That role also means a war over Taiwan could be "cataclysmic," the report warned, potentially "wiping out as much as 10 percent of global GDP"—an unprecedented economic hit in modern times. The authors said the ramifications of such a scenario could be "on par with the 2008 Global Financial Crisis."

(Reuters) -Chinese President Xi Jinping told U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday that Taiwan's "return to China" at the end of World War Two was a key part of Beijing's vision for the world order. Here is a timeline about Taiwan,

The book contains specific instructions to stock up on supplies, prepare go-bags, and to establish emergency meeting points with family members.

Taiwan's president should take part in "rehearsals" focused on potential enemy movements in order to make more informed decisions during wartime, retired Ukrainian Air Force Colonel Andrii Ordynovych said in an interview with the Central News Agency, which is partially funded by Taiwan's government.

A Reuters visual investigation of China's annual naval exercises off the Chinese coast opposite Taiwan shows how Beijing's "shadow navy" of civilian ships is training to help in a mass landing of troops and materiel on the island.

Xi reportedly told Trump that Taiwan’s return to mainland China is “an important part of the post-war international order,”