Admiral Samuel Paparo noted that China was using increasingly hostile rhetoric to describe Taiwan’s government—citing an instance of a Chinese military official describing Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te as a “parasite.”
China continues to prepare for an invasion of Taiwan, the top U.S. military officer in the region told lawmakers.
In 2024, the Chinese military increased its activity around Taiwan by three times. The Chinese Communist Party maintains its claim over its smaller neighbor and continues to prepare for a forceful reunification.
China Is Preparing for a Naval Invasion of Taiwan
“Beijing’s aggressive maneuvers around Taiwan are not just exercises—they are dress rehearsals for forced unification,” U.S. Navy Admiral Samuel Paparo, the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), said in his annual testimony to Congress in early April.
According to Paparo, the People’s Liberation Army “escalated military pressure” against its neighbor by 300 percent last year. This escalation was mostly reflected in entries into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and centerline crossings.
“Last year at this hearing, I stated that the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific was shifting in China’s favor,” Paparo said. “Since then, the Chinese Communist Party has significantly increased its coercive activity toward Taiwan and the Philippines.”
In April, for example, the Chinese military conducted Exercise Strait Thunder 2025A. The Chinese exercise drilled maritime and naval capabilities and simulated how the Chinese military would execute a maritime blockade of its smaller neighbor. Beijing also simulated missile strikes against Taiwan.
In addition to military pressure, China is tuning up the political and psychological rhetoric against Taiwan. Paparo noted that while China increased its force presence around Taiwan, it was also using increasingly hostile rhetoric to describe Taiwan’s government—citing an instance the previous week of a Chinese military official describing Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te as a “parasite.”
Moreover, the Chinese intelligence services have been quite active in Taiwan.
Taiwan has been a de facto independent country since the end of the Chinese Civil War. Beijing has maintained that its neighbor is actually its province and should return to the fold. It has also repeatedly stated that reunification with Taiwan, peaceful or otherwise, remains one of its highest priorities.
Power Dynamics and Strategic Calculations Across the Taiwan Strait
It is undeniable that the Chinese military is much stronger than its Taiwanese counterpart. However, that does not mean that the issue is already settled. Russia is also unquestionably stronger than Ukraine in terms of raw military might—but more than three years later, Russian forces are still bogged down in Ukraine, taking extremely heavy losses on a daily basis.
Of course, the two situations are not the same. However, it is almost certain that the Chinese political and military leadership are paying close attention to the example of the Ukraine War and how the United States and its partners reacted. If America—which maintains strategic ambiguity around the Taiwan question—were to join Taipei in fighting off a future Chinese invasion, Beijing’s forces would have a much harder job prevailing. And if the Chinese leadership miscalculates its opportunity and fails, it could very well spell its downfall.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Shutterstock / FOTOGRIN.
