Perhaps the Clinton Administration Simply Got their Chinas Mixed Up

We're allied with Taiwan, not mainland China:

Deterring China's attempt to coerce Taiwan into unification with the mainland through military force has been United States policy for five decades The success of that policy has rested on Taiwan’s willingness to maintain a robust self-defense capability and, in turn, on America’s retaining the ability to project military power quickly and decisively into the region in a time of crisis. To support this policy, the Pentagon assists Taiwan through a program of arms sales, in developing a modern military force, and by investing in our own capabilities to meet Chinese aggression.

As important as these measures are, neither Taiwan nor the United States is getting its money’s worth because of the unnecessary restrictions placed on our military-to-military ties with Taiwan. In some cases these restrictions are just petty, such as requiring Taiwanese military personnel to wear civilian clothes when they train in the United States, or forbidding Taiwanese pilots from wearing name badges on their flight suits during U.S. training. In other cases, they are far more serious and debilitating. Chief among these cases is the self-imposed prohibition on trips by U.S. generals, admirals, and senior defense officials to Taiwan.

In order to develop an appreciation for Taiwan’s specific military needs and, in turn, to spell those needs out to America’s civilian policymakers, U.S. generals and flag officers have to be able to visit Taiwan and see its military in action. Although visits by expert teams of U.S. captains and colonels to Taiwan can and do help, these lower-ranking American military officers lack the authority and the “joint” command experience of general officers necessary to have an effective exchange with Taiwan’s senior military leaders. And, back home, anyone familiar with the ways of Washington knows that having a well-informed general or admiral make a case for a new initiative is vital if it is to be given a respectful hearing by senior military and civilian decision-makers.

Similarly, it is difficult for Taipei and Washington to discuss contingency responses to possible Chinese aggression when U.S. generals and flag officers are not able to meet regularly with their Taiwanese counterparts. Again, colonels and captains can talk about a lot of things, but only the most senior officers can really push their respective institutions to be forthright about what they can and cannot do, and to take whatever steps are necessary to fix holes in those plans. Failing this, too much uncertainty can creep into our contingency planning and, in turn, create doubts about our actual ability to deter Chinese aggression.

Will Chinese aggression against Taiwan be another legacy of the feckless and incompetent Clinton Administration?

There is simply no excuse for the present administration to not set things aright.

It is quite clear that there is war brewing in the straits between Taiwan and China. The Chinese ambivalence about leashing North Korea and their naval and military buildup speak much more loudly than the appeasers at Foggy Bottom.