Joint chiefs chairman says US should be concerned about possibility of China invading Taiwan

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Charles Brown says that Americans should be worried about China potentially invading Taiwan. 

"We want to be, and we all should be, worried whether it's going to happen or not," Brown said about the potential of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan on Saturday at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, Fox News reported. 

Brown also said that the possible incursion is "part of the reason why deterrence is so important, so that conflict does not occur." 

Brown said that even if China does not use military force against Taiwan, Beijing's actions in Hong Kong may illustrate its plans for the self-governing island, which the People's Republic of China views as a rogue province. 

"But if you look at what happened in Hong Kong and even some of the things that the PRC is doing today is, you know, putting pressure on Taiwan, putting pressure on countries in the Indo-Pacific, whether it be economically or somewhat militarily, that we've seen continued pressure to wear in this case Taiwan down or others down to their own gain," Brown said. 

The British handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997 on the condition that the region's economy and social systems would remain relatively unchanged for 50 years, but the Chinese Communist Party has been increasing its control over the area over the past several years.  

Regardless of whether China plans to directly invade Taiwan, Beijing has been pushing the boundaries of Taiwan by performing near-daily military drills around the island. Meanwhile, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul predicted earlier this year that China will attempt to take over Taiwan "without a shot fired" by influencing the island's elections.

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