‘Sloppy’ US Talk on China’s Threat Worries Some Skeptical Experts

  • Tough talk can provoke ‘war that we seek to avoid:’ analyst
  • Pentagon officials have offered predictions on Taiwan invasion
Chinese warplanes during combat training exercises around Taiwan, on Aug. 7.Photographer: Li Bingyu/Xinhua/Getty Images
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Almost everyone in Washington wants to be a China hawk now, making it a lonely town for some well-placed skeptics.

With US-China ties at a low ebb and Chinese President Xi Jinping securing a precedent-breaking third term in office, the Biden administration is maintaining its sharp-edged approach toward China with everything from new export controls on high-tech chips to warnings about a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.