Going nuclear is MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction)- neither side wants that and I very much doubt China would do that as they see themselves as becoming the natural global rulers for a long long time. WW3 is much more likely to be fought via proxy wars (as is already happening via Russia and Iran) and over the control of global protocols such as SWIFT vs Chinas CBDC based alternative trade payments system and via biotech, nanotech, robotics, space and resource hegemony...resource hegemony and Chinas lead in some strategic rare earths supply chains and overall in battery tech and PV production being one of the topics of the article. Nobody is taking a nuclear conflict as even likely as both side know they would lose. Cannot fathom how in denial the west, even those prepared to question many of the internal problems within the west, seems to be of the existential challenge China poses to western 'liberal' democracies and values.