World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century The leading national security expert who predicted Putin’s intention to invade Ukraine argues that China’s Xi Jinping is preparing to conquer Taiwan in the coming years—with dire stakes for America and the world if he is not deterred. We are fully in the midst of Cold War II, this time with China. Taiwan is a new West Berlin, a perilous strategic flashpoint where localized events could trigger a devastating war between nuclear powers.