China has said it will “never compromise” on the issue of Taiwan, in its first military talks with the US since 2021.
It urged the US to “stop arming Taiwan” and take its concerns “seriously”.
This comes just days ahead of pivotal elections in Taiwan, which could push the island further towards - or away - from Beijing.
China claims Taiwan as part of its own territory, but the island sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland.
Ehh idk. Whoever thinks that China will take the top spot hasn’t checked China’s demographic pyramid. They’ll likely make a push for Taiwan in the next five years not because they’re finally militarily ready, but because if it doesn’t happen soon, it certainly won’t happen later on when the country is struggling to maintain the status quo internally.
The demographics issue is overblown and often gets repeated uncritically with a bunch of assumptions. I guess we’ll wait and see. What’s definitely true is that based on current trajectory, China is poised to take the top spot.