Are we close to seeing Asia break out in war?

That's the topic Associate Professor at ANU Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs Brendan Taylor discusses in his new book.

Taylor says that China's growing influence and the tense relationship between the continent and the US, sparked by Donald Trump, means that are much closer to a potential war than we have been in the past.

He writes about 'The Four Flashpoints' of potential conflict: the Korean Peninsula, the East China Sea, the South China Sea and Taiwan.

Speaking with Leighton Smith, Taylor says that while any conflict is unlikely to spill over to New Zealand, both we and Australia must be wary of economic impacts and how the conflict would affect political ties.

LISTEN TO BRENDAN TAYLOR TALK WITH LEIGHTON SMITH ABOVE