Within that framework, a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan has become the scenario most often cited as the likeliest flashpoint for a military confrontation between the two superpowers. In Washington,

U.S. officials warned the world about a potential conflict over Taiwan. China accused Taiwanese authorities of hacking. China’s president asserted legal authority over Taiwan. Taiwan increased

Earlier, Hegseth had told U.S. lawmakers that China was undergoing "an unprecedented military buildup" that could threaten American military supremacy globally. President Donald Trump has ordered a revival of the U.S. defense industrial base to stay ahead in fields such a "emerging technologies and new weapons," he said.

Taiwan’s leader Lai Ching-te watched live-fire drills with United States-made Abrams M1A2T tanks on Thursday as part of major annual exercises aimed at boosting the island’s ability to fend off threats from China.

Momentum is building in Taiwan to lessen its business dependency on China, its biggest trading partner. Doing so will not be easy.

It remains to be seen whether the modest success of pro-natal measures in Hubei Province's Tianmen can be replicated nationwide.

If Beijing moves against Taiwan, NATO might soon find itself in a two-front war with China and Russia — or so the alliance's secretary general believes. "If Xi Jinping would attack Taiwan, he would first make sure that he makes a call to his very junior partner in all of this,