Why Taiwan is a major flashpoint between the U.S. and China

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As President Trump takes portion successful a Beijing summit this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping, no contented volition beryllium much critical to Xi than Taiwan.

Beijing has called Taiwan the halfway of China's halfway interests, with reunification, adjacent by force, the halfway of Xi's agenda.

In galore ways, China and Taiwan are similar. They person a shared history, connection and culture. But implicit the past astir 80 years, Taiwan has go galore things that China isn't. Taiwan, a self-ruled island, is a thriving democracy with a dynamic capitalist economy. It is simply a spot wherever radical explicit themselves openly without worry.

Fewer than 10% of Taiwan's colonisation favors reunification with China, according to surveys, and fears it volition autumn nether Communist power are connected the rise.

"Since democratization, we person enjoyed the state of speech, of democracy, a diversified society," Taiwan's lawman overseas curate Chen Ming-chi told CBS News successful an interrogation earlier this month. "We've been done an authoritarian past. We spot ideology is thing we achieved. Taiwanese radical cherish that precise much. So we volition ne'er judge the 1 country, 2 systems."

Taiwan is besides 1 of the largest imaginable flash points betwixt the U.S. and China, the lone spot wherever unfastened warfare betwixt the 2 almighty militaries is possible. China regularly conducts subject exercises astir Taiwan successful an ongoing amusement of force.

For decades, U.S. presidents person remained steadfast successful their defence of the tiny Asian state from its neighboring giant. But there's increasing interest that President Trump could alteration that, which would person implications astir the world.

Taiwan is critical to the American economy. It produces much than 90% of the world's astir precocious semiconductors, important for artificial quality and defense, making it indispensable to the planetary proviso chain.

"There's a tremendous magnitude astatine involvement successful this relationship," said Jonathan Czin, a chap astatine the John L. Thornton China Center astatine the Brookings Institution, of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship. "And I don't deliberation it's an exaggeration to accidental that."

China has seen Taiwan arsenic a breakaway state since 1949, erstwhile the nationalists mislaid the Chinese Civil War to the Communists and fled the mainland.

Today, Taiwan is an economical powerhouse with a per capita GPD that is 1 of the highest successful the world.

For decades, the U.S. has declined to admit the Chinese Communist Party's assertion implicit the land and has provided Taiwan with billions of dollars successful arms each year, including a $10 cardinal bundle announced past December.

But a caller $14 cardinal arms bundle for Taiwan has been awaiting Mr. Trump's signature for months. And galore successful Taiwan fearfulness Xi volition usage commercialized deals to weaken U.S. enactment oregon alteration the presumption quo. What has prompted those fears are Mr. Trump's caller comments that helium is consenting to sermon U.S. arms income to Taiwan with Xi.

"There is decidedly interest that helium [Mr. Trump] volition commercialized distant that arms merchantability successful speech for thing else, you know, whether that's for assistance connected Iran, oregon immoderate benignant of economical concession," Czin said. "President Trump's transactional attack is that everything's up for negotiation."

Chen Ming-chi told CBS News that helium views the U.S. arsenic a "dependable ally," and is not acrophobic it volition wantonness Taiwan.

"The U.S. tin number connected america arsenic overmuch arsenic we tin number connected the U.S.," Chen said. "Do we judge successful the U.S. commitment? Yes. They are our reliable partner. Probably the astir reliable partner."

Anna Coren contributed to this report.

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