The Hill
Date: 02/27/20
By: Joseph Bosco, Opinion Contributor

Should Xi Jinping be quaking in his boots at the prospect that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) might become president? Sanders just stated emphatically that he would “absolutely” use military force if China attacks Taiwan.

That is an (almost) unprecedented  expression of strategic clarity on the U.S. commitment to Taiwan’s democratic security. But Beijing might be forgiven for dismissing it as so much political rhetoric in the midst of a presidential campaign. It has heard such tough talk before, and seen it dissipate once the candidate took office and actually had the power to follow through — but didn’t.

When Richard Nixon prepared his 1968 run for the presidency, he laid out his strategy to get “Red China” to moderate its harsh domestic policies and aggressive approach in international affairs. He argued against making premature concessions such as “to ply it with trade … which would serve to confirm its rulers in their present course.”

He delegated to his junior partner, national security adviser Henry Kissinger, the immediate task of starting negotiations, but told him to avoid giving away too much just to get a deal: “We cannot be too forthcoming in terms of what America will do. We’ll withdraw from Taiwan, and we’ll do this, and that, and the other thing.”    [FULL  STORY]