China’s war chest: Beijing’s ‘great wall of steel’ faces obstacles to military supremacy

Chinese fighter jets take off from an aircraft carrier. China’s push to modernise its armed forces has involved a strategy of ‘military-civil fusion’ that hampers other countries’ ability to understand developments. Composite: AFP/Getty images

Taiwan’s foreign minister says he is preparing for conflict with China. In an interview last month, Joseph Wu said that “we are taking the Chinese military threat very seriously” and named 2027 as the year to be concerned about.

As relations between China and the US spiral ever lower, many analysts are increasingly worried that a conflict could be on the horizon and that the relationship between Taiwan and the US will be an important factor in influencing if and when China attempts to annex the self-governing island.