U.S. unveils de facto embassy in Taiwan amid China tensions

Good idea, but Mainland backlash will be quick and harsh.

Interesting turn of events... China and their island fortresses and US with a "stake" in Taiwan.

The only move short of "war" (a knight in chess game positioned to prevent the obvious action China would take) that the US and allies could have done at this stage of the game. A little action too late after the islands were taken and fortified by China. (Well, Clinton, Bush and Obama "allowed" China to "steal" land belonging to other countries which could not "fight" to keep them.

But then China could care less. Their New Silk Road will devastate the neighboring Asian countries and Taiwan will only be a benign historical tumor for them, which they can operate on at anytime in the future.

Good idea, but Mainland backlash will be quick and harsh.

Why? Its always been there. This is just an upgrade. They won't like it but they are not going to invade over a building.

It would be poetic justice if the US now established a military base in Taiwan since China has militarized the South China Sea to attempt to keep the US out of their neighborhood. While Xi would not laugh at such a move, I sure would.

It would be poetic justice if the US now established a military base in Taiwan

It closed Tainan Airbase and its other naval, air and communications facilities in Keelung, Grass Mountain, Linkou, etc., when it gave China diplomatic recognition around 1980.

The US should show some cojones and re-open bases in Taiwan. A Taiwan-Okinawa-PI link would be a major obstruction for China's plans for east Asian waters.

A base in Taiwan would be too provocative when the U.S. accepts the One China principle.

However, an alliance and a base in Vietnam might not be out of the question, and wiuld serve the same function.

China has also stepped up military drills, sending bombers and jet fighters on exercises near the island that Taipei has denounced as intimidation.

And if the reports of China planning to invade and annex Taiwan by 2020 are true, then what?

The US should show some cojones and re-open bases in Taiwan. A Taiwan-Okinawa-PI link would be a major obstruction for China's plans for east Asian waters.

Absolutely agree. US should re-open bases in Taiwan, PI and beef up bases in Okinawa and mainland Japan. But when NK demands US withdrawal as a condition for denuclearization and peace treaty, and if Trump agrees, more likely the US troops would be relocated to Okinawa, given that Okinawa is in close proximity to the China Seas and Taiwan.

The US should show some cojones and re-open bases in Taiwan. A Taiwan-Okinawa-PI link would be a major obstruction for China's plans for east Asian waters.

100% agreed.

However, an alliance and a base in Vietnam might not be out of the question, and wiuld serve the same function.

S.E Asian countries are now too reliant on Chinese exports to consider any formal alliance with the U.S. Their growth is heavily wrapped up in China until the Indian middle class really starts to explode in big numbers.

They all play the middle path, as much as possible, attempting to appease both sides.

There is no other viable option for S.E Asia. When India rises, they will have to please 3 major powers.

Diplomacy is now more critical than ever for S.E Asia. ASEAN unity is also more important than ever.

Only South Korea, Japan, Australia and N.Z are sufficiently strong enough to maintain their alliance with the U.S and sufficiently deterred from cancelling it because they all benefit from it in terms of military tech, exports, U.S investments, better access to U.S markets etc etc .