Chinese President Xi Jinping has made reunification with Taiwan one of his most important foreign policy goals. If he was actually able to pull it off, he would be a national hero in China. But there is a huge problem standing in his way. The moment that China invades Taiwan, a war with the United States will begin. Xi Jinping understands this very well, and so if an invasion of Taiwan is going to happen it must take place at a moment that is favorable to the Chinese.
Many would argue that we will be in such a window of opportunity for about the next year and a half. Right now, the U.S. and other western nations are pouring vast amounts of military resources into the conflict in Ukraine. As a result, they are ill-prepared to militarily confront a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
In addition, Xi Jinping knows that Joe Biden would not use nuclear weapons if the Chinese move against Taiwan. It would be a conventional war, and such a scenario would greatly favor China. But if the Chinese wait until after the next presidential election in the United States, Donald Trump or another Republican could be in the White House, and the risk of sparking a nuclear conflict would go up substantially.
So if Xi Jinping wants to make a move, the clock is ticking. READ MORE