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Why Washington Wants Americans to Care About Taiwan

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi on U.S. involvement in conflicts abroad: “We have to be equipped.”

By Ravi Agrawal, the editor in chief of Foreign Policy.
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Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13 was closely observed far beyond its borders for one particular reason: The outcome could have triggered a belligerent response from China, which may have led to dangerous new tensions between Washington and Beijing. But that didn’t happen. The winner, the Democratic Progressive Party’s Lai Ching-te, was not Beijing’s preferred candidate, given his reputation in China as a separatist. Yet Beijing responded to Lai’s victory in a relatively muted fashion. Lai, in turn, has continued to signal that he doesn’t want to escalate tensions with his country’s bigger neighbor.

Ravi Agrawal is the editor in chief of Foreign Policy. Twitter: @RaviReports

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