The Return of Great Powers: Russia, China, and the Next World War

by Jim Sciutto

“We adhered to the spirit of The Art of War: ‘Rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him,’ ” said Colonel Chang Chi-Ming the commander of Taiwanese ground forces stationed on the Penghu Islands, quoting Sun Tzu’s famous work. He, like many others in Taiwan, immediately saw a direct connection between the war then engulfing Ukraine and the one they were now training for. In one moment, on opposite ends of the globe, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine fanned fears of not one but two wars for national survival. “We harbor no unrealistic fantasies about peace,” Chang said. “Based on the conviction that defending the homeland is our duty, our national military strives to serve as the strongest line of defense for the country.” He added, “When the Russo-Ukrainian war broke out, I realized that it was a battle for our survival.”