The Biden administration is working on preparing plans to evacuate Americans in Taiwan, The Messenger reported Monday.
According to the Messenger, the federal government’s plans have been in the works for at least six months, citing three sources with knowledge of the plans. Anticipation of a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan has been mounting as China’s military encroachment of waters and airspace has heated up in recent months.
The planning has “heated up over the past two months or so” due to a “heightened level of tension,” a senior U.S. intelligence official, who spoke anonymously because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the planning, told The Messenger.
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The source said the plans have been motivated by “forces building up” and “China aligning with Russia on Ukraine.”
“There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared in August.
The planning has been under wraps due to sensitivity; one source told The Messenger.
“Even talking about an [evacuation plan] starts people thinking something may be going on even if it is just prudent planning,” a former State Department official said, according to The Messenger.
An evacuation of Americans from Taiwan couldn’t be done without challenges, according to The Messenger, citing one source who said “the physical geography of Taiwan is a big factor.” The plans are still in the works, including how to navigate the challenging mountainous geography.
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There were roughly 80,000 Americans living in Taiwan as of 2019, according to The Messenger.
“We do not see a conflict in the Taiwan Strait as imminent or inevitable,” Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Martin Meiners, who didn’t confirm the preparations, told The Messenger.
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