Taiwan Strait could be flashpoint for U.S.-China conflict: former U.S. official

Situation could be avoided by patience and communication: Susan Thornton

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/10/31
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Former Assistant Secretary of State Susan Thornton (right). (By Central News Agency)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Taiwan Strait was the most likely place to become a flashpoint for a conflict between the United States and China, but patience and communication could avoid it, said Susan Thornton, a former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

She was speaking at a Brookings Institution panel discussion about whether it was possible to reconcile the long-term interests of the U.S. and China, the Liberty Times reported.

Thornton said it was possible for the two nations to handle their differences, even though the Taiwan issue was the topic most likely to function as a flashpoint.

While the island had for a long time been the most sensitive matter in U.S.-China relations, it was sufficient for the three sides to show restraint and fully communicate in order to avoid such a situation, Thornton reportedly said.    [FULL  STORY]

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