Taming the Hegemon

This report explores how Chinese military strategists view and prepare for potential U.S. intervention in a Taiwan conflict. It reveals that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) assumes U.S. involvement is inevitable and has developed both deterrent and direct-assault strategies to counter it. Drawing on decades of PLA writings, the study highlights China’s emphasis on asymmetric warfare, strategic deterrence, and influence operations to weaken U.S. resolve and capability. The analysis provides insight into the risks of escalation and the evolving dynamics of great-power competition in the Indo-Pacific.