Foreigners have hyped the possibility that Beijing will resort to reunification by force. This creates a dilemma: China must either accept the prospect of secession or the destructive consequences of force. Escaping this trap will require joint efforts by Chinese people on both sides of the strait.

China’s capacity to help end the conflict in Ukraine has been left in the realm of speculation due to the nation’s official stance of neutrality toward the situation. If China were to step up efforts to actively broker a resolution, these are the following steps they may take.

Russia’s war in Ukraine is the most disruptive conflict that Europe has seen since 1945. While many in the West see a war of choice by Russian President Vladimir Putin, he says that NATO’s 2008 decision in favor of eventual Ukrainian membership brought an existential threat to Russia’s borders, and still others trace the conflict back to the Cold War’s end and the failure of the West to support Russia adequately after the collapse of the Soviet Union. How can we discern the origins of a war that may last for years?

The war in Ukraine, whether short or long-term, doesn’t serve China’s national interests. While China and Russia are strategic partners, so are China and Ukraine, which agreed in 2013 to preserve national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Thus, for China, the only path forward is peace.

The U.S.-Iran rivalry has sunk to new depths after the death in custody of a young woman who was arrested by the Iranian morality police for improperly wearing a head covering. Iran’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict has made matters even worse.

Taiwan and Ukraine have drawn many comparisons this year due to the perceived similarities in their precarious security situations. In the wake of the crisis in Ukraine, countries are watching situations like the one in the Taiwan Strait closely.

With the possible passage of the Taiwan Policy Act of 2002, the United States is showing that, notwithstanding lip service, it is moving in a direction of open support for the island. China must prepare for the worst-case scenario.

NASA has made stellar achievements. But as cooperation both internally and internationally have decreased, among rocket launch setbacks, it may be time for the U.S. to look to China for advice.

The US Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs just endorsed the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022 by 17-5. The legislation will then be submitted to the Senate for review. If the House also proposes and approves a corresponding legislation later, President Biden may sign it into law. Even if the Act won’t sail through Congress, corresponding clauses may still be incorporated into such legislations as the National Defense Authorization Act and put into practice.

While the Taiwan Policy Act is making its way through the labyrinth in the congressional process in Washington, D.C., it is high time to ponder the consequences of this Act, if adopted and enacted, for China and the United States.