The world is facing a new arms race alongside the turbulent conflicts unfolding across Europe (the Russia-Ukraine war), the Middle East (Iran's war with the United States and Israel), as well as conflicts and instability in Africa. And in addition to these ongoing conflicts, another escalation of tension now appears to be brewing around the island of Taiwan, a sovereign and democratic territory, but one claimed by mainland China.
We reported a few days ago on manoeuvres by the Chinese navy in waters near the island, and this has set off alarm bells at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a London-based threat analysis organisation. In a strategic report ahead of the defence summit to be held in Singapore in the coming days, the organisation warns that the United States (Taiwan's main ally) and China could drive the tension towards a new nuclear arms race, as reported by Reuters. Operations and countermeasures include strategies for attacking and sabotaging long-range infrastructure and communications, so both countries (as well as many others on the periphery of the conflict, or with interests in the Asia-Pacific region) would be increasing their arsenals or seeking ways to acquire nuclear technology.
The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Defence, Jiang Bin, said that the IISS report appeared "quite inconsistent" with the actual situation, adding that the Taiwan issue is an internal matter for China and that it does not permit any external interference. Likewise, the Foreign Minister directly warned that the United States should treat the Taiwan issue "with the utmost caution."