Why is China so obsessed with Taiwan?

The island of Taiwan, just off the coast of China, is shaping up as the most likely spark for the next global conflict.China's president Xi Jinping wants to claim all the territory he thinks belongs to China, without triggering a nuclear war.It's a century-old civil war, which has been frozen in place for decades.It's an almost unimaginably dangerous situation, and one mistake could lead to catastrophe.This is a repeat episode. It was first broadcast on the 6th July, 2021 as part of the China, If You're Listening series.If you want to listen to the whole series you can find it here, or scroll back in your podcast feed.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0_VTGzZj2U