This is part one of a two-part series.

Well, it’s here: this morning we have a formal, public, explicit declaration by the President of the United States that America will go to war in defense of Taiwan. 

The New York Times @nytimes

Breaking news: President Biden said the U.S. would defend Taiwan militarily if China invaded, appearing to step away from a policy of “strategic ambiguity.”

nyti.msBiden Says U.S. Military Would Defend Taiwan if China InvadedMoving away from a policy of “strategic ambiguity,” the president said he would take a step to protect the island democracy that he has been unwilling to make when it comes to Ukraine.

6:58 AM ∙ May 23, 2022

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On the one hand, this is long overdue. Taiwan — an independent republic that is in no way a part of the People’s Republic of China — possesses strategic importance to the United States for four major reasons.