China could invade Taiwan in 2025, warns Taiwanese Defense Minister

China could be able to potentially make a “full-scale” invasion of Taiwan happen by 2025, the island’s defense minister said on Wednesday. This comes days after days 150 Chinese warplanes flew into Taiwan’s air defense zone.

“With regards to staging an attack on Taiwan, they currently have the ability. But [China] has to pay the price,” Chiu Kuo-cheng, the defense minister, told Taiwanese journalists on Wednesday.

Chiu Kuo-cheng, at a parliament meeting, said that the cross-strait military tensions were “the most serious” in over 40 years since he joined the military, Taiwan’s official Central News Agency (CNA) reported.

“At the meeting, the Taiwan military submitted a report to lawmakers saying China’s anti-intervention and blockade capabilities around the Taiwan Strait will become mature by 2025,” according to CNA.

Chiu Kuo-cheng told journalists after the meeting that Taiwan has not responded to the Chinese air incursions in any form so far, reported CNN. 

“We will make preparations militarily,” he said. “I think our military is like this — if we need to fight, we will be on the front lines.”

Beijing blames “collusion” between the United States and Taiwan for increasing cross-strait tensions. Furthermore, it hasn’t ruled out a military force to capture Taiwan, if needed. 

“The US has been making negative moves by selling arms to Taiwan and strengthening official and military ties with Taiwan, including the launch of a $750 million arms sale plan to Taiwan, the landing of US military aircraft in Taiwan and frequent sailing of US warships across the Taiwan Strait,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Monday.

On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry announced that senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi and US national security Adviser Jake Sullivan will meet in Zurich to “exchange views on China-US relations and relevant issues.”

The date of the meeting is still under wraps. China’s state-run broadcaster CCTV reported that a Chinese delegation arrived in Zurich on Tuesday.