For more, read “Taiwan Betrayal.”