The “most dangerous” point in US-China relations is Taiwan – nuclear war fears | World | news

Bilahari Kausikan, a former senior Singapore diplomat, said he did not expect the disagreement over Taiwan to lead to conflict. “During the 40 year American-Soviet Cold War, nuclear deterrence has at least kept the peace between the two principals. I think it will restore the peace between the US and China, ”Kausikan told CNBC, describing Taiwan as the“ most dangerous ”tension in their relationship.

Both nations have a nuclear arsenal. In a report to Congress, Pentagon statistics suggest China could be relatively small – around the low 200s. The US has around 3,800 nuclear warheads.

Reuters reported that China has started building more than 100 new missile silos and the Pentagon expects its warhead inventory to at least double.

The fact that both nations have nuclear weapons can prevent the other from attacking for fear of nuclear retaliation.

Taiwan is a democratically ruled nation, but China claims sovereignty over the island and has announced plans to merge with the mainland. There are concerns that this will not happen peacefully.

READ MORE: Taiwan Must Prepare For War With China

It also follows the reveal that US and Japanese forces are preparing for a possible conflict with China over Taiwan.

The two allies have conducted joint military exercises and war games around the uninhabited Senkaku Islands, 330 km (205 miles) from China and controlled by Japan.

In the final year of Donald Trump’s administration, serious preparations for a conflict with China began.

Yasuhide Nakayama, Japan’s deputy defense minister, spoke in the Hudson Institute’s think tank about China’s threat to Taiwan.

He believes it is necessary to “wake up” from the Chinese pressure on the country and Japan must “protect Taiwan as a democratic country”.

“We are not friends of Taiwan, we are brothers,” he said.

China has been planning to unite Taiwan with the mainland for many years and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is concerned about the global implications of this integration.

“I think we will then enter a phase where China will examine its options to bring Taiwan back into some form of political union with China by the end of the 2020s and 2030s,” Rudd told CNBC.

“And then I think it will be dangerous for all of us.”

The US and Taiwan are currently working towards a trade deal, which is likely to create more frustration in Beijing.