If China were to invade Taiwan—an island democracy in the South China Sea—would it be in America’s national interest to defend it? China scholar Helen Raleigh weighs in on this critically important question.
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Transcript:
Is it in America’s national interest to defend Taiwan, an island less than 100 miles off the eastern coast of China?
Every American President of the last seventy-five years has had to face this question.
Each one has responded in a slightly different way. But the bottom-line answer they have all given is…
Maybe..
Fortunately, this ambiguous commitment has never been put to the ultimate test.
But that test might not be far off.
The Chinese Communist Party – the CCP – believes that Taiwan belongs to them and has made it very clear that it intends to take control of the island.
The Taiwanese, however, hold a different opinion. They want to determine their own destiny.
Economically, they’ve done fine on their own. Despite a population of only 23 million people, Taiwan is now one of the world’s leading economies. With a strong industrial base, it is home to the world’s most advanced maker of computer chips, Taiwan Semiconductor. Apple, Lockheed, and Google are clients.
It’s also a well-functioning democracy.
China, which isn’t a democracy, doesn’t care.
It wants Taiwan.
Does it have a legitimate claim?
If we look at the island’s history, it’s hard to make a great case that it does.
From time immemorial the island was inhabited by indigenous people. Beginning in the 16th century, the Portuguese, Dutch, and Spanish each established a small colonial presence. So taken with the island’s natural beauty, the Portuguese called it “Ilha Formosa,” or “beautiful island.”
In 1683, the armie..
