'We can't do this!' Chilling nuclear warning issued as US risk China's wrath with 'private' talks

Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has repeatedly complained of Chinese military activity around the island over the past four years.

Xi Jinping has ramped up Chinese missions near Taiwan with presidential and parliamentary elections on the island approaching.

Speaking on GB News, Davis warned the US would not be able to defeat China in war should it come down to it.

“We can’t fight a war against China and win”, he said.

“So we should be working with Taiwan right now privately telling them we’re not going to fight for you.

“We just can’t get into a war that could go nuclear, it would be foolish.”

Beijing has also warned the Philippines it will keep piling on military pressure in a dispute over South China Sea sovereignty.

The country’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is said to have issued the threat to his Philippine counterpart over a phone call.

Wang warned him that “if the situation, goes its own way, or even colludes with ill-intentioned external forces to continue to stir up troubles, China will defend its rights in accordance with law and respond resolutely,” the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

China claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea.

This view is not shared by Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei and Philippines, hence the region’s simmering tensions.

Davis added that with simmering tensions worldwide, the chances of World War Three are “uncomfortably high”.

“I won’t say that they’re likely in any point, all this can be managed with wise discipline.

“We can absolutely avoid it and have a good year or we can act foolishly and potentially have unintended consequences and things could spiral.”