The rise in US-China frictions has led some Americans to call for an increase in US support for Taiwan—even a return of American military forces. However, basing US troops in Taiwan will unnecessarily complicate an already complex situation and undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Washington is sending an unsubtle message to Beijing that U.S. military support for Taiwan is no longer ambiguous or hesitant.

Will the United States fight for the island or forsake it? It’s a central question, as a series of statements by Washington hawks and moves in Congress edge toward confrontation. A protracted war is one possible outcome. Loss of U.S. credibility in the Asia-Pacific is another.

Among the mounting tensions in the US-China relationship, the Taiwan issue is the only issue that could turn the “war of words” into a true war.

The pandemic has deepened the waters in cross-Strait relations. As President Tsai takes office for her second term, US-China-Taiwan relations face new challenges.

Taiwan’s re-elected leader masked her Taiwan independence agenda with delicate words, but her meaning was unmistakable. She is moving inexorably toward a separation through incremental steps. Can a crisis be averted?

The TAIPEI Act, passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by Donald Trump, will not benefit the island. Taiwan is being used as a pawn by the U.S. to gain leverage against Beijing.

The United States Congress recently passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, and President Donald Trump signed it into law. It is a major de facto amendment of the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 and the first U.S. domestic law concerning the region since Hong Kong’s return to China.

History shows that when necessary, Washington will sacrifice Taiwan’s interests in order to achieve US foreign policy goals. Today, Taiwan might find itself as collateral damage in the US-China trade war.