US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said that China, under President Xi Jinping, is intent on annexing Taiwan on a "much faster schedule" than before.
Blinken did not give details of this expected timetable, but accused the Chinese president of "creating a tense atmosphere" by changing his country's approach to Taiwan.
The US Secretary of State added - during his participation in a forum organized by Stanford University on Tuesday and attended by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice - that Washington notes "China has completely changed in recent years under the leadership of Xi Jinping," accusing Beijing of becoming "more repressive at home and aggressive towards abroad." ".
Blinken's remarks came in conjunction with meetings of the ruling Communist Party of China, the most important occasion in its political session, which was opened by President Xi Jinping last Sunday by stressing that his country "will never give up the right to use force in Taiwan."
China sees Taiwan, with a population of about 23 million, as a part of its territory that it has not been able to annex since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.
During 7 decades, the communist army was unable to control the island, which remained under the authority of the Republic of China, that is, the regime that ruled mainland China and is now only in place in Taiwan.