US military refers to Ukraine in warning China against Taiwan attack

Defense leaders in the United States are attempting to use Ukraine's surprising victory over Russia to deter China from a hypothetical invasion of Taiwan. According to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, Chinese officials "would be making a huge mistake" to attack Taiwan. He cited the economic costs Russia has borne as evidence, and cautioned that the cost of such action "may be quite considerable." He also referred to Moscow's miscalculation of the war's duration, the Ukrainians' fierce determination to fight, and the willingness of the West to support Kyiv militarily and with lethal aid. “The short war you imagine may not be the war you get,” he said, adding that he believes “the Taiwanese people would fight, and I believe that we would assist them in some form.” Following Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) visit to Taiwan last month, tensions between Washington and Beijing remain high. To dissuade Chinese aggression, American leaders have issued a number of public warnings and pledged to arm and even send troops to defend Taiwan from an invasion. President Biden stated last week on 60 Minutes for the fourth time since taking office that American forces would aid in defending Taiwan from a Chinese attack. The Biden administration has the opportunity to highlight the power of a US-backed military versus an occupying army thanks to Ukraine's surprising victories this month that forced Russia to withdraw from seized territories. “I do not think that China wants to put themselves in a position that Russia finds itself in today, which is invading a democratic neighbor — one that I think would generate an enormous amount of global sympathy,” Pentagon policy undersecretary Colin Kahl earlier this month. “I would hope that they would draw the lesson from Russia’s experience that, ‘Hey, maybe … we shouldn’t do that,'” Kahl said Sept. 7. With exercises and by sending Navy warships through international waters that China claims as its own, the U.S. has long retaliated against China's threatening strategies in the Indo-Pacific. The Pentagon sent a ship through the Taiwan Strait in the most recent such mission, which happened only last week. However, Beijing's escalating military intimidation of Taiwan, which is less than 110 miles off the coast of China, has aroused concerns about a quickening timeline for a military battle launched by Beijing to seize control of the island.