Face it Japan.
You're next on the list when China rolls on Taiwan and Xiden rolls over for China.
The Chinese have
no claim on Japanese land, and differences over the Daoyu/Senkaku islands should
not lead to significant conflict, which would disrupt the deep mutually beneficial trade relations between China and Japan. Of course this assumes Japan continues to handle its relations with China as they have in recent years (
without demagogic insults, exaggerations and charges like the Trump administration). It also assumes that China itself
remains led by a rational CCP leadership.
Taiwan is profoundly different. It is considered by international agreement as part of “One China.” That China has long been officially seated in the UN, on the Security Council no less, and recognized by innumerable Republican and Democratic administrations, which have also discouraged Taiwan from making any move like “declaring independence.” The CCP has always maintained Taiwan is a province of China. It has no desire to invade Taiwan, but the CCP leadership has always made it clear that it will not tolerate the island becoming an independent nation, armed to the teeth, acting as a stalking horse for China’s enemies. This has always been a “red line” for the People’s Republic of China.
The strong pressures the Trump Administration applied to Taiwanese high tech businesses to refuse to deal with their biggest trading partner ... have only made the situation more dangerous. Such moves infuriate mainland Chinese. They believe their country’s military power is growing overwhelming and the island should be reunited eventually. Only lunatics want to force China’s leadership’s hand in this matter, or precipitate a crisis that would destroy the island’s economy. It is certainly not an ideal situation, and could become a tragic one, but playing for time remains the best policy for Taiwan. There is not much the U.S. can realistically do, in any case.