This is the latest reminder that Beijing is serious about annexing Taiwan by military force if necessary. Furthermore, the deepening ties between China and the authoritarian regimes in the region are clear evidence that developments in Europe and the Indo-Pacific are increasingly intertwined. To protect the rules-based international order, the US and its allies must prepare militarily for this rising threat.
The US alarmism is baseless and only serves to maintain the Chinese threat narrative and distract from America's hostile foreign policy and its military build-up in Taiwan. Washington's militaristic zero-sum mentality also extends to countries that pose no threat to the world but rattle Washington's crumbling hegemony. The US must abandon its irrational path, adhere to the one-China principle, and stop meddling in China's internal affairs.