Panel: IISS – Elbridge Colby

China and its People’s Liberation Army have increasingly become the top “pacing threat” for the U.S. military, according to U.S. defense officials and senior policy makers. The reunification of Taiwan with mainland China remains an unfinished objective and a matter of core national interest for Beijing, who have stated that they wish to achieve it by 2049, the centenary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Amidst growing concern over the Taiwan Strait as a potential flashpoint between China and the United States, there is an intense debate taking place within the U.S. national security community about the future direction of U.S. defense strategy in East Asia.

IISS