2025-06-18
5 分钟The Economist.
Hi, this is Ethan Wu, co-host of Money Talks, our business and finance podcast.
Welcome to Editor's Picks.
We've handpicked an article we recommend from the most recent edition of The Economist.
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"The elephant in the room", acknowledged Emmanuel Macron, France's president,
speaking to an audience of defence bigwigs at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 30th,
"is the day China decides a big operation."
Would France intervene on day one of such a war, he mused?
"I would be very cautious today."
Mr Macron's ambivalence is widely shared.
If China were to invade Taiwan, no one is certain how different countries would line up.
A new paper by the Centre for a New American Security (CNAS),
a think-tank in Washington, examines that question.
If America stayed out of the war, it suggests, everyone else would, too.
Speaking in Singapore, Pete Hegseth,
America's defence secretary, sought to dispel that thought.
"Any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force
would result in devastating consequences," he said.
"Our goal is to prevent war, to make the costs too high."