Washington Examiner
Date: April 01, 2019
By: Tom Rogan

President Trump’s Taiwan policy requires an increasingly delicate dance.

Support Taiwan excessively, and China might forcibly seize the island nation. Offer inadequate support to Taiwan, and China will continue moving toward its usurpation.

As Josh Rogin noted last week, Chinese harassment of Taiwan is escalating without commensurate U.S. pushback. Over the past few days, Taiwan intercepted two Chinese fighter aircraft that crossed a territorial marker line. China is also shouting its complaints over a looming U.S. sale of F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan. And Chinese leaders and state media are on the same page when it comes to threatening more escalation. The Global Times newspaper on Monday warned that “Chinese mainland scholars have been engaged in a broader discussion on how to cope with the growing provocations from [Taiwan] and the U.S. More and more people suggest PLA fighter jets fly over the island.”

Well, for one, Trump should authorize more regular and more senior diplomatic visits to Taiwan. He should also expedite the conclusion of the F-16V sale. Next up, the president should direct Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to push U.S. allies to adopt a shared tone of concern on Taiwan. The key here should be to persuade Beijing that military action against what it regards as a breakaway province will lead to international sanctions and isolation. Cultivating that understanding is crucial because the Chinese are emboldened by the absence of good U.S. military options vis-a-vis Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]