By Kyle Mizokami
The Washington Free Beacon reports that China has a secret plan to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2020. While the existence of the plan does not mean that an invasion of the island republic is imminent, it does mean that the strategic option is very much on the minds of China's Communist Party leadership. The question is: Could China's generals pull it off?
The plan, which is the subject of a forthcoming book by the Project 2049 Institute think tank, was first made public by Taiwan's Defense Ministry in 2013. The book draws upon official Chinese People's Liberation Army documents, both public and leaked, and will paint a picture of what an invasion would look like. The invasion plans are known as the "Joint Island Attack Campaign" and would involve all arms of the People's Liberation Army (PLA): Ground Forces, the Navy, the Army Air Forces, and the Marine Corps. It would also involve the Rocket Force, responsible for the country's conventional and nuclear ballistic missile forces.
The island nation of Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China, was created in 1949 when Chinese nationalist forces evacuated the mainland and ceded it to the victorious Chinese Communist Party. The island country has evolved into a strong and vibrant democracy. Taiwan enjoys military protection from the United States, which believes that the people of Taiwan have the right of self-determination but that eventually the island and the mainland should settle their political differences peacefully.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/news/a28510/china-secret-plan-invade-taiwan/
