CHINA could ramp up military pressure on Taiwan and risk all-out war over Donald Trump’s blistering tariffs, experts fear.

Beijing has pledged to “fight to the end” in response to Trump’s ongoing tariff hikes on Chinese goods, heightening concerns that the conflict between the two superpowers could escalate uncontrollably.

Trump is locked in a bitter battle with Beijing, imposing 145 per cent tariffs on China in his latest move.

Days later, officials in Beijing hit back by hiking tariffs on the US by 125 per cent in a return salvo.

Now, both sides are refusing to back down in an expensive game of cat and mouse.

China has warned it’s ready for “any type” of war and told Trump “you are feeding yourself to the tigers”.

Meanwhile, the US declared it is “prepared” for war.

Experts fear the financial turmoil could explode into a conflict with a “single misstep”.

Brit former Army commander Hamish de Bretton-Gordon warned the tariff war could “plunge the planet into a complete recession”.

And that scenario, he says, “creates tension and creates wars”.

He told The Sun: “Financial shocks can lead to conflict. Everybody is looking at that very closely and needs to be prepared for it.

“Tensions are going to rise and rise – and at some point it will be break.

“It will break either with the end of the tariff war and some kind of conflict.”

Professor Kerry Brown, previously the first secretary at the UK embassy in Beijing, cautioned that Taiwan remains the primary flashpoint, with the likelihood of a Chinese invasion of the island higher than ever.

Jack Werner, director of the East Asia Program at the Quincy Institute, also cautioned, stating: “A single misstep regarding Taiwan or in the South China Sea could result in disaster.”

“The US and China have embarked on an escalatory spiral that could lead to disaster for both.”

A single misstep around Taiwan or in the South China Sea could end in catastrophe

Jack WernerDirector of the East Asia Program at the Quincy Institute

China has been ramping up its war threats around Taiwan for years – and Beijing is adamant they will “reunify” the island after it separated from the mainland in 1949.

It is feared they could use Taiwan as a bargaining chip – and threaten to invade in order to force the US to back down on tariffs.

Former UK MP and ex-soldier Bob Seely believes Chinese President Xi Jinping could send a “very clear message” to Washington by ramping up his blockade rhetoric.

This would leave Trump with a key decision to make.

He could see Xi’s threats and look to cut a deal with Beijing to avoid a “global economic meltdown” by resolving the tariff woes at the negotiating table, Seely says.

Or he can risk dealing with the fallout of a blockade on Taiwan which could then explode into a full-blown war.

Associate Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, Darren Spinck, also believes Beijing could use Taiwan to remind the US of its “red lines”.

Spinck said: “An outright invasion of Taiwan is unlikely. However, in a prolonged and escalating standoff, Beijing might increase military pressure around Taiwan.

“Not as a direct response to tariffs, but as part of a broader effort to signal resolve and shift the narrative domestically.”

This could be done through the intensifying of war drills, maritime blockades or even just by using coercive tactics which don’t constitute starting a conflict.

Any full invasion of Taiwan would likely be viewed as an attack on the US and prompt Trump’s military to become directly involved.

The US has been the island’s strongest allies for decades as their main arms supplier – and Taiwan accounts for almost half of America’s key microchips.

Washington has been walking a diplomatic tightrope in the past – not wanting to anger a powerful Xi or disown their allies.

But a cunning Xi could try and test Trump’s resolve with daring invasion threats if the tariff situation continues to spiral out of control.

But any genuine land grab attempt would have dire consequences for the world.

Professor Brown told The Sun: “Taiwan is the greatest single probable cause of a global conflict that exists.

“Were China to make a military aggressive move on Taiwan, global politics would change instantaneously.

“China would move from being a competitor and adversary to being an outright enemy because it would be attacking a democracy.”

Professor Brown, who has studied the tensions between Taiwan and China for years, fears an invasion would change global politics “instantaneously”.

And Colonel de Bretton-Gordon added: “The whole world order has changed with the arrival of Trump and his tariffs.”

The US has long been seen one of Europe’s strongest allies but if a conflict with China rears its head it could plunge Europe into “no man’s land”, Professor Brown fears.

Elsewhere, a trade war could allow warmongers – such as Putin – to use the chaos to strike.

Putin has spent the past three years trying to claim Ukraine as his own state since launching his barbaric invasion in February 2022.

Despite global calls for peace, the despot is yet to yield to any truce demands.

Colonel de Bretton-Gordon has been adamant that Putin doesn’t see any world in which he doesn’t take control of Ukraine.

He has also warned that the Russian leader won’t stop at just Ukraine if he is allowed to continue to fight on.

And the ongoing tariff feud has diverted attention away from Vlad’s bloody march across the border.

Colonel de Bretton-Gordon thinks Putin will push for more tension between China and the US – in the hopes it boils over.

He said: “I think Putin is delighted at the moment that Trump is focused on tariffs and that he’s focused on China.

“Any conflict that is happening outside of the Ukraine theatre of war is a great advantage to Putin, and will delight him.

“No doubt he is trying to put as much fuel on the fire between the US and China as possible because it takes it off him.”

Repairing China-US relations

A key concern set to dominate the global stage across the next few weeks is how the two countries come to an agreement on stopping the trade war escalating.

Trump and the Xi are both unlikely to back down, experts say.

“It is the world’s biggest and second biggest economies slugging it out,” Professor Brown said.

“The fact that they are absolutely at loggerheads now – and it doesn’t really look like there’s many easy ramps out of this – is pretty serious.”

When it comes to China we have to remember China does not respond well if you back it into a corner

Kerry BrownFormer first secretary of the UK embassy in Beijing

While Trump is known for his direct approach, Xi is a more calculated leader who often lurks behind others plotting his next move, Kerry warns.

He said: “When it comes to China, we have to remember China does not respond well if you back it into a corner. It is also a country with a sort of history of feeling that it was a victim.”

After their so-called “century of humiliation” with the Opium Wars, Professor Brown said “psychologically, China is not going to back down”.

“China’s mentality at the moment is to ‘make China great again’,” he added.

“I think it has got a deeper resonance than Make America Great Again, because for China’s been waiting longer for it.

“This is a great moment for them to be a powerful, strong country and there is a very, very deep belief that this is imminent.”

Both leaders will remain confident they can take each other’s best shot and continue walking forwards in the fight, Professor Brown believes.