It's easy to get caught up in the theater of contemporary geopolitical brinkmanship. Join our team of China Watchers as we go beyond the headlines to ascertain the medium and long term economic and military effects of Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.  While China's economy looks to be in worse shape than the US, the underlying question is "how close to losing faith are the Chinese people?" It seems Anthony Fauci still sees funding Chinese military related bio-loabs as a good investment. Why? Is a war over Taiwan on the horizon? Has it already started? What role does the worlds need for high quality microchips and the recently passed CHIPS Act play? After Xi told Biden not to let Pelosi visit Taiwan, how will he act to "save face" domestically and could this be the trigger for a dramatic escalation.  Was this move a face saving exercise for the US or a facelift for the Democrats?