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Tallhappy:

In the early seventies, the President of the United States signed an agreement with China stating that Taiwan and China were part of the same country. In return, the opening of China gave us an enormous strategic advantage over the then Soviet Union. This happened at a time of great weakness of the United Sates. Our economy was in shambles. Pacifists controlled the United States house and senate and were dismantling the CIA and our national defense.

Nixon's move to ally with China probably had a lot to do with containment working thru the dismal 70's until we got a real president and a real foreign policy.

As much as I would like to see Taiwan a separate country, do you really want our current president to say that the commitments of the United States are meaningless? Especially when we benefitted so richly from those committments?

W is doing as much as he can to help Taiwan, given the binding agreements of previous American presidents. Believe me, China is not happy with this President.

As much as I would like to see Taiwan a separate country, do you really want our current president to say that the commitments of the United States are meaningless? Especially when we benefitted so richly from those committments?

I agree completely. You know it seems that a lot of "armchair diplomats" confuse the power to do something with the wisdom of doing something. China is an emerging super-power. Their economy is second largest in the world, roughly half of our economy. Within 15 to 20 years, they will have a larger economy than ours. They are not, at least have not been, imperialistic and we don't want them to be. Yes we should make it clear that we would provide help for Taiwan if China should try to invade. When it gets to the point where China does have the military capacity to invade Taiwan, there will be a political solution. Power works that way.

In the early seventies, the President of the United States signed an agreement with China stating that Taiwan and China were part of the same country.

Wrong. Your comments were ill informed.

Read the document. It is called, as apparently you don't know, the Shanghai Communique.

Also read the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six assurances to Taiwan.