ABSTRACT
During the Cold War, US policy debate concerning Taiwan focused on how best to support the security and international identity of this noncommunist Asian outpost. The longstanding US involvement with the government of Taiwan has its roots in the World War II alliance with the Nationalist Chinese administration of Chiang Kai-shek. Prospects for continued healthy economic growth in Taiwan are reasonably good. Competing US policy options related to Taiwan’s identity, security, prosperity, and internal politics raise often difficult choices for US policymakers who deal with Taiwan-related affairs. Hong Kong is a major center for US investment, trade, and contact with China and the rest of Asia. The future of Hong Kong also has implications for US interests on Taiwan. The Tiananmen Square massacre of June 1989 triggered mass demonstrations in Hong Kong and legislation in the US Congress linking US policy toward China with People’s Republic of China policy toward Hong Kong.
