From a military perspective, Taiwan is a extremely important to China because of where it is located. Their fear is that the US would use Taiwan as a base of o

From a military perspective, Taiwan is a extremely important to China because of where it is located. Their fear is that the US would use Taiwan as a base of operation to refuel and attack China. It’s in their best interest to reclaim that land. Like all politicians, domestic policies are usually harder to gain political points vs foreign policies. It is also much harder to fix when problems arise. This is why head of states like the US president have traditionally spent more time on foreign policy. All leaders think about their legacy. If Xi can reclaim Taiwan, he will be remembered for decades. That is powerful motivation for any leader, especially one that is elderly. The US is currently run by a lunatic. Are you so sure Trump would impose sanctions? Most of his decisions are made in a fit of rage, rather than thoughtful thinking. The fact he met with Kim, should tell you something about his decision making. The problem is Americans has played this big brother role for the last 50 years, but now there is a potential contender on the playground. I am not sure the US can do much here considering China is cash rich to withstand any sanctions you impose on them. China can use Trumps playbook too if they wanted like subsidising farmers, but they haven’t cause they don’t need to.