The war of the superpowers is getting closer. 5 dangerous signals

• Relations between the United States and China are becoming increasingly tense.
• A retired US Navy admiral points to five worrying signs that could suggest the two countries are headed toward armed conflict.
• These signals include cyberattacks, rising tensions in the Taiwan region and an escalation of the situation in the South China Sea.

Bloomberg published an article by James Stavridis, a retired US Navy admiral and NATO commander in Europe. He wrote that the question is increasingly being asked whether we are heading towards open armed conflict.

More and more signals are making me worried. I spent most of my naval career in the Pacific and I have never felt before that we were so close to a real clash with Beijing, he noted.

In his opinion, there are five warning signs in the Pacific region. He listed them as follows:

China is increasingly attacking American critical infrastructure using its advanced offensive technology capabilities.

• Air pressure on Taiwan

Last year, more than 3,000 violations of Taiwan's air defense identification zone were recorded - almost twice as many as in 2023.

• Operations in the South China Sea

The activities of the Chinese Navy and Coast Guard in the South China Sea are one of the most telling signals of potential conflict.

China is building 20 to 30 warships a year. Its current fleet, in terms of combat units, already exceeds that of the US: more than 360 ships to the US's about 300. China's goal is to exceed 400 ships.

James Stavridis said the most dangerous signal is the scale of the tariffs imposed by both sides.

"It is worth recalling that World War II in the Pacific began with trade sanctions that cut off Japan from its basic raw materials - oil, steel and rubber. Many historians believe that the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 was the result of a decade of economic disputes and provocative actions," he wrote.