Welcome to Intelligence Squared.
I'm your host Adam McCauley.
In early September, Beijing proudly displayed its burgeoning military prowess with its largest ever Victory Day parade.
The tightly choreographed display of poised force captured the world's attention,
corroborating a persistent narrative about China's stark and steady military buildup.
For some viewers, the display was further evidence of preparations
for the country's ultimate aim of seizing the island of Taiwan
and expanding its influence throughout the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
For years now, America has described China as its pacing threat
and is the source of persistent tension among strategists, scholars, and political commentators alike,
convinced that the coming world order will be determined by the winner
of an inevitable clash between Washington and Beijing.
While the stakes could not be higher, neither could the strategic confusion
regarding how a conflict between these two nuclear powers might begin,
evolve, and ultimately conclude.
At the heart of this puzzle are simple questions.
How would the US fight China in such a conflict?
And what would happen if they did?
Thankfully, my guest today, Franz-Stefan Gady, has spent the last few years asking just those questions.
He's an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington DC