Does the U.S. consider Taiwan a country?

No.

Okay, but it's possible that we may go to war with our most powerful adversary to defend its independence.

To defend the status quo and its de facto independence, yes.

Let's begin this half hour in Asia where Taiwan is getting ready for war with China.

A popular saying among people here is Ukraine today Taiwan tomorrow.

President Biden last fall saying for the first time that if China invades Taiwan, the U.S. would send

troops to defend it. Tansi Juebo and Teng Teng Chisuong.

Tieni

Tien. Tensions between China and Taiwan are one of the world's major fall lines and in recent years

those tensions have been ratcheting up. China feels that Taiwan is part of its territory and is vowed to one day reclaim it.

And the history underneath that claim is complex and tense.

To make matters more confusing, the U.S. stance on Taiwan has been

kept purposefully vague for decades, a policy that has come to be known as

strategic ambiguity. Mixed up in all of this are the Taiwanese people themselves,

who of course have their own nuanced perspectives on the situation.

My name is Gabrielle Sierra,

and this is why it matters.

Today, a crash course on Taiwan, and a glimpse into what a Chinese invasion could mean for the world.

Chinese invasion of Taiwan would likely be the most complex modern military operation, something that makes D-Day look small by comparison.

This is David Sachs. You actually heard him at the top of the episode. He's a fellow here at the

council focusing on Taiwan and China. He's the director of the council's new independent

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