“‘China will want to make an example of a country that has strong ties, either an alliance or quasi-alliance, with the United States — which Taiwan effectively does,’ [Bridge Colby] said.
“A victory there would bring a cascade of advantages. Taiwan’s geographic location — off the coast of mainland China, south of Japan, and north of the Philippines — makes it ‘a cork’ for China’s ability to conduct military operations in the Pacific. ‘If the Chinese take over Taiwan, suddenly, they no longer have to plan [for] attacking Taiwan, and then, they can project military power outward from the island of Taiwan,’ Colby said…”