Manchuria, rich in resources and strategically crucial, became a coveted prize for Russia which sought year-round warm water ports. Port Arthur, modern-day Lüshunkou, was especially appealing for its strategic position as a naval base on the Liaodong Peninsula.

Trump’s treatment of Ukraine raises broader concerns about his foreign policy. He has labeled Zelenskyy an “unelected dictator,” dismissed Ukraine’s role in peace negotiations, and suggested that the country must cede 20% of its territory to Russia. He has even proposed extracting Ukraine’s mineral wealth as reparations.

China pushed back against recent remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, declaring that Washington could never "sow discord" in its ties with Moscow. Newsweek reached out to the White House and the Russian Foreign Ministry via email for comment.

Taiwan's coast guard said it was investigating whether the incident was sabotage but said "it cannot be ruled out that it was a gray zone intrusion."

U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt reversal of three years of American policy toward Ukraine has raised concerns China might become emboldened to push its territorial claim on Taiwan, though experts

Given this backdrop, the U.S. needs to return to its old grand strategy, which helped the West win the Cold War by driving a wedge between Moscow and Beijing. Ending the Ukraine war would also enable the U.S. to reallocate military resources from Europe to the Indo-Pacific, where its global primacy is truly at stake.

Like Moscow's claim Ukraine is rightfully Russian territory, China claims the self-governing island of Taiwan as its own. Chinese President Xi Jinping has not ruled out taking it by force.