| Abstract: | Tensions across the Taiwan Straits have recently escalated due to actions on the part of several U.S. politicians as well as some pro-independence parties on the island. On October 26, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his country's support for Taiwan joining the United Nations, a blunt violation of the one-China principle. At the same time, the Taiwan authority is increasingly, and recklessly so, challenging the bottom line of the Central Government in Beijing. In her CNN interview on October 28, Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen confirmed that U.S. troops are training local military forces on the island, making Tsai the first Taiwanese authority to admit to the presence of U.S. military on the island. |
