US Defence official Elbridge Colby stressed that an attack by China against Taiwan could happen with little warning as China has given up on «peaceful unification», reported Taiwan News.
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Former US President Donald Trump's administration official Elbridge Colby has served as deputy assistant secretary of defence for strategy and force development in 2017-2018.
He has also been named as a possible candidate for a national security office if Donald Trump is elected president in the November presidential elections.
In an interview with Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun conducted in Washington DC, Colby said that the military needed to be strengthened so it could deliver any immediate response against Chinese aggression.
An attack could happen with little clear warning, he added, according to Taiwan News.
The former Pentagon official said that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had probably concluded that peaceful unification of Taiwan with China was not possible.
Colby said that a cross-strait war might involve the US, and US troops in the Asia Pacific, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines, as reported by Taiwan News.
Previous commentators, however, have said that China might find it difficult to launch a surprise attack against Taiwan, noting the range of preparations needed for such actions.
Colby advised the US to shift its support