TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that China wants to "speed up" its plan to annex Taiwan by force if necessary.

During a talk at Stanford University on Monday (Oct. 17), Blinken said Beijing has made the "fundamental decision that the status quo is no longer acceptable" and China is now pursuing "reunification on a much faster timeline." In an interview on Thursday (Oct. 19), ABC News' George Stephanopoulos asked Blinken to further expand on what he meant by "faster timeline."

The secretary of state explained that for decades, there was an understanding that any differences in the Taiwan Strait were to be resolved peacefully. However, Blinken said that a decision was made in Beijing "some years ago" that this long-established convention was "no longer acceptable."

According to Blinken, Beijing has decided that it "wanted to speed up reunification." To which Stephanopoulos interjected, "By any means necessary."

Blinken concurred with the host's comment that this is a possibility and explained that it could include "coercion and pressure, and potentially, if necessary, by force."

He then pointed out that Taiwan is the paramount producer of semiconductors in the world, with smartphones being a ubiquitous device that relies on such chips. Blinken warned if the supply of semiconductors is interrupted, "That would have a major impact on the world economy."

Stephanopoulos argued that China is so much larger in size with a vastly more numerical military that "if they want Taiwan at some point, they're just going to do it, aren't they?" Blinken calmly responded by emphasizing that the U.S. is upholding its commitment to ensure that Taiwan has the means to defend itself.

Blinken said that the Biden administration has expressed to China its expectation that "these differences will be resolved peacefully."