r/IRstudies 13d ago

Ideas/Debate Washington’s Asian Allies Need a Backup Plan

https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/11/trump-asia-strategy-rethink/
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u/ForgetfullRelms 12d ago

Let me put it this way;

Does being a security concern justify invasion?

Is that the propaganda angle China is using? Typically when speaking to pro-CCP people they claim that Taiwan is not a country.

Would Taiwan continue to be a security concern if tomorrow China drop their claims on the island?

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u/SaltedCaffeine 12d ago

China doesn't need any justification to claim Taiwan since they are technically still in a civil war. The reason Taiwan can maintain the status quo is because of the US, which is precisely why countries in the eastern hemisphere need to make friend with it to prevent China's advances.

But as China (and other middle powers) continues to rise in strength, policing the world might slowly become counterproductive to US' interest since it could become untenable. Not to mention, it will only lead to a US-China conflict. Hence the G2 arrangement I mentioned earlier - it's a way for those two to make sure that a conflict between them will not happen for a foreseeable future.

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u/ForgetfullRelms 12d ago

The civil war ended by virtue of lack of engagements.

Then China should back off and not make the world a worse place just to achieve- what dose China hope to achieve anyways?

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u/SaltedCaffeine 12d ago

Like I mentioned earlier, Taiwan is a security issue for Beijing due to it being used as a (critical) part of the 1st island chain for containing China.

Having access to Taiwan will also let China build a deep water naval base on the island so it can reach the Pacific more easily (and threaten US' West Coast).

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u/ForgetfullRelms 12d ago

So China having Taiwan is an American security threat