“Ultimately you care more about Los Angeles than about Taipei.” This comment was made by a senior Chinese admiral when he warned the Americans not to intervene when Chinese missiles landed in the Taiwan Strait in 1996. With the missile shower, China punished Taiwan for wanting to strengthen ties with the United States. “In the 1950s,” the admiral continued, “you threatened to use nuclear weapons three times (during the Korean War, ed.). You could do that because we couldn’t hit back anyway. But we can now.”
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