First of all, barely half of Taiwanese support independence. And that’s assuming Taiwan would actually remain a sovereign state. But what if “independence” actually means permanent occupation by the U.S. Armed Forces—as it did for Germany, South Korea, and other countries we “liberated” from communism? Under those terms, I bet half of the pro-independence Taiwanese would change their minds.
That may seem strange, but it’s really not. Taiwan is well within China’s political, economic, and cultural sphere of hegemony. It’s the same situation in Ukraine, where over 40 percent of the population supports some sort of merger with Russia, including the majority of Crimeans. Going to war to prevent these annexations would be a huge and thankless waste of blood and treasure.
Second, Taiwanese independence isn’t especially advantageous to us. True, Taiwan is a valuable trade partner. But we trade with every country in the Chinese hegemony, including…err, China. As for the military implications of such a coup, Beijing has neither the desire nor the means to threaten our borders by conventional means. Nothing will change for us.
In fact, the Chicoms will come out much the worse.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member