China invasion of Taiwan imminent as Xi Jinping softens up Chinese people

If any doubt remained about the commitment of the Chinese Communist Party to make a move on the island democracy of Taiwan, which lies just over 100 miles off mainland China’s coast, then those doubts would have been blasted away by a new documentary series from state broadcaster, CCTV. Chasing Dreams is an eight-part series about the Chinese military’s preparations to attack Taiwan, with People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers claiming willingness to die if required. The target audience is domestic. That is significant because the more the CCP talks up taking Taiwan, the more the party could back itself into a corner among the Chinese people: having marched them all the way to the top of the hill, it will be very hard for Beijing to march them all the way back down again. The documentary therefore suggests the CCP is prioritising preparing the Chinese public for war rather than managing expectations that war is not imminent. If the CCP was scaling back its intent to make a move on Taiwan then it would hardly be whipping Chinese nationalism up like this. This comes after the US recently announced a $345m military aid package for Taiwan. US support for Taiwan, as well as the rapid military build-up of Japan, is likely to give Beijing a sense there is a window of opportunity which could close by the 2030s.