The new chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the US House of Representatives said the chances of conflict China over Taiwan “are very high”.

What happened: After a US Air Force general issued a memo warning that Washington would fight Beijing in the next two years, a leading Republican was in the US Congress Mike McCaulHe said: “I think he’s right,” Reuters reported.

“The chances are very good that we could see a conflict with China and Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific,” McCaul added.

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McCaul said if Xi Jinping‘s government failed to take control of the island nation bloodlessly, then “I think they will consider a military invasion. We have to be prepared for that.”

McCaul’s comments were prompted by the Feb. 1 memo released Friday, in which the General Mike Minihan wrote to the leadership of its roughly 110,000 members, saying, “My gut tells me we’re going to fight in 2025.”

Although a US defense official clarified that “these comments are not representative of the department’s view of China,” it shows concern at the highest level in the military about a possible attempt by China Xi’s government wants to reunite with Taiwan by force.

Meanwhile, a former Singaporean diplomat said last week that the Chinese president would not survive “botched” war, like Wladimir Putin, if he decides to invade Taiwan.

“If China starts a war over Taiwan, it must win, and it must win quickly. Putin can survive, I think he will probably survive a botched war against Ukraine. But no Chinese leader will survive a failed war against Taiwan.” said Bilahari Kausikan.

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