Former deputy national security advisor Matt Pottinger argues that urgent steps need to be taken to avoid a devastating war over Taiwan. Pottinger's book 'The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan' highlights Chinese President Xi Jinping as the real hawk and emphasizes the importance of deterrence. Pottinger's argument for deterrence is excerpted in this cover story. He will be discussing the book at a panel hosted by China Books Review on July 1st. The magazine also features infographics on the rare earth rumble in Australia, an interview with Jonathan Chatwin on the significance of Deng Xiaoping's 'Southern Tour', a reported piece on the toll of tariffs on U.S. companies, and an op-ed about how a move from Hong Kong to Bangkok revealed China's economic power. [57cdd8c0]
The book 'The Boiling Moat' edited by Matt Pottinger warns that Taiwan could spark a major war between the US and China, with estimates of over 10,000 Americans killed in action in just three weeks of combat; Pottinger's hawkish views on US intervention in East Asia are in tension with Trump's tough-on-China rhetoric; Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed his campaign to 'rejuvenate the Chinese nation' and is prepared to use military force to achieve unification with Taiwan; a Chinese takeover of Taiwan could lead to dire consequences, including an East Asian nuclear-arms race and the fall of Taiwan's semiconductor industry into Chinese hands; Pottinger and his contributors propose building a formidable system of military deterrence to prevent China from attacking Taiwan; the book suggests a need for a 'new military culture' in Taiwan and Japan; the question of Taiwan is fraught with bad history, with conflicting claims about Taiwan's status as part of China; the US policy towards Taiwan is complicated, as it aims to defend Taiwan's democracy while also reassuring Beijing that it opposes Taiwanese independence; avoiding a violent conflict will require diplomatic finesse and a deep understanding of local history and politics. [6c28ac8b]