It must be kept in mind that under the 2005 Anti-Secession Law, Beijing claims the right to use force against Taiwan not only if it declares independence, but also if it indefinitely refuses unification. Xi has stated that the Taiwan issue cannot be passed from one generation to another. Kissinger has also warned Taiwan that China will not wait forever.
So the restraint that is the linchpin of cross-Strait stability is required not so much from Taipei, but from Beijing. U.S. diplomacy can handle the former. U.S. deterrence is needed to achieve the latter.
Xi will surely object to this U.S. challenge to one of China's core interests. But America also has core interests that China repeatedly defies: freedom of navigation and overflight, the sanctity of our government's personnel records, the security of our companies' trade secrets. Those challenges remain unanswered.
(AP photo)
