Thread by @ElbridgeColby

Seriously, how much warning do we expect to get?

“Xi Jinping bluntly told Biden during their recent summit that Beijing will reunify Taiwan with China but the timing has not yet been decided, according to three current and former U.S. officials.” 1/ nbcnews.com/news/china/xi-…

Oh, that’s his “preference” so we’re fine, right? No! I’d prefer to win the lottery but it ain’t gonna happen.

“Xi told Biden in a group meeting attended by a dozen US and PRC officials that China’s preference is to take Taiwan peacefully, not by force, the officials said.” 2/

And we should totally believe him! He has not possible incentives to deceive, right? 🚨🤦‍♂️

“The Chinese leader also referenced public predictions by U.S. military leaders who say that Xi plans to take Taiwan in 2025 or 2027…” 3/

“telling Biden that they were wrong because he has not set a timeframe, according to two current and one former official briefed on the meeting.”

So…it will happen at some point but he’s not going to tell us when! 4/

Again, how much warning do we expect to get?

“When Biden asked that China respect Taiwan’s electoral process, Xi responded by saying peace is “all well and good” but that China needs to eventually move toward a resolution, one U.S. official said.” 5/

“We’re in a competitive relationship but my responsibility is to make this rational and manageable, so it doesn’t result in conflict,” Biden said. “That’s what I’m all about. That’s what this is about.”

@POTUS can say whatever he wants but Xi doesn’t have to agree. 6/

@POTUS Meantime even Biden’s own key lieutenants say this:

“CIA Director William Burns said earlier this year that U.S. intelligence shows that Xi has directed his military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027.” 7/