U.S.-China conflict over Taiwan risks a nuclear escalation, study finds.
SINGAPORE, May 28 (Reuters) - A conflict between the U.S. and China over Taiwan would risk a nuclear escalation with both militaries likely to stage sweeping operations targeting rival command and communications hubs, a leading defence research centre said on Thursday.
In a strategic assessment ahead of Asia's biggest annual defence meeting in Singapore this weekend, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said the world was on the cusp of a new nuclear arms race "with the Asia-Pacific at its core".
Taiwan is the indispensable backbone of the global tech economy, manufacturing more than 90% of leading-edge semiconductors. These chips are critical for national security, from missile guidance systems to the future of AI.
To secure the US interests, Trump should prioritize a visit to Taiwan over China.
The U.S.-based organizers of an international human rights conference said they canceled it days before it was due to open because China pressured the African host country to exclude Taiwanese activists.
Chinese destroyers and frigates detected southwest of Penghu.
The Ministry of National Defense on Monday evening released photos of PLA destroyers near Penghu, following a pattern of increased Chinese naval activity in the area in recent days.
US officials say that, due to the Iran War, the US could not "fully execute contingency plans to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion if it occurred in the near term" - WSJ