Most of Southeast Asia waits to see what Tokyo and Washington will do. Japan, convinced the U.S. will not move, carries out a nuclear test as a warning. Beaten back, Beijing unveils a nuclear missile that can hit the U.S. heartland. The standoff is on. Finally, America pulls back from the brink and withdraws.
China attacks Taiwan.
The book came on the heels of The Coming Conflict with China, a more scholarly work arguing that China seeks to supplant America as the dominant power in Asia. Any day now, one suspects, Sylvester Stallone will reprise his Rambo role and save the Free World from the machinations of the Red Mandarins. Not surprisingly, all the hoopla has put Chinese officials on the defensive. Nonetheless, the perception persists of a militarily assertive China. That fear is thanks in part to China's missile tests off Taiwan last year, vociferous statements on the Spratlys, and its high-octane hardware hunt.