TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner predicted that a Taiwan Strait conflict would not happen before 2030 during a senate foreign relations committee hearing on U.S.-China policy Thursday (Feb. 9).

Responding to a question by Senator Marco Rubio about whether China will attack Taiwan in this decade, Ratner said, “I think we can get to the end of this decade without them committing major aggression against Taiwan.”

Senator Chris Murphy asked Ratner if he thought a Taiwan Strait conflict was unavoidable. The assistant secretary said that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and the Department of Defense (DOD) “do not believe an invasion of Taiwan is imminent or inevitable.” “That continues to be our assessment,” he said.

He added the DOD is “laser-focused” on maintaining deterrence long into the future and will continue cooperating with regional allies and partners to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Ratner reiterated the U.S. is fixated on “understanding and communicating with Taiwan” about its defensive needs required for deterrence. He said Washington was dedicated to its commitments listed in the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), including “providing Taiwan with self-defense capabilities and maintaining our own capacity to resist any use of force that jeopardizes the security of the people of Taiwan.”

“The TRA is backed by strong, bipartisan support and has formed the bedrock of peace, stability, and deterrence in the Taiwan Strait over the last four decades,” he said.

National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told a press conference on Wednesday (Feb. 8) the U.S. takes seriously the responsibility to help Taiwan defend itself. Taiwan’s Minister of National Defense announced the same day it signed two contracts with the United States worth NT$2.56 billion (US$85.32 million) to secure the maintenance of its F-16 fighter jets.

Congress in December approved a spending bill that includes US$2 billion (NT$60.1 billion) in arms sales loans for Taiwan, per Defense News.