Comment Re:in a process known as packaging (Score 1) 126
Official US policy is that Taiwan is already a part of China. There's nothing to protect.
No, the official US policy is strategic ambiguity, acknowledging that the PRC rules China, that people across the Taiwan Strait recognize one China of which Taiwan is a part, while maintaining unofficial relations with Taiwan and providing support for Taiwan's defense.
Of course, that's just diplomatic mumbo jumbo. In the 70's, the US didn't care about the Taiwanese people as much as supporting an Asian bulwark against the advancement of communist borders. At that time, Taiwan was ruled by the Nationalists who were mainland occupiers who really did believe that there was one China and that Taiwan was just one province. Nowadays, the Taiwanese people largely consider themselves both legally and culturally distinct from China.
None of the diplomatic language is important. The US still doesn't care about the Taiwanese people, but it does care about how a Chinese invasion or occupation of Taiwan would affect the US economy. If China invades Taiwan, it would be in the US interest to first try to protect Taiwanese factories vital to US companies and second to prevent China from gaining control of vital factories by making sure they are destroyed before any occupation.
I'd say the situation is more complex than that. The pacific military balance needs to be maintained. It's not only about Taiwan, you also have there South Korea, Japan and the Philippines as strategic allies. If the US turns their back on Taiwan in case China attempts an invasion - hint, they won't - the rest of allies won't trust US anymore and gravitate towards the safer options. True, economics is a major factor in the equation, but not the most relevant.
