In just a little more than 50 years from Mao Zedong's warning to the U.S. that Communist China would someday take possession of Taiwan, CNN's Fareed Zakaria explores what – if anything – can deter China from a violent invasion of the island and what can be forecast for the world if nothing can dissuade China's ruthless modern-era ruler, Xi Jinping. Zakaria reviews the history – and potential global consequences – of China's "or else" offers of unification to Taiwan.
Including stunning archival footage from China's brutal civil war, Zakaria reminds viewers that the bloody battles between China's communists and nationalists led to more than two million killed or wounded soldiers and more than roughly five million dead civilians before nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek was driven to the island of Taiwan with his forces and supporters.
Zakaria discusses, through contemporary interviews with China-watchers, how, in the more than 70 years since the civil war, tensions have actually risen. China has tightened its grip upon the previously democratically-run Hong Kong in a seeming renege on its pledge to honor "one nation, two systems" of governance. Taiwan, watching the sometimes-violent repressions unfold, has reacted by electing increasingly stridently democratic-oriented leadership.
As both China and Taiwan have flourished economically and technologically, they have also made significant investments in military might as major national priorities. Fareed suggests solutions and poses questions about what will happen next in this pivotal faceoff.
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