Escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait remain Beijing’s foremost external security concern for 2026, fuelled by uncertainties surrounding the US midterm elections and the growing involvement of Japan, according to a prominent Chinese think tank.
In its latest annual forecast of China’s external security risks, the Centre for International Security and Strategy (CISS) at Tsinghua University framed this year as a pivotal moment in the profound reshaping of China’s outer defence…
Taiwan tensions No 1 in Beijing’s top 10 geopolitical risks of 2026: think tank

