Expert warns exact date China will take Taiwan as war fears skyrocket in South China Sea
Xi Jinping reportedly warned Joe Biden that Beijing will attempt to unify China and Taiwan - now an expert has predicted that war may break out in just months.
China is preparing to invade Taiwan in the Spring of 2024, according to a former US Navy Seal.
The comments come after Xi Jinping reportedly told Joe Biden that China would attempt to reunify with the democratically-run island.
Taiwan is a major sticking point souring US-China relations - the US provides Taipei with weapons to defend itself while China sees the democratically-run island as a rogue province.
Now, a former Navy Seal has predicted that China could take Taiwan as soon as Spring 2024 amid soaring tensions in the region.
Erik Prince said: "The weather window if they are going to do something by force in Taiwan opens around May or June because during most of the months of the year, it's too windy."
Speaking to GB News, he added: "If they are going to take Taiwan by force I would predict that they are going to do something this spring."
Mr Prince raised concerns about depleted NATO stocks due to the war in Ukraine - some analysts have previously suggested that the US could be stretched thin if China invaded Taiwan as Washington is currently supporting both Israel and Kyiv.
The former Navy Seal added: "A huge amount of defence stocks have been transferred from those NATO countries to Ukraine and have been consumed in the battlefield.
"They haven't been replaced yet and so Europe has a bit of a wake-up call. They need to crank up that industrial base. Otherwise, they're going to find there's not the supply they need when they need it."
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The comments come amid soaring tensions between China and the West over Taiwan and the South China Sea.
China claims "indisputable sovereignty" over almost the entirety of the South China Sea while many nations in the region have competing claims.
The West doesn't recognise Beijing's claims and regularly carries out freedom of navigation exercises there and in the Taiwan Strait leading to confrontations with the Chinese military that experts have warned could lead to conflict.