Only five years left to prevent war with China, says Kevin Rudd: Sydney Morning Herald
China will be on a collision course within the next five years for war with the United States, and likely Australia, unless America and its allies can deter Beijing from launching a strike against Taiwan, former prime minister Kevin Rudd says.
While welcoming signs of stabilisation in China’s relationship with the US and Australia at last week’s G20 summit, Rudd warned that Chinese President Xi Jinping is more determined than ever to try to seize control the self-governing island of Taiwan.
“The next five years will very much shape and arguably determine the future stability of the Indo-Pacific region,” Rudd said in the JG Crawford Oration on Monday night, according to draft notes of his speech to the Australian National University.
“If we fail to navigate the next five years carefully, there is a grave risk that by the late 20s and the early 30s, we could well find ourselves on the cusp of armed conflict.”