China’s military is preparing to seize Taiwan by 2027 under direct orders from President Xi Jinping, warned US Strategic Command chief General Anthony Cotton in testimony before Congress. Cotton said Beijing is developing nuclear-capable weapons capable of striking from land, air, and sea. While China’s 2023 national defense policy reiterated its commitment to a “no first use” policy on nuclear weapons, the Pentagon has warned that Beijing could reconsider if a conventional defeat in Taiwan threatens Communist Party survival. China’s Defense Ministry has dismissed US claims as an attempt to spread the so-called “China nuclear threat” narrative to malign Beijing internationally. However, experts, including the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, caution that China is stockpiling increasingly powerful weapons